Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 1991)
y County levies ask for 1.7% increase Morrow County voters will get a chance to vote on two special one- year county levies by March 26. Mail-in ballots must be returned to the courthouse by March 26. The first will be the county operating levy, which includes mandated ser vices set out in Oregon law and those non-mandated services as requested by local citizens. The second one-year special levy will be for the operation of medied services which include Pioneer Memorial Hospital, nursing home, ambulance service and other medical needs of Morrow County. The 1991-92 operating levy will be 1.7 percent over the previous year, according to Judge Louis Carlson. “ This represents a tremen dous effort to hold down costs of those programs that the various agencies and departments have re quested.” Carlson noted that even with the 1.7 percent increase, “ the effects of Measure #5 will still have to be dealt with.” Greg Sweek, county assessor, said last week that firm figures will not be known on county valuation until the state of Oregon provides the pro perty values on the county’s industry and utilities accounts. This is ex pected some time in September. “ When all of the valuations are reported to the assessor’s office, we can complete the calculations of the rate per thousand of property tax and factor in the impact of Measure #5,” said Sweek. “ It appears that $86,000 will have to be trimmed from the county’s portion of taxes collected, according to the last estimate. This includes the county itself and other agencies that the couty supports and contributes to. If this proves to be true, taxpayers will be paying less taxes for county services in 1991-92 than during the current taxing year. ” The one-year county operating levy outside the tax base amounts to $3,401,984 The second levy to be voted on by the public will be the medical levy, $474,645. The com bination of the two operating levies, *3,876.629, accounts for the 1.7 per cent increase over last year’s levy. Morrow County is presently operating with a tax base o f $698.552. Greg Sweek predicts that the county valuation will be set at ap proximately 800 million dollars for the new Tax year. This is four million less than the current year. Next week Judge Carlson will discuss the effects of Measure #5 on cities and counties. Kemp - Sheirbon vie for positions Ballots to be mailed Friday, March 8 VOL 1Ï0 NO. 9 Wednesday, M arch 6, 1991 Heppner 35e 10 Pages Ballots for the March 26 special election will be mailed Friday, March 8, according to the Morrow County Clerk’s office. The ballots must be marked and received by the clerk’s office by 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 26. Morrow County Clerk Barbara Bloodsworth says that those mailing in their ballots may need to use two stamps to ensure adequate postage. Transfer site opens March 9 Power outage set The long awaited Morrow Coun ty Transfer Station will open this weekend, Saturday, March 9 at 9 a m. The station, a garbage dump ing site and recycling center, is located one mile south of Lexington on Highway 207. The center will accept household garbage and yard waste and municipal garbage, and will offer a new service, recycling, but will not allow commercial haulers to dump. Rates are $2 per 30 gallon can or bag, $4 for a 50 to 60 gallon con tainer, and $10 per pickup load. Rates had originally been set at a lower rate, but, according to Don Ball, Morrow County Road Depart ment, rates were raised to avoid undercutting Heppner Disposal’s rates. “ It wasn’t our purpose to undercut Cliff (Green of Heppner Disposal),” said Ball, “ But more to encourage people to bring in their gargage rather than dump it on the side of the road or in draws.” Ball said that dumping in the rural areas has become a problem and county officials hope that accessibility of the transfer site and low rates will facilitate garbage disposal for peo ple in rural areas, who have no disposal service. The recycling center will accept newspapers, bundled or bagged, glass bottles, rinsed and sorted by color (no windows, light bulbs or senses), tin cans, rinsed, with ends rem oved and flattened, and aluminum, rinsed and flattened or smashed. The transfer station will not accept tires, batteries, used oil pesticide containers, controlled waste (asbestos), chemicals or hazardous waste, and no white goods-stoves, refrigerators, etc. Only one position in Morrow County has been contested—one spot on the Morrow County School Board. Incumbent Marcia Kemp and Bill Sheirbon are both vying for elec Power will be out for Columbia tion to that position. Basin Electric customers in Hepp Kemp, 40, and her husband Gary, ner, Lexington and lone and sur of