City budget approved by committee
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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
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48 months
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