Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1993)
ttOkNMt* ■éM County trims $100 thousand from levy prSSlE u OF n e ?; s Morrow County has trimmed $100,000 from the $3,388,550 county operating levy which fail ed by 29 votes on March 23. The county will submit a $3,277,550 levy to the voters in May. According to the county court, the reduction is primarily the result of ‘’higher year-end revenues than anticipated at budget time for the county road fund and represents no reduction in services to the taxpayers.” “ If voters turn this down we’ll have to start cutting at least $100,000 from non-mandated services,” said Morrow County Judge Louis Carlson. Carlson said non-mandated services in clude such programs as the Neighborhood Center, Senior C enter, Extension Service, predator control and the watermaster. W E T Z E L L ORE r a r E R lib E U G E N E OR 9 7 4 0 3 •V v HEPPNER In other business the county court approved a $10,000 transfer from the general fund building improvements to an expenditure line for the Boardman gazebo project. The monies had been ap proved earlier for moving the historical gazebo, but no expen diture line existed to allow expen diture of the funds. The court approved a county counsel budget of $12,742.85. Six hundred dollars was transfer red from the county court budget for office supplies and mileage and the balance was transferred from the district attorney’s budget for the deputy DA’s salary. The deputy DA’s position was eliminated when the county counsel position was created. Commissioner Ray French reported that he and county counsel Val Doherty developed a procedure to award county lots in Boardman. The first 10 to have their names drawn will get their choice of property lots in Board- man. Those who submitted ap plications but who did not get drawn would have preference in subsequent drawings, they said. Those selected are required to pay $645 when the contract on the land is signed. The drawing was set for Tuesday, April 6 at 9 a.m. at Boardman City Hall. The court agreed to have the county counsel research the legal requirements to accept Estregaard Estates Road in Boardman as a county road. Commissioner French reported that the Pioneer Memorial Clinic construction is on schedule and is expected to be completed in mid-May. Voters approve Sagebrush Coalition ballot 4 'k 'l l Jì I imes VOL. 112 NO. 14 8 Pages Wednesday, April 7, 1993 Morrow County Heppner, Oregon “ V oters in M orrow and Malheur Counties gave a resoun ding stamp of approval to their ‘One Senator Per County’ ballot measures at the March 23 elec tion,” said Gary Marks, project director. Morrow County voters passed the measure with an “ im pressive” 77 percent voting in favor, and the Malheur County measure won overwhelmingly with more than 85 percent of the vote. The ballot measures, which were identical in both counties, asked voters if they would ap prove of developing a system of government which would permit each Oregon county to elect one state senator. Currently, state senators are elected to districts Heppner students learn animation techniques I ■v the higher we can elevate this issue throughout Oregon. It’s beginning to look like we might have an old fashioned, grass roots groundswell on our hands,” Marks said. He said he was ask ing citizens to tell their county commissioners that they want the chance to vote on the “ One Senator per county” issue. He also said he was looking for cities, chambers of commerce, or any other groups to endorse the coalition’s efforts and then let him know so that he can add their names to the coalition’s endorse ment list. Marks said the Sagebrush Coalition’s ultimate goal was to bring the measure to a statewide vote, probably through the in itiative process. With vote totals reaching 75 to 85 percent in favor of the measure in rural counties, only about 30 percent would need to vote “ yes” in the Portland, Salem and Eugene areas for the measure to pass statewide. “ I think people are starting to realize that we just might have a genuine shot at succeeding,” Marks said. M arks can be reached at 676-9650. which are determined by popula tion only. As a result, only four of Oregon’s 30 senators represent citizens who live in counties east of the Cascades. Giving each county one senator would result in Oregon’s east and west sides having 18 senators each. The idea is patterned after a similar system used in the U.S. Senate. Marks, of Heppner, said he was pleased with the overwhelm ing support shown by the voters. “ It’s not very often that you hear of any measure gaining the kind of support we saw from those two counties,” Marks said. “ These results have given us the first glimpse at the kind of support I think we’ll see all over rural Oregon.” Sagebrush Coalition co-chair Dennis Maloney of Bend said “ This is a good indication of how people in rural Oregon are feel ing about state government; the state should take note.” Marks said that the coalition would now encourage other rural counties to place the same measure on their ballots. “ The more counties that show over whelming support for this idea. r — ■ Drake receives Blazer award V v :g ■■Í • .• ' V ? % : • Grace Drake ;.V Heppner students practice film animation ••a . :A > f * vvS Tw elve H eppner M iddle School students learned how to animate their own films during an animated film workshop taught by Sharon Niemczyk from the Northwest Film and Video Center in Portland. Students participating in the artist-in-residence workshop were Travis Wilhelm, Jonas Healy, Josie Proctor. Dan Lightle, Adam Doherty, Caleb McDaniel, Josh Coiner, Jim Schlaich. Ben Mar vin, Amber Rollis, Shannon Ben jamin and Brent Gunderson. During this workshop, the students were divided into three groups. From a variety of sub jects these students wrote and narrated a story plot. Miniature clay figures that they designed were modeled after themselves to become the story characters. Two groups focused on stories that found successful cures for diseases. The third group chose to change history by using a time machine to ensure that a large portion of the nation’s land re mained in Indian ownership. These stories were put on film using a series of rapid movements of clay figures in a labor-intensive production. Videos will be made from these film strips that will be shown at art festivals or school assemblies. “ It’s great to see kids work up to their potential with creative im aginations,” Niemczyk said. “ It gives them an ‘I can do anything’ attitude and who knows, maybe some of these students will help find the cures for cancer or AIDS,” she said. Eight years ago, the local ar tists’ guild helped fund art-in residency programs. Since then it has become a proven enhance ment and has been included in the art department budget, according to Heppner art instructor Ron Forrar. “ It’s the icing on the cake,” Forrar said. It creates another dimension for students and helps to give new ideas to local instruc tors. A deeper understanding of the arts enhances anyone's life and it exposes students to poten tial career opportunities. The artist-in-residency pro gram has been a big asset. For rar said. Former students have gone on to become graphic and fashion design artists. And numerous art awards have been earned by students at both state and national levels. Niemczyk said she grew up in a small town in Ohio that was much like Heppner. Her artistic ability was inherited from her mother. Drawing portraits of people was her way of earning spending money during her school years, she said. But add ed that her chosen art career was a result of seeing the animated film, ‘Fantasia’. Animation is a highly com petitive field, but Portland is at the top in the animated film pro duction industry, she said. Niemczyk began working and studying at the film center after receiving her bachelor’s degree from Portland State University. lone community council meets By Anne Morter The lone Community Coor dinating Council held its first public meeting April 1 to receive input on the distribution of the lone share of the Finley Buttes Landfill licensing fees. Some of the ideas mentioned included ci ty street repair, city reservoir roof repair, additional hours of opera tion for the library, a fire hydrant for the Emert Addition, and repairs to the swimming pool ladders. lone, which in this case refers to the entire lone voting area, has been awarded a share of the Finley Buttes licensing fees by the county court. Ideas submitted to the Community Coordinating Council must benefit the entire lone community. Applications will be available at the next public meeting which will be held April 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the lone City Hall. Completed applications must be submitted to the council by May 14. The council will then review, prioritize and select on or before June 30. when the funds become available. The Rev. G race Drake, organizer of the Neighborhood Center Summer Project last year, will be recognized for her con tribution to area children at a Portland Trail Blazer game on April 18. When it became apparent that the Heppner swimming pool would not open, because of struc tural and financial problems, Drake organized a summer pro gram which provided crafts, pro jects, instruction field trips and lunch for area kids. Seventy children enrolled in the program, with around 45 attending daily. Selected as a “ Community Superstar” Drake was one of 10 selected in the state to receive the Budweiser/Blazer award for her community service. In addition to tickets to the Blazer-San Antonio game, Drake will be a guest at the Red Lion in Portland and will receive $500 for the charity of her choice, the Neighborhood Center children’s summer program, of course. Grace will be able to take one “ significant other” to the game and has selected her 16 year-old grandson Nathan Ferguson of Ontario. Grace was nominated for the award by the Heppner Chamber of Commerce. Grace has in dicated that the children’s pro gram will be held again this year. Local areas plan Easter egg hunts Easter egg hunts are schedul ed at Heppner and lone this Satur day, April 10 at 10 a.m. The Easter egg hunt in Hepp ner is sponsored by the Elks Club. Preschool and kindergarten children will hunt at the Heppner City Park, next to the library and museum. First and second graders will hunt at the Elemen tary School lower field and third and fourth graders at Hager Park near the dam. The lone egg hunt for children through the fourth grade will be held at the lone City Park and St. Williams Catholic Church. The lone Easter egg hunt is sponsored by the Extension Club. LOW RATES ON AUTO LOANS New Loans Used Loans h a n k as Low as * Î ■'•I 1 8 % As Low As o f — — O 1/. OZ* D Arlington 'E astern Oregon • Heppner • lone //\ ) » t |f l / i l l / » / ' I M l/l Iti //» » M lI Í >11 I II . / lilink Member F D I C