Lexington have two children in rounding areas on Saturday, March the county school system-Tina, 13, 9 from 4 a.m. to noon. who is a seventh grader at Heppner Included in the blackout, besides Middle School and Toni, who is a Heppner, Lexington and lone, will sixth grader there. be Blackhorse, Olex, Rock Creek, Kemp graduated from Thurston Ruggs, Hardman, Parker’s Mill, Mikkalo, Clem, Eight-Mile Willow High School in Springfield in 1969. In 1973 she received a bachelor of Creek, Hinton Creek, Blake’s science degree in agriculture jour Ranch, Shuttler Flats. Sandhollow nalism from OSU. She has lived in and Gooseberry. the county for 16 Vi years and is now According to a spokesperson at employed as a purchasing agent for Columbia Basin, “ the outage is to the U.S. Forest Service Heppner allow Bonneville Power Administra Ranger District. tion to make repairs to their A current member of the Morrow system.” County Soil District, Kemp has serv In the event of bad weather, says ed on the board and as a budget com CBEC. the outage will be postponed. mittee member for the past 3 Vi years. She was also a member of the Heppner-Lexington Advisory Board for three years and the Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District from 1984 to the present. Kemp lists involvement in the 4-H program as a leader, in the Project Kidsafe, the Morrow County Rodeo Committee, the Heppner Parents 4 p.m. Winner of the Bossy Bingo Club and in Camp Fire as a leader. game will receive $250. If the cow She also volunteered three years pie lands on your number, you win. working at Heppner Elementary A $100 first place prize will go to School and chair«! and served on the the lucky person whose adopted school functions, special events and plastic duck crosses the finish line in levy committees. Willow Creek first. “ If elected,” says Kemp, “ I will Festival-goers will not go hungry continue to strive for excellence in with Mrs. O’Leary’s Stew Feed on education in Morrow County. I have Friday, brunch, homemade potato a strong committment to represent soup and bread, a ham dinner, a beer the wishes of county residents and garden and other food concessions am dedicated in spending the time it on Saturday and breakfast and a takes to operate a successful educa lamb Basque barbecue on Sunday. tion program. “ Measure 5 is a reality and will affect education in the Morrow County School District. Now is the time to have board members, who have the experience and are knowledgeable about schools, to make important decisions concern ing education. “ I have served the past 3'A years for Sat. March 9 Ninth annual St. Patrick’s celebration gets underway Traditional Irish M usicians, Singers and Dancers, from County Cork, Ireland, will highlight four days of Irish festivities at the ninth annual St. Patrick’s celebration in Heppner, March 14 through 17. The County Cork ensemble has scheduled an Irish dance workshop for all ages and skill levels on Thurs day, March 14, a celli/concert on Friday March 15 and a Main Street performance on Saturday, March 16. Roller skating, a hoop shoot con test and a teen dance will entertain the younger set, while sheep dog trials, pioneer weaving and spinning demonstrations, a folk music concert and a craft fair will provide enjoy ment for all ages. Tours of the historic Morrow County Courthouse are planned for Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. The St. Patrick’s Bed Race will begin Saturday at 1 p.m. followed by the Irish Parade at 1:30 and the St. Patrick’s Auction at 2 p.m.. Bossy Bingo at 3 and the O ’Ducky Race at Marcia Kemp on the school board and have gain ed a solid background on the opera tion of our county school district. Serving on the budget committee along with building, operations, and many public involvement commit tees has qualified me for fair and wise and decision making. “ Morrow County education is very important to my life and I am dedicated to ensure every student receives a quality education with the tax dollars allotted. Our county-wide system places great importance on a good instructional staff, reliable transportation, nutritious food ser vices and safe/maintained buildings. “ Education is truly one of the most important assets we can ever give our children and I am proud to serve as a school board member in Morrow County,” she concluded. Bill Sheirbon, 42, and his wife of 20 years, Debby, have two children, Brent 16, and Dawn 13, who attend the lone Schools. A Morrow County resident for the past 15 years, Sheirbon has been employed since 1975 as a social ser vice specialist with the state of Oregon Children’s Services Divi sion. From 1969 to 1975 he also worked with the U.S. Forest Service as a seasonal employee working in fire control. Sheirbon graduated from Hood River High School in 1967 and received his bachelor of science degree from Oregon State University in 1973. Sheirbon has been the fire chief for the town of Lexington since 1983 and has been a member of the Lex ington Fire Department for the past 14 years. Currently a board member of the Morrow County Medical Board, he served as a city council member for the town of Lexington from 1979 to 1983 and is a past member of the Morrow County Juvenile Services Commission. He has also donated his time as a Bill Sheirbon volunteer for the South Morrow County Ambulance Service for seven years, the Boardman Am bulance Service for three years and the Lexington First Response Team as an emergency medical technician IID for two years “ The next few years will be a time of change in education locally and across the state,” says Sheirbon. “ With the passage of Measure 5, state government will begin taking increased responsibility for financ ing local education. It will take local effort to assure that our children con tinue to receive the kind of quality and equal educational opportunities we have come to expect for them. “ This will be an opportunity for educators, parents, taxpayers, and government officials to band together to come up with new ways to address old educational delivery and financial dilemmas within the realism of today's taxing structure. Morrow County citizens will need to come up with their own unique financing and delivery system to meet our needs. This can only be done with increased cooperation be tween parents, teachers, district and state administrators, and local citizens to help mold our future direction. “ During this process we will need to stress quality within the classroom and maintain morale among staff. Our teachers will need increased support and guidance to maintain a quality program in our schools. “ Living in South Morrow Coun ty while working with Children’s Services Division out of a Boardman office, a job which takes me throughout the county and into all our schools, gives me opportuni ty to see our school system at work. I would like the opportunity to repre sent your interest in helping our school system maintain a quality program through this time of change.” Tidewater trip added to auction items Parents club to A tidewater trip for two on the the 3,600 horsepower flagship. discuss funding Columbia River compliments of the “ Tidewater.” Tidewater Company, has been add projects ed to the items to be auctioned off Conservation Corp at the St. Patrick's auction on Satur to meet A Parents Club meeting will be The Butter Creek Range Conser day, March 16. The trip, a one-day towboat trip to Pasco and returning to Boardman. will be hosted by Morrow County Judge Louis Carlson and his wife Betty. The recipients will see the Colum bia “ in its majesty from the cabin of a tugboat, lock through the McNary Dam with barges and lunch aboard Traditional Irish Musicians. Singers and Dancers vation Corporation will hold their annual meeting Thursday. March 14 at 7:30 p.m at the Tom Currin residence. Members are asked to bring their receipts for knapweed spraying done last year in order to receive cost share distributions. The agenda will also cover chemical needs for next year and updates on problem weed areas. Parade organizers encourage kids and pets Plans are well underway for this year's St. Patrick’s Parade, schedul ed for Saturday afternoon, March 16, right after the bed race. Entries are already coming in and include a number of musical entries, accor ding to parade committee members. Again this year there will be a special division for kids, children 12 and under, and their pets. Ribbons and cash prizes will be awarded for a number of categories, including the best Irish dressed pet, best mannered pet. best kid-pet outfit, pet with the best trick, and many others. Any kids, or pets, interested in entering may call Bob Kahl or Cin dy McKinney at 676-9113 or stop in at the Van Marter & Kahl Insurance office for more information Bob Kahl. parade chairman, said there is still time to get a parade en try and be part of the annual St. Patrick’s Parade Parade entries should check in between noon and 12:30 p.m. Judging of kids and pets and antique autos will start at 12:30 p.m. For more parade information, call 676-9113 or evenings at 676-5422. 8 1L ^ u • # % J held Thursday, March 7, at 7 p.m, at the Heppner Elementary school cafeteria. On the agenda are proposed pro jects which may be funded by car nival proceeds, and a discussion of fundraisers to help purchase filter lenses for the city swimming pool. The lenses are required to help clear the murky water that plagued the pool last summer. 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