Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1992)
City budget approved by committee BESSIE U OF ORE NEw spa per E U s E ÍJ E o r WE T ell The Heppner city budget was approved with no changes by the Heppner City Budget Committee at its meeting Thursday, April 2. Budget committee member Rollie Marshall was the sole dissenting vote. Marshall protested the budget because it does not include funds for the salary for a third city police officer. Officer Gary L I B 9 7 4 0 3 Bingham will lose his job begin ning July 1, the 1992-93 fiscal year. The city will fund salaries for the positions now held by police chief Doug Rathbun and officer Merle Cowett. $23,413 was cut for the third police officer. Also eliminated in the 1992-93 budget was $25,923 for city pool expenses, $15,229 for city library expenses and $5,000 for the chamber of commerce manager’s salary. The budget will now go back to the city council who may make up to 10 percent in budget changes without requiring budget committee approval. The budget summary and a notice of hearing will then be published and the budget will be adopted before June 30 at a budget hearing. 35C Planning underway for lone pool use azette imes VOL. 111 NO. 13 6 Pages Wednesday, April 8, 1992 available at the lone pool would be limited to two sessions, the sign-up sheet would be used to decide which lessons would be offered. Lessons on the list in clude Beginner I, Beginner II, Beginner III, Advanced Begin ners, Intermediate, Swimmers, and Advanced Swimmers. Marks and parents or youth placing names on the list would need to indicate which lessons they are interested in. Organizers are projecting a program charge of $25 per stu dent. Tentative lesson dates have been set for June 16-27 first ses sion, and August 3-14, second session. Planning is now underway to provide swimming lessons for Heppner area youth this summer at the lone Swimming Pool. The effort is being spearheaded by the city of Heppner and the Morrow County School District as a way to help offset the recently an nounced closure of the Heppner pool. City administrator Gary Marks said that an “ interest” sign-up sheet is now available at city hall. Marks encouraged all interested parents or youth to contact city hall as soon as possible and register their names on the list. He said that since the time Marks said program organizers were hopeful that the Morrow County School Board would ap prove a proposal to provide bus ing for Heppner kids to the lone pool, the cost of which would be included in the $25 fee. He said that funds left in the current city budget for the swimming pool and lesson fees would be used to reimburse the school district for busing and use of the lone pool. The city’s swimming pool committee had decided to look in to providing lessons at the lone pool after operation of the Hepp ner pool became clouded with water quality, safety and funding problems. Morrow County Heppner, Oregon join s race for com m issioner Forest Service completes new building Prag Long time Boardman resident of the county have been short John Prag announced this week the kickoff of his campaign for Morrow County commissioner, Position No. 2. Prag says he has been in strumental over the years bring ing investment and jobs to Mor row county and plans to continue that effort as a member of the county commission. “ We have the second highest level of unemployment in the state,” said Prag, who said his efforts for economic development would provide jobs and the increased valuation needed to fund and spread the cost of essential government services. Another strong concern for Prag is ensuring Morrow Coun ty gets its fair share of services when involved with area govern ment organizations. “ Morrow County-especially senior citizens H epp ner RANGER changed,” said Prag of the ser vices provided for the dollars sent to m ulti-county agencies. “ We’ve sent more dollars to these agencies than any other county and we get fewer ser vices,” he said. “ I will insist on equitable distribution of those services and be sure they are targeted to the specific needs of our Morrow County citizens,” Prag said. ‘‘We cannot continue to let other counties dictate terms and condi tions to residents of Morrow County.” Prag said that offices of those organizations should be located in Morrow County. Prag said his background with business and industry could also help establish a partnership bet ween business and government to help meet county needs. John Prag Self-employed as a realtor and in agri-business for the past 30 years, Prag has been instrumen tal in developing, managing and operating commercial, industrial and farm properties. Prag has joint-ventured with local irrigated farms including Boeing Agri- Industrial. He was managing general partner of a 4,000 acre project. Prag was involved in The official state hospitality Morrow County Tourism com development of the original program will put back the ‘Oh’ mittee c/o of Heppner Chamber French fry plant, a 500 ton per- in Oregon and your business on of Commerce, Box 1232, Hepp day potato fresh pack plant and Monday, April 27 in Heppner. ner, or call 676-5536. Cost is $5 other industries at the Port of Morrow. The 2 Vi hour hospitality train per person. The training program will ing program for ow ners, Prag is a member of the Mor managers and employees, will feature customer service tips and row County School District be held 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Mor the secrets of what to say and how Budget Committee and the city of to say it. row County Museum. Boardman Planning Commission. Register by April 22 with the He has worked as a volunteer with the East Central Oregon Association of Counties on economic development special The Morrow County Emergen Umatilla counties and Colleen projects. He has served as presi cy Management has scheduled its King, former bi-county coor dent of the Boardman Chamber second Chemical Stockpile dinator will present the Morrow of Commerce and in several Emergency Preparedness Pro County plans. capacities on local and state gram (CSEPP) Tabletop Exercise An after-action review of the organizations dedicated to the real for the cities of Irrigon and exercise will be conducted estate profession. Boardman to be held in Irrigon at following a no-host lunch. A Prag and his wife Lynn live in the Morrow County Courthouse tabletop exercise is for planning, the Boardman area with one of Annex April 13 beginning at 9 sharing information and testing of three children still at home. a.m. “ I’m not a professional politi the new M orrow County Lynn Morice, training and ex Emergency Operation Plan. cian,” said Prag of his only at ercise coordinator of Morrow and tempt for an elected public pos tion, “ but I believe I can use my business background to help M orrow County meet the challenges of the mid-1990’s.” Hospitality training workshop slated D elanne Ferguson at her new post as H eppner District H anger The Heppner Ranger District now has all of its eggs in one basket. Newly completed district offices, located on Main Street in Heppner, finally allow all 45 per manent district employees to be New Heppner ranger on the job Heppner Ranger Delanne Ferguson, 37, is on the job at the new U.S. Forest Service building on Main Street in Heppner. Ferguson, who has been with the Forest Service for the past 12 years, comes to Heppner from the Alsea Ranger District where she was a department head. She has been departm ent head for wildlife, fisheries, recreation and watershed. Prior to service at the Alsea District, she was at the Waldport Ranger District. Ferguson grew up in San Jose, CA in a farming family. She has a degree in wildlife biology from the University of California at Davis. She has lived in Oregon since 1983. She is married and has a 15 year old step son, Stefan. Stefan and her husband, Michael who is a self employed contrac tor, will remain at Alsea for the time being. Ferguson says that the biggest issues facing her in her new posi tion are forest health and access travel management. Happy with her new place ment, Ferguson says, ‘This is just exactly the kind of place I wanted to be.” She says that the new Forest Service offices should pro vide better communication since the offices were previously hous ed at three different locations and should provide better customer service because the office is now on the main route to the forest. under one roof and will ac comodate the anticipated influx of temporary help in the summer. The district has increased its of fice space to nine thousand square feet, from around six thousand square feet in three offices scat tered around Heppner, according to administrative officer Earl Fishbum. Previous offices were located in the Forest Service buildings on the hill, the Coast to Coast building and the Pettyjohn building. Fishbum says that the new building has a conference room of around one thousand square feet. Previously the district had to rent a building for large meetings or conference, he said. The district began moving to the new offices on March 25 and finished, for the most part by March 30. An open house is planned for May 6. Parents needed to get field ready First tryouts for majors were held April 4 at the little league field in Heppner with the final tryouts this Saturday, April 11 at 9 a.m. Minor and T-ball tryouts will follow at a later date. Willow Creek Little League is scheduled to open the season with a triple-header May 2 at the Heppner Little League field. Teams from WCLL include Heppner. lone, Condon. Fossil and Arlington. * ‘ Lots of work needs to be done to get the field ready for play,” said organizer Bob Ployhar. "In field has to be leveled, weeds pulled, pitchers mound and base areas have to be rototilled and prepared for play. The snack shack will need to be setup and cleaned before it can be used and advertising sign fence has to be put up.” The major source of funds for the Heppner field comes from snack shack and fence ads. “ In past years the major league coaches and a couple of other dedicated people have done most o f the preparation and maintenance. Most of those in dividuals won’t be available this year,” said Ployhar. Because people move, kids out grow the league and coaches don’t have the extra time to do all this work themselves, in addition to the time they donate to coach, volunteers to help get the field ready are greatly needed. “ If the field is to be playable in 1992, it will be up to the parents to step forward and get the work done,” Ployhar said. The field is used by little leaguers age seven through 12 and any parent willing to donate a few hours after work or on a weekend would be greatly appreciated. “ Please feel free to work on whatever needs to be done.” Ployhar added. “ And remember, any liner left at the ball park will be picked up by some volunteer or not picked up at all.” CSEPP exercise training set Eclipse to cause early morning television interruptions Heppner T.V. Inc announces that the satellite signal on the Family Channel will be shut down between 12:15 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on April 11 because of a solar eclipse. The Family Chan nel will lose picture and fade to snow during the 75 minute period. Heppner T.V. apologizes for this late-night viewing pro blem, but say they are unable to provide an alternative feed. This outage will interrupt “ Roots: the next generation” at that schedul ed time. Ruth Locust plans meeting Ruth Locust Chapter No. 32, Order of the Eastern Star will meet Monday, April 13, at 8 p.m. at the Heppner Masonic Hall. All members are encouraged to at tend as visitors are expected from neighboring chapters. The chapter's history will be briefly reviewed and past matrons and past patrons will be honored. After the planned entertainment the members will retire to the din ing room for a social hour. NEW CAR LOANS 9 . 5 % 48 months OJ.C. Arlington • Happnar • ton« «7 "Yrm r Ind epe nd e* Heme O rn e é Burnt ”
