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OR
School district plans could include
Boardman and Irrigon high schools,
new Heppner Junior High building
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VOL. 112 NO. 42 8 Pages Wednesday, October 20, 1993 Morrow County Heppner, Oregon
Sheriffs office moves to new facilities
Irrigon resident Dan Creamer
and mayor Don Eppenbach ask
ed the Morrow County School
Board to include a new high
school for Irrigon and a new
junior high for Boardman in an
upcoming capital improvement
bond issue. The board is seeking
to put the issue on the March
ballot.
Irrigon high school students are
currendy bused to Riverside High
School at Boardman and Board-
man junior high school students
are bused to Columbia Junior
High School in Irrigon. Riverside
has 397 students, of which ap
proxim ately half are from
Irrigon.
Proponents of the plan say that
since recommendations already
call for the addition of many
classrooms to accomodate an
estimated four percent growth in
the north end, new schools should
be built instead.
School superintendent Chuck
Starr said that if both Riverside
and Columbia Junior High School
were remodeled to accomodate
students in seventh through 12th
grade, the plan could be feasible.
Starr said that a bond issue to
fund construction would not fund
staffing and general fund budget
constraints would not allow for
funding of staff at two additional
schools. But, if the schools were
expanded to seventh through 12th
grades, staffing needs would pro
bably remain much the same. The
district faces additional cuts in the
general fund because of the
passage of Ballot Measure 5.
The district growth committee
had earlier recommended that the
following additions or changes be
made:
Riverside: addition of 12
classrooms, gymnasium with
wrestling/balcony area and locker
rooms, auditorium which could
seat the total student body,
storage space, remodeling of
several areas and disabled access
between the main floor and gym
level;
A.C. Houghton Elementary:
addition of eight classrooms
(sixth grade students would be
schooled at Columbia Junior
High) library, remodeling of pre
sent library for staff/conference
rooms, storage space;
Columbia Junior High: addi
tion of 10 classrooms (six
classrooms for new sixth-grade
students to be schooled at Colum
bia and two additional classrooms
for growth in the seventh and
eighth grades.
Sam Boardman Elementary:
addition of four classrooms for
growth (sixth-grade students
would be schooled at Columbia
Junior High School), two con
ference rooms, one staff room;
Heppner Elementary School:
remodel or replace gymnasium;
Safety issues: Heppner High
School-provide disabled access
between lower level and upper
level of building; Heppner Mid
dle School-provide disabled ac
cess to the top floor; lone
Elem entary School-provide
disabled access to all levels.
lone resident John Bristow
spoke in behalf of the plan for
high schools and junior high
schools in both Boardman and Ir
rigon. He said that 115 lone
residents had signed a petition in
favor of construction of the
schools. “ It’s not good to bus
kids away from the people who
care about them,” said Bristow.
Bristow, Eppenbach and Creamer
concurred that a school focuses
a community and creates a sense
of pride and identity.
While Starr and school board
members stressed that the deci
sion to build or remodel schools
should be based on educational
need and not politics, Heppner
resident Rollie Marshall said that
including a new junior high
school in Heppner in construction
plans would make passage of a
bond issue more likely.
Starr said that preliminary
estimates of costs for implemen
ting all recommendations for the
bond issue total $16 million.
Starr said that the estimated
assessed valuation for the $16
million in improvements would
be $1.92 per thousand, based on
a six percent interest rate. For ex
ample, a person with a $40,000
home would pay $76.80 a year;
a person with a $100,000 home
would pay $192 a year; a person
with a $300,000 business would
pay $576 a year and a person with
a $1 million farm would pay
$ 1,920 a year. The $ 1.92 rate per
thousand would be lowered by a
lower interest rate, additional
construction in the county and
higher valuations. The $1.92 rate
would be offset somewhat by a
lower school tax rate mandated
by Ballot Measure 5.
School board rejects HHS dance team
request, changes graduation date
Undersheriff Verlin Denton (left) and sheriff Roy Drago display new communication equip
ment in their new office.
A move by the Morrow Coun
ty Sheriff’s Office to new
facilities at the former U.S.
Forest Service building on
Willow View Drive in Heppner
will not only provide the office
more space for their expanding
department, but will also avail
them to new state-of-the-art com
munication equipment.
The department moved from
their three-and-a-half room, win
dowless cubby hole in the cour
thouse basement to a 10-room
modem facility beginning Mon
day, Oct. 18. Moving is expected
to be completed and the facility
in full operation by Thursday, or
Friday.
The move was prompted by the
sheriffs office’s designation as a
coordinator for emergency pro
cedures in the event of a chemical
agent release at the Umatilla Ar
my Depot during destruction of
chemical weapons.
Purchase of the $200,000
building was funded by the Ar
my for the Chemical Stockpile
Emergency Preparedness Pro
gram (CSEPP). The Federal
Emergency Management Ad
ministration paid for the $80
thousand remodeling job and the
$120,000 radio console and 911
system were funded through state
911 funds. Another $20,000 of
911 monies were set aside for the
changeover of phone lines from
the previous system. County tax
monies were not used for the
facility. The new system
is in preparation for an
enhanced 911 system which will
be implemented as soon as a rural
addressing system is completed.
With the enhanced 911 system,
when a dispatcher picks up a 911
call, the computer system will
automatically display the origin of
the call.
The old 911 system will remain
at the courthouse as a backup in
the event of an emergency.
The new facilities are also
much more secure than the old
offices. The new office has
security cameras at each of the
three entry ways and a security
front door which will be locked
after 5 p.m. business hours. To
obtain entry after 5p.m . anyone
without a key must use a securi
ty phone located outside near the
front door. If the person is deter
mined to have a legitimate reason
to enter the building, the dispat
cher will then signal the computer
to open the door. The front of-
fice/dispatch center is also now
protected by high impact glass.
The sheriffs office now has an
‘’interview ” (interrogation)
room, a booking center that will
eventually have a locked securi
ty room for temporary holding of
prisoners, an evidence room, a
radio and computer room and of
fices for the sheriff, undersheriff,
civil deputy/business manager
and 911 and dispatch center, in
addition to the CSEPP command
center/squadron room and
emergency management office.
The CSEPP command center is
equipped with a multitude of
phone jacks for use by federal
emergency experts, if the need
ever arises. Drago said that the
entire facility will be taken over
in the event o f such an
emergency.
The office also has a propane
generator that will automatically
kick on in the event of a power
failure. At the previous office, the
generator had to be manually
started if the power failed.
The new facility is also han
dicap access, which the cour
thouse basement was not.
Concerning the communication
center, D rago com m ented,
‘‘We’re looking at a system that
will probably be here when we're
gone.” He said that the former
system is just now starting to fall
apart after 20 years of use.
‘‘We know it’s just a matter of
time before we have to expand
our services,” added Denton.
Drago said that when he first
came to the department, they
received around 28 calls a year.
Now the department receives
around 1,500 calls. Part of the in
crease in calls is due to an in
crease in crime, said Drago. But,
he added, more people rely on the
department to handle calls now.
“ We still answer calls,” he said.
In addition to the business office
and Morrow County 911 calls,
the department also handles 911
calls for Wheeler and Gilliam
counties, who pay $5 thousand
and $10 thousand respectively for
that service. Those two counties
also contributed financially to the
department’s move.
The county sheriff s office is
still a bare-bones operation,
however, as far as personnel
goes. In addition to the sheriff
and undersheriff, the department
employs seven deputies, five
fulltime dispatchers, one part
time dispatcher and the chief civil
deputy/business manager.
The Morrow County School
t Board turned down a request to
allow a dance team at Heppner
High School, despite assurances
from the petitioners that the pro
gram would be self-funded and
required no school district funds.
The district had earlier voted to
cut funds for cheerleaders and
dance teams from the budget of
all Morrow County Schools and
turned down a similar request to
allow cheerleaders at Heppner
High School in September.
The board vetoed the request
on “ principle” , saying that ap
proval of such a request would
create inequities among the
schools and further antagonism
between the communities.
Student body president Gret-
chen Berretta told the board that
the dance team already had $200
and would receive another $400
from Oregon Together to pay for
a parttime advisor during basket
ball season. Volunteers are
prevented from donating their
time because of the certified
staffs extra duty contract.
A.C. Houghton Principal Don
Holes, says that his school’s
dance team, which also has been
cut, would have difficulty raising
funds to support a dance team.
Berretta. other dance team
members and Heppner communi
ty members criticized the board's
acution, commenting tha tthe
dance team is a healthy alter
native to drinking, drugs and
gang activity and praised the girls
for using their initiative in rais
ing the funds.
Heppner High School teacher
Bob Sagely suggested that the
dance team become independent
of the school. Superintendent
Chuck Starr said that was a
possibility as long as the dance
team did not have HHS or Hepp
ner High School on their
uniforms and requested in ad
vance, as is required by any other
non-school group for permission
to perform during halftime.
In other business the board:
-agreed to change the gradua
tion dates of both Riverside and
Heppner High Schools to Sun
day, June 5. Proponents of the
change cited conflict with state
baseball playoffs and senior trip
plans for Heppner High School
and state softball playoffs for
Riverside High School. Other
members of the delegation said
that Heppner’s Thursday night,
June 2, graduation date, would
not allow relatives and friends
from out of town to attend. River
side’s graduation date was
previously Saturday, June 4. lone
High School’s graduation date re
mains on Friday, June 3.
-heard a report from Holes and
Riverside High School principal
Dave Youngbluth concerning
gang activity in their respective
schools. “ We cannot stop gangs
in the community,” said Holes,
“ but we can stop them in the
schools.” Youngbluth said that
administrators have undergone
training in dealing with gang ac
tivity and said that training in
volved the use of “ pepper
spray” . “ We have safe schools,”
added assistant RHS principal
Kevin Fry, “ but we have to be
proactive.” The principals said
that problems arise from outsiders
on campuses.
-approved a request from the
Irrigon Park District to use an
undeveloped piece of land for a
little league park. The park would
be developed and maintained by
the park district, but ownership
would be retained by the school
district.
-learned of applications for
grants to fund site council ex
penses and to fund a satellite dish
to broadcast classes that are not
presently offered at the schools,
such as foreign languages and
other specialty courses.
MCGG annual meeting Nov. 1
The Morