' •
"" '
T '
”
1 ---
JL+.
,
0 F
ssli v.rTr - L
Majority favors indoor swimming pool
0 P r-'
EUGtNt
0 K
HEPPNER
35C
azette
imes
VOL. 112
NO. 4
8 Pages Wednesday, January 27, 1993
Morrow County Heppner, Oregon
Kinzua employees donate time and firewood
- 3r* .
Volunteers and Kinzua Mill employees help load wood to be donated to Irrigon and Board-
man Emergency centers
Kinzua Mill employees load
wood donated by Kinzua into a
truck bound for the Irrigon-
Boardman Emergency Assistance
Center in Irrigon.
Kinzua donated around 4 Vi
cords of wood and Kinzua
employees donated their time.
Participating were employees
Ivan Bork and his wife. Saundra,
Delbert Binschus, Dave Mitchell,
Butch Winters, John Tellechea,
Lowell Jones, Lloyd Humphreys,
Water rights to be discussed
Water rights, ditch riders and
irrigation districts will be some of
the topics discussed at a meeting
planned for February 4 at the
H eppner Elks Lodge. The
meeting, sponsored by the coun
ty court, will begin at 1 p.m.
A panel of water experts will
be on hand prepared to discuss
subjects of interest including
Larry Parson of the Bureau of
Reclamation; Mike Ladd of
Oregon Water Resources; Steve
Bloom offices of Kottkamp &
O ’Rourke; and Dick Cassidy of
the U .S. Army Corps o f
Engineers.
Topics will include water laws,
availability of water from the
Willow Creek Dam and other
issues ranging from minimum
stream flows to the formation of
a water district.
“ Although the county court is
not directly involved, we feel that
we should participate to the ex
tent that adequate information is
presented to the irrigators for
good management practices and
a good decision making process.
his wife Lola, and and their two
sons, Frank Pearson and Paul
Sumner. Bob Taylor, who is
retired, also helped out. Assisting
from north Morrow County were
Don Adams and Matt Doherty.
Bids let on sh eriffs
Mark your calendar,” said Mor
row County Judge Louis Carlson.
“ Given the extended drought
condition of the past six years, the
use of water on the traditional ir
The county has let bids for
rigated pastures and alfalfa fields renovation of the old U.S. Forest
of south Morrow County has Service building in Heppner.
The building will house the
generated a flurry of interest and
in some cases downright an Morrow County Sheriffs office
tagonism among ranchers,” and the new emergency manage
ment center.
Carlson said.
Personal invitations have been
Morrow County Judge Louis
sent to all water users on Hinton Carlson said that construction
Creek. Willow Creek and Rhea could begin within the month.
The project is funded by the
Creek. The meeting will begin
promptly at 1 p.m. and is ex Federal Emergency Management
pected to end at 4 p.m. Coffee Administration.
Once renovations are com
will be served.
Following the presentations pleted and the sheriffs office
time will be set aside for ques moves, Carlson said that the
tions and answers. A steering county accountant offices will
committee of irrigators will be move into the courthouse base
selected by the group or the Mor ment. The judge's and commis
row County Water Advisory sioners' offices have already been
Committee and will be responsi moved into the outer office
ble for analyzing the information formerly occupied by accounting
received and make recommenda and administrative assistant
tions back to the irrigators for LoRayne Bowman. Their offices
future water planning.
are in the judge's former office.
office renovation
Treasure hunt added to St. Pat’s celebration
A hunt to find hidden treasure
has been added to this year’s St.
Patrick’s Day Celebration.
Sponsored by the St. Patrick’s
Day committee and the Heppner
Gazette-Times, hunters will each
week find a new clue published
in the paper. The clues will lead
to a set of Oregon Trail com
memorative coins valued at near
ly $90.
A St. Patrick's Day memento
will be hidden somewhere in
Heppner, and with each week's
clues, searchers will be led closer
to the prize. First person to find
the memento can turn it in for the
coin set.
The first clue, and a complete
set of rules, will be published in
the February 10 issue of the
paper. A total of five clues will
be published through March 10.
A majority of people attending
a public hearing Monday, Jan. 25
concerning a proposed swimming
pool in the area favored a covered
pool located somewhere at the
Morrow County Fairgrounds.
Only around 20 people attended
the meeting.
Members of the Exploratory
Swimming Pool Commission,
stressed that the recommendation
is advisory and more public hear
ings are scheduled, as well as
meetings with engineers, lan
downers and the Willow Creek
Park District. The commission is
a committee of the park district.
The fairgrounds may not be
available for a swimming pool
because of prior committments in
a fairgrounds master plan which
includes fair and rodeo grounds
improvements and a sports com
plex and activities center.
In a straw vote, the fairgrounds
site received nine votes and
Hager Park, located by the
Willow Creek Dam, received
four.
Other siting options included
Cemetery Hill, on a site owned
by the Army Corps of Engineers,
Heppner High School, Heppner
Middle School, the Lexington
ball park and an undeter
mined site in lone. None of these
options received any votes in the
straw poll. Access for children
and wind chill problems were
concerns in the sites located at
higher elevations.
Eleven votes were cast favor
ing an indoor pool, three for an
outdoor pool and none for
renovation of the present pool.
According to cost estimates
released by the commission,
renovation of the existing pool
would cost around $800 thou
sand. Costs for renovation and
operating expenses would be 63
cents per thousand assessed
valuation. A taxpayer with a
$40,000 home would pay $25.20
a year for 20 years.
If the present pool were
renovated, no diving would be
allowed because one section of
the pool deck is too narrow for
placement of lifeguard stations.
The existing dimensions of the
pool cannot be changed because
the pool is in the floodway.
The estimated life of the
renovated pool would be around
20 to 25 years, compared to 40
years for a new pool. No wading
pool is included in this plan.
“ I would not recommend that
(renovation of the present pool)
to the park district,” said com
mission member Mark Pointer of
Lexington.
Option 2 - A newly constructed
75x44 foot outdoor pool is ex
pected to cost in the $1 million
range. Cost to the taxpayer for
construction and operating ex
penses would be around 74 cents
per thousand assessed valuation
or around $29.60 a year for a
homeowner with a $40,000
home. Also included in this op
tion is a 20x44 foot “ trainer” or
wading pool. The main pool
would have a 13 foot deep div
ing tank. Operating costs for
either option one or two are ex
pected to be around $35,000 a
year. This pool would also be
open three months out of the
year.
The favored option three - con
struction of an indoor pool-is ex
pected to cost around $2 million,
although, Skip Mathews, com
mission chairman, said that costs
for different types of covered
pools vary greatly.
Taxpayers would pay $1.76 per
thousand assessed valuation, or
around $70.40 a year for 20 years
for a taxpayer with a $40,000
home for construction and
operating expenses. Operating
expenses are estimated to be
around $120,000 a year because
the pool would be open year-
round. The indoor pool would
also include a 13-foot diving tank
and a 20x44 foot wading pool.
Estimated life of this pool would
be around 40 years.
Meetings concerning the pro
posed pool were to be held in
Lexington Tuesday and in lone
Wednesday. The Willow Creek
Park District, which would float
the bond issue to fund construc
tion and operating costs, includes
Heppner, Lexington and lone and
extends as far north as Bombing
Range Road, encompassing Mor
row County south of Cecil.
Commission members in
dicated at the Heppner meeting
that improvements in other areas
of the district, for example at the
lone pool, would be included in
any projects.
Commission members said that
in addition to a bond levy, they
will continue to explore grants
and donations.
Local Sears store to close
M an dead o f self
inflicted wound
The Heppner Sears Catalog
Store will close “ within
months” , according to Shirley
George, who owns the store
along with her husband Kit.
Shirley says that they have not
yet received notification as to the
exact date of the closure. The
Georges have operated the store
since 1979. The store opened in
1971.
The news of the closure of the
local store follows an announce
ment by Sears and Roebuck Co
that it will eliminate 50,000 full
Michael B. Hall, 32, Heppner.
was discovered dead of a “ con
firmed” self-inflicted gunshot
wound at his home on Friday,
Jan. 22, according to Morrow
County District Attorney Earl R .
Woods, Jr.
Woods said that the weapon us
ed was a 30 caliber lever action
rifle.
Hall was the son of LoRayne
Bowman of Heppner and Eldon
Hall of Corvallis.
No other details had been
released at press time.
and part time jobs and discontinue
its “ big book” catalog, a tradi
tion for nearly a century. Sears
has said it will close 113 retail
stores mostly small to medium
sized.
The spring 1993 catalog will be
Sears last big book catalog but
they will continue to accept
orders from it until the end of the
year.
In October Sears reported an
$833.7 million third-quarter loss,
its first quarterly loss since 1933.
New Doliaride van purchased for seniors
A new Dodge Caravan van has
been purchased as the new
Dollaride vehicle for the Hepp
ner area.
The Dollaride service offers
transporation for seniors and han
dicapped persons in the area
Monday through Friday and
delivers meals to the same from
the Pioneer Memorial Hospital
kitchen on Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday and Friday.
This service has been in opera
tion since the fall of 1988 when
it was initiated by Jane Rawlins
with the purchase of a “ 66 Ford
Galaxie 500 which has been us
ed until the arrival of the new
van. Since 1990 the service has
been part of the Oregon Special
Transportation Fund supported
by the tobacco tax. The new van.
purchased through a special
discretionary grant offered
seniors and disabled, offers two
wheel-chair stations and meets all
legal specifications for senior and
disabled transportation.
Alternate drivers have includ
ed Delta Huber, Shirley Haugen
and Ralph Struthers. All are
volunteers.
Any senior over 60 or disabl-
PMH Auxiliary
schedules meeting
Pioneer Memorial Nursing
Home Auxiliary will meet on
Thursday, February 4 at 7 p.m.
at Kate's Pizza in Heppner. All
members are urged to attend.
“S.
Jane Rawlins (I) and Ralph Struthers show some of the features
of the Dollaride van.
ed person may request a ride for
medical, nutritional, educational,
recreational, social or other pur
poses by calling the Heppner
Senior Center 676-9030 or Jane
Rawlins 676-9435. Out-of-town
or Saturday transportation is
available by calling Rawlins for
a special appointment.
Meals may be ordered by call
ing Pioneer Memorial Hospital
676-9133. Wednesday meals are
available from the Nutritional Site
Committee 676-9030. There is no
charge for delivering meals but a
$1 donation is suggested for
riders' being picked up and taken
to their destination and delivered
back home.
Two vehicles stolen in lone
Two vehicle were reported
stolen from the lone area on
Tuesday, Jan. 26.
The vehicles were a compact
pickup and a regular sized
pickup.
No other details were reported
at press time.
Bank o f Eastern Oregon
Announcing
*
...
HOME LOAN PROGRAM
Rates as low as 7 .2 5 %
B*
K OF
a ste rn C^reqcn
Arlington • Heppner • lone
)om liitlf/h tiili ii l Homi
O i i i i i i I
Hunk
Member
F D I C