Three vie for one County Commission spot
BESSIE
4 OF
W E T Z E L L
ORE
î W S P A P E R
LIB
; 2 E N E
& 7 4 0 3
OR
Irvin Rauch
VOL 108 NO. 44
Wednesday, October 31, 1990
Heppner 35*_____16 Pages
Tax base to establish Willow
Creek Dam lakeside campground
By Merlyn Robinson
“ The tourists are coming.” And
the establishment of an overnight
recreational vehicle park at the
Willow Creek Dam lakeside will
strengthen the economy through
diversification by catering to the
tourist trade, said Park District
Chairman Ken Turner.
The Park District has asked south
Morrow County voters to decide on
a $41,752 tax base for operating a
proposed recreational-vehicle-
ovcmight campsite and the establish
ed dock system and day park.
If the $41 thousand tax base is ap
proved, it would amount to less than
$12 on a $50,000 house. But the pro
posed tax base does not levy a new
tax. Instead it establishes a tax base
that would be subject to the six-
percent constitutional limitation that
could not exceed that amount
without voter approval.
In March, 1987 voters approved
a one-year operating levy of
$29,300, 638-400, support establish
ed park development. About $75
thousand received in grants plus
donated labor have resulted in
lakeside improvements that are now
valued at about $150,000.
In August, 1990, Senator Mark
Hatfield announced during his Hepp-
ner visit that, $150,000 through the
U.S. Corps of Engineer budget
would definitely fund half of the
estimated Willow Creek overnight
campsite construction costs.
Once the Corps funding is obtain
ed, a $40 thousand Oregon
Economic Development grant will
become available. More than one-
fourth of matching construction
funds have been pledged from
donated in-kind services. Turner
projected that construction should
start in March 1991.
“ It’s going to happen (the RV
park).” Final designs have been
drawn up subject to Corps approval
thanks to engineer Jim McElligott,
lone, Turner said. A tax base is
needed to provide funds for opera
tional expenses, he said.
Turner also credited the Morrow
County Tourism Committee along
with the Heppner Forest Service
District, headed by Forest Ranger
Roger Williams, with “ positive ac
tions” to help atract visitors and
enhance recreational opportunities
for local residents.
“ The Forest Service is really sup
portive of tourism in the area and
helping the local community anyway
we can," said Williams. “ We sup-
port it (the Willow Creek camp
site).”
Large scenic by-way signs to be
placed on the by-way exits from 1-80
have been approved by the Depart
ment of Transportation. A kiosk in
formative center near Heppner and
a snowmobile park at the top of Coal
Mine Hill above Willow Creek are
being developed. Marked hiking and
horseback riding trails are to be built
by the Forest Service in the
Cutsforth Park area about 20 miles
from Heppner.
“ This scenic by-way is worth $1
million in advertising for our Coun
ty,” Morrow County Judge Louis
Carlson said. “ As our economy
evolves, diversification is essential.
The emphasis on specialized crops
and industries are important assests
in the north end of the county. But
the agriculture base in the south end
will be implemented by specialized
wood products and the evolution of
the tourist industry. Money spent on
the construction and maintenance of
the Willow Creek park development
and other recreational assets are the
essential keys for planting seeds as
a new facet for our economy,” he
said.
CBEC annual
Willow Creek Recreation
meeting Nov. 8
Area receives federal funding The 46th annual meeting of the
Willow Creek Park District Chair
man Ken Turner notified the
G azette-Tim es Tuesday that
$150,000 has been approved through
the Corps of Engineers budget for
construction of the Willow Creek
Recreation Area, at the Willow
Creek Dam near Heppner.
Turner said that U.S. Senator
Mark Hatfield’s office and the Corps
o f Engineers notified Nancy
Brownfield of the funding approval.
“ It makes all the hard work seem
worthwhile," Brownfield added.
Hatfield has been instrumental in
gaining funds for the recreational
area, which will include an overnight
campsite and an RV park.
Turner said that this funding of
$150,000 will enable the district to
get $40,000 in matching funds
through an Oregon Economic
Development grant. He said that the
$150,000 may be subject to a slight
reduction.
“ We’re off and running,” said a
jubilant Turner. “ W e're going to
build a park.”
Supporters of the Willow Creek
Recreation Area say they hope to at
tract more tourists to the area and
make it more feasible for the tourists
to stay in the area for longer periods.
Colum bia
Basin
Electric
Cooperative will be held on Thurs
day Nov. 8, at the Isobel Edwards
Hall in Fossil.
Registration will begin at 5 p.m.
with dinner at 6 p.m. and the
business meeting at 7 p.m.
Business conducted at the meeting
includes election of directors and a
by-law change.
Merchants to meet
The Heppner Merchants Commit
tee will meet Tuesday, NMov. 6 at 7
p.m. at the Shoe Box conference
room.
All business people are urged to
attend and discuss Christmas
promotions.
Grain Growers plan annual meeting Nov 5
John Oades, director of the U.S.
Wheat Associates Portland office
will speak at the Morrow County
Grain Growers annual meeting Nov.
5 at the Morrow County Fairgrounds
at 6:30 p.m.
US Wheat is an overseas market
development organization working
on behalf of American wheat pro
ducers. The organization operates
market enhancement programs in
about 130 countries for a base of 14
overseas offices and two state-side
offices.
In the Portland office, Oades and
his staff are responsible for liaison
work with the grain export trade and
cooperating state-level wheat com
missions. hosting visiting foreign
trade delegations as well as servic
ing needs of US wheat headquarters
in W ashington, D .C. and 14
overseas offices.
Also on the agenda will be the elec
tion of directors. Four positions will
be elected for three-year terms.
Nominees are Keven Hague wood,
Steve Hill, John Kilkenny, Larry
Palmer, Rick Peterson and Paul
Proudfoot.
Four associate directors will be
elected for a one-year term. The
nominees for these positions are
Mark Cutsforth, Virginia Grieb,
George Miller and Steve Peck.
The meeting will also include
reports from company officers.
Dinner will be served by the
Willows Grange.
By Merlyn Robinson
Incumbent Morrow County Com-
ntissioner Irvin Rauch, Democrat, is
completing his second four-year
term.
During that period he has served
onthe Association of Oregon Coun
ties Land Use Commission; eight
years as a director for the East Cen
tral Association of Oregon Counties
public land and agriculture commit
tee; seven years as a director of the
Greater Eastern Oregon Develop
ment Council Corporation; and he is
completing his second one-year-term
on the East Central Association of
Oregon Consortium board of
directors.
A lifetime county resident, Rauch
went to school at Heppner and Lex
ington, graduating from the Lex
ington High School before its
closure. He attended Oregon State
University, Gonzaga University in
Spokane and Eastern Oregon Col
lege in LaGrande.
Rauch served 20 years on the
Morrow County School Board. He
is a member of Hope Lutheran
Church, the Oregon Wheat League
and the Oregon Farm Bureau. He
also served on the advisory board for
the Morrow County Grain Growers.
He and his wife, Millie, have three
children and six grandchildren.
Th ir fimily ranch business is now
a partnership o oration with their
children.
“ There are things I want to see
finished,’’ Rauch said as his reasons
for running for office again. He
listed the completion of the Willow
Creek highway and the implementa
tion of a geographic information
system to map areas of the county as
an aid to the planning commission
and assessor.
“ We need to enhance the county-
owned parks but retain the primitive
settings while promoting increased
park use,” he said. “ But I feel we
have a more efficient road depart
ment now that we have acquired a
crusher and other newer equip
ment.”
When asked about the growing
number of county employees, Rauch
replied, “ There is more record
keeping in all governmental offices
today and the Boardman Ordinance
Depot de-commission requires hir
ing additional personnel.”
Raymond French
By Merlyn Robinson
Retired livestock rancher and
former state representative Raymond
French, Heppner, is the Republican
candidate for Morrow County Com
missioner, position number one.
French graduated from Heppner
High School and attended Montana
School of Mines and Colorado Col
lege. He seized as state represen
tative from this district from
1983-85; served in the U.S. Navy;
wa legislative chairman for the
Voters go to polls Tues
Morrow County voters will go to
¿he poll: Tuesday, Nov. 6, to decide
the fate of
state, county and local
measures and elect a U.S. Senator,
Representative in Congress-2nd
Congressional District, governor,
Commissioner of the Bureau of Land
and Industries, State Representa-
tive-59th Representative District,
Morrow County Commissioner and
lone City Council and Irrigon City
Council members. Other positions
are unopposed.
* Ray French and Irvin Rauch will
vie for the Morrow County Commis
sioner position. Pat Wright, who is
not on the ballot, is running a write-
in campaign for that position.
* Four people are competing for
three spots on the lone City Council-
Harvey Childers, John A. Ekstrom,
Janet Thompson and Mark Tullis.
No one has filed for the lone
Mayor’s position.
Heppner City Mayor Cara Costa
is unopposed in a two-year term as
is Martha Doherty for a two-year
council member position. Only two
candidates Richard Curtis and Amie
Hedman are on the ballot for three
four-year Heppner council positions.
* No candidates have filed for the
Lexington Mayor and two city coun
cil positions.
* Four have filed for three four-
year positions on the Irrigon City
Council: William H. Cooley, Caryle
E. Gallien, Stanley P. Mills and Kel
ly K. Wright.
* Three have filed for three Board-
man City Council positions: William
“ Bill” Brown, Thomas D. Meyers
and Everett Moore
* Duane Neiffer, Christian Rauch
and Tom Currin are all unopposed
in three four-year Morrow Soil and
Water Conservations District spots.
* Voters will decide whether to
establish a Willow Creek Park
District tax base in the amount of
$41,752. This measure would
establish a tax base for operation of
facilities for the Willow Creek Park
District. Facilities will include an
overnight campsite, an RV park, a
dock system and a day park. The
proposed measure does not levy a
tax, but establishes a tax base.
* Irrigon voters will decide on the
formation of an Industrial Livestock
District.
* Morrow County voters will
decide the fate of a measure calling
for an increase in Morrow County’s
tax base from $659,012 to
$4,767,189. The current tax base
represents 15 percent of the total
taxes needed to fund the count)
budget. The remaining 85 percent of
taxes must be levied outside the tax
base for county operations.
Polling places are as follows:
lone-lone City Hall; Lexington-
Mormon Church; No. 8 Northeast
Heppner-Old City Hall; No. 9 Nor
thwest Heppner-Pettyjohn Office
Building; No. 10 Southeast
Heppner-Morrow County Cour
thouse; No. 11-Southwest Heppner-
Morrow County Courthouse.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8
p.m.
A lot at stake at final CBC
M ustang football game
Heppner High School’s final
regular Columbia Basin Conference
football game of the season against
the Umatilla Vikings is scheduled to
begin at 2:30 p.m . Friday,
November 2 at Umatilla.
Both teams have qualified for the
first round of the OSAA 2A football
playoffs scheduled for November 10
and Friday’s contest between the old
rivals will have a lot at stake. The
winner of the Heppner-Umatilla
game will be the CBC champion; the
Oregon Cattleman’s Association in
1982-83; and served 12 years as
chairman of the Morrow County Soil
and Water Conservation Board.
As a 30-year member of the Mor
row County Livestock Growers
Association, he served as president
and director. Besides serving on the
Morrow County School Board one
term as chairman he has been a
member of the Oregon Wheat
Growers Association and he served
on the Morrow County Board of
Equalization. He is also a member
of the Heppner C ham ber of
Commerce.
A lifetime resident of Morrow
County, he and his wife Norma have
three married daughters and nine
grandchildren. The Frenches are
members of St. Patrick’s Catholic
Church.
“ Local people must take control
of changes affecting our area and I
want to be a part of those changes,”
French said as a candidate for com
missioner Other priorities he listed
were the continuance of quality
health care facilities in the county;
doing the best job possible of im
proving the county’s road infrastruc
ture and quality water and land
resource management
“ The county court must be in
novative and be ready to meet issues
that haven't even been thought of
yet,” he said.
loser will be runner-up. The winner
will get to host the number two-team
from the Wapati League in that first
round play-off game; the loser will
be traveling to Vale to take on the
second-rated team in the state
The second place team from the
Wapati League will be decided this
weekend between Grant Union.
Enterprise or Imbler. In the key con
test. Imbler will play the Prospectors
of Grant Union.
Pat Wright
Morrow County Health Nurse for
the past 16 years, Pat Wright has
launched a write-in campaign for
Morrow County Commissioner.
Wright was born and raised in
Lexington and graduated from Lex
ington High School. She received
her nursing diploma from Good
Samaritan Hospital in Portland and
worked as a nurse at Good Samaritan
in the emergency and operating
rooms and at Gresham General
Hospital in the coronary care unit.
She lived in the Portland area for 18
years before returning to Lexington.
She recently retired as county health
nurse.
She has served four years on the
Ione-Lexington School Advisory
Board, four years on the Morrow
County School Board, two years on
the Pioneer Memorial Hospital
Board and four years on the Lex
ington City Countil. Wright also
served on the doctor search
committee.
Wright, a widow, has two married
children and two grandchildren. She
is a member of the United Methodist
Church. She is also active in the
Historical Society, the Morrow
County Creative Arts and Crafts
club, the Lexington Grange and the
Pendleton Bird Club.
“ I do think we need a ‘kinder,
gentler' board of commissioners
who are more responsive to our
residents,” said Wright. “ I am also
very sympathetic to our senior
citizens, because I am one."
Wright also expressed concern
over the garbage issue, “ It (garbage)
is there. We must monitor it (the
landfill) carefully to keep it en
vironmentally safe.”
Another priority listed by Wright
is the Sheriffs Dept. “ I’m very hap
py with the Sheriff s Dept. They've
handled the increase in crime over
the past few years very well. I’m
very supportive of them."
Weather Report
by City of Hoppnef
Tues.
W eds.
T hurs.
F ri.
Sat.
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M on.
O ct. 23 - 29,
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