Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 1993)
a Suit filed against Morrow County E ESSI E WETZELL U OF ORE NEWSPAPER E U G E N E OR LIB 97403 HEPPNER imes VOL. 112 NO. 11 10 Pages Wednesday, March 17, 1993 Morrow County Heppner, Oregon Local pioneer wagon to be in Oregon Trail The pioneer wagon that will be representing Morrow County in the official Oregon Trail Wagon Train rnade its debut in the Hepp ner St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 13. The Morrow County wagon was restored by Bob Harrison and Everett Keithley for the Oregon Bicentennial and was driven by Bob Harrison across Morrow County with the official Wagon Train in 1975. The wagon is owned by Bob and is on loan to the Shorty’s Museum at the Mor row County Fair Grounds. Joe Yocom has secured a team to pull the wagon at the many events. Renovation of the wagon for Frederickson appointed to school board Gary Frederickson of Board- man was appointed to Morrow County School Board position number one at the regular board meeting held Monday, March 15 at the district offices. Frederickson is the only can didate running for the position in the March 23 election. He replaces board chairman Alan Holmes who resigned in the midst of the district-teacher contract negotiations. Frederickson, 38, is a former Heppner-area resident, attending Morrow County School Board Chairman Marcia Kemp and M orrow County Education Association President Cara Osmin signed the two-year agree ment between the district and the teachers at the district board meeting on Monday, March 15. The contract calls for wage in creases for certified staff to bring 1992- 93 salaries up to $20,400 for a teacher with a bachelor’s and Joe Yocom show off the Oregon Trail wagon all ready to degree at step zero to $36,917 for a teacher with a master’s degree the 1993 Sesquicentennial of the will be when the wagon accom plus 30 credits or a bachelor’s Oregon Trail celebration was panies the official Oregon Trail degree plus 95 credits at step 17. done by Bob and Everett Wagon Train through Morrow 1993- 94 salaries range from Keithley. John Edmundson of the County, stopping to camp at Well $20,767 to $37,582. The contract specifies that the Morrow County Tourism Com Springs at Ella on August 17 and mittee took the wheels to Bill Cecil on August 18 and 19. Bob district pay $400 per month per Twigg, wheel-wright at the Harrison and Joe Yocom will be Moscow C arriage Co. of the team sters and Everett Moscow, Idaho, to have them Keithley will be brakeman for this redone. The pickup for transpor trip. Funds for renovating the tation was furnished by Jean This is the last in a series of Nelson. wagon were secured through the The wagon will be appearing at Morrow County Historical Socie three articles designed to inform various events during the year ty from the Oregon Trail Coor Morrow County citizens about such as the lone Fourth of July dinating Council and Morrow the 1993-94 tax levy. While mail-in ballots continue parade, the Irrigon Watermelon County matching grant. to be received at the county Organizers hope that some Festival, the Boardman Oregon Trail-Pioneer Days and the Mor private money can be secured to clerk’s office, voters are remind ed that March 23 is the final date finance the trip expenses. row County Rodeo parade. for ballots to be received at the The most momentous event Courthouse in Heppner, said Judge Louis Carlson. Voters will decide whether to approve the $3,388,550 county’s one-year operation levy and the ^$526,316 one-year medical levy. days. Funding for the project was provided by the Department of Defense through the Federal Emergency Management Agen cy (FEM A) and Oregon Emergency Management (OEM) as part of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Pro gram (CSEPP). With OEM and FEMA’s assistance, addi tional funds were recently secured allowing structural upgrades bringing the building up to current codes and into corn- Sheriffs Dept, arrests Don Ford in burglary cases Morrow County Sheriff's Dept, arrested Donald E. Ford. Irrigon and three juveniles in con nection with the March 6 burglary of A.C. Houghton Elementary school and the Col umbia Junior High School, both Heppner schools for seven years. His family then moved to Board- man and he graduated from Riverside High School. He has lived in Morrow County all of his life. His parents are Clarence and Virginia Frederickson. Frederickson said that he sees the budget, with measure 5 cuts, as the biggest challenge facing the board. Frederickson and his wife, Casey, have a daughter 10 and a son, five months. Gary Frederickson certified employee for insurance costs for the 1992-93 year and $425 per month per employee for the 1993-94 year. Also agreed upon was an ear ly retirement option for teachers reaching the age of 58. The teacher selecting this option must have completed 20 years of teaching, 10 of which were for the Morrow County School District. The district will pay the monthly premiums for the teacher’s present insurance pro gram at the time of retirement un til the teacher reaches 65 or qualifies for the federal Social Security Medicare coverage, whichever is earlier. In the event of the teacher’s death before the age of 65 and prior to coverage under Medicare, the district will pay m onthly prem ium s to the teacher’s spouse if the spouse is not covered by Medicare until the teacher would have become 65 or until the spouse is eligible for Medicare. The district also agreed to pay bargaining unit members who serve on building site committees $30 each time the site committee meets to conduct business outside of the workday. The cost is not to exceed $240 per year for the bargaining unit members, nor is it to exceed $ 1,200 per site com mittee per year. Site committees for schools were mandated by 1991 Oregon State law. Voters to decide county levies Contract awarded for county emergency center renovations The Morrow County Court has awarded a contract for renovating the county’s Emergency Opera tions Center (EOC) in Heppner. Knerr Construction of Hermiston submitted the low bid o f $205,785. Lynch, Fitzgerald and Associates of Portland will pro vide architectural services. Signing of construction con tracts is scheduled for March 17. Work will begin shortly thereafter with expected completion in 120 misconduct by county officials consent and verbally reprimand during the election process to an ed her because she obtained the attorney and physician and from services of an attorney who op exercising her right to discuss posed Carlson in the election for employment rights with an at Morrow County Judge. She says torney and physician. the county refused to follow per The suite alleges that the defen sonnel policy in relation to her. dants were in violation of Bergstrom alleges that her ter Bergstrom’s constitutional and mination was in violation of the contract rights and failed to pro Whistle Blower’s law when she vide her with a due process hear contacted an attorney to discuss ing before she was terminated. disclosure of information relating The suit further alleges that the to mismanagement, gross waste defendants caused Bergstrom to of funds and abuse of authority. suffer anxiety and emotional Bergstrom estimates $625,482 distress, impairment of her in loss of earnings until retire reputation and loss of future ear ment, $1,779 in lost wages, $718 nings and benefits. Bergstrom in loss of a pre-scheduled vaca alleges negligence in that she tion and $85 for the loss of one received no evaluation of her job day’s administrative pay, in ad performance during her proba dition to the $50,000 punitive tionary period. damages. She alleges that the defendants Bergstrom is represented by caused her mental distriss by Heppner attorney Ann Spicer. commenting on her age, and the Spicer opposed Carlson in the inappropriateness of her clothing. November election. Bergstrom maintains that the The county is represented by defendants instructed her not to James P. Martin of Hoffman, do certain things, then reported Hart and Wagner, Portland. A her to Carlson and other cour jury trial, requested by Bergstrom thouse staff for not doing her job. is scheduled for Sept. 22. She says, in court documents, Judge Carlson declined to com that the defendants talked to her ment since the case is in physician about her without her litigation. Teachers sign contract with district EÜ0U Jean Nelson (r), Bob Harrison go on the trail ride. A suit against Morrow County Judge Louis Carlson, former budget officer LoRayne Bowman and Morrow County Tax Collec tor Margo Sherer has been filed in Morrow County Circuit Court by former county accountant Jackie Bergstrom. In the suit, Bergstrom alleges wrongful termination of her employment, civil rights viola tions, interference with business relationships, negligence, inten tional infliction of mental distress, breach of contract, and violation of a “ whistle blower’s law.’’ Bergstrom is asking for $625,482 in general damages, $2,582 for special damages, costs and disbursements and $50,000 for punitive damages and at torney’s fees. Bergstrom, lone, was accoun ting clerk at the Morrow County Courthouse from Oct. 1989 to Jan. 1992 and county accountant from January to November 1992, when she alleges that she was asked to resign or she would be fired, according to court documents. A ccording to the suit Bergstrom was prevented from exercising her right to report located in Irrigon. Morrow County District At torney Earl R. Woods said that the stolen property has been recovered and that charges have been filed against all four individuals. pliance with the American’s With Disabilities Act. When complete, the EOC will house the Sheriff s Department, 911 Dispatch C enter and recently-created Emergency Management Department. The new facility will allow the coun ty to upgrade its 911 Center, pro vide the Sheriff s Department im proved facilities and enable Mor row County to better respond to emergencies including an incident at the Umatilla Army Depot Ac- tivity The CSEPP pro gram is currently procuring aler ting sirens, reader board signs, radios and automation equipment whch will be controlled from ihe EOC To further improve the coun ty’s emergency response capabili ty, officials are exploring options for establishing an Advanced Com m unications C enter in Boardman linked to the Heppner EOC. This year’s levy is $19,305 more than last year and represents a growth of slightly less than one percent, said Carlson. Included in the one-year coun ty operating levy are requests for tax dollars that fund programs that Morrow County citizens have indicated that they would like to receive, said Carlson. These programs include: road fund; cities portion of the road fund; Fair and Rodeo fund; general fund which includes the extension services and 4-H Club Pedestrian injured in auto accident A pedestrian was injured by an automobile in the parking lot at Miller’s Mini Mart in Heppner at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 13. Pedestrian Kathy Martin, for mally of Heppner. now of Ter- rebone, was transported by am bulance to Pioneer Memorial Hospital in Heppner where she QAtlK o r --- D JZaM em Oreyon 4000 1234 5670 was treated and released the same evening. PMH nursing super visor Sheridan Tamasky said that Martin was not seriously injured. Driver of the vehicle was Travis Greenup, 19. Heppner. Heppner Police Chief Doug Rathbun said that the accident was under investigation. programs; weed control district; soil and water conservation d istrict, B oardm an/Irrigon emergency assistance program; Morrow County Neighborhood Council; museum, justice court; juvenile director; soil erosion control; and watermaster as well as all the mandated service pro vided by Oregon Law. The road fund constitutes 40.35 percent of the total levy. This is a decrease of $16,042 from last year’s levy, Carlson said. Part of this decrease is due to increased revenue anticipated from the gas tax ($407,774) that was enacted by the state legislature. There has also been a slight increase in the revenue from the forest revenue which amounted to $282,751. The general fund is the largest fund which represents all of the non-mandated services provided to the county. It also provides funding for all of the services mandated by law. This fund is 45.91 percent of the total levy. This fund is up $92.323 over last year which reflects increased cost of living wages. The Bank of Eastern Oregon VISA CARD w-cs/a cr J CMOHOUX* •Low Annual Fee •Low Rate #ATM Access B Arlington p a s • te Heppner rn • Oregon lone Arhnntnn • Hennner • lonp l i ’in l ’n h /tfiih tii •/ Home i A nn i/ Hunk Member F DIC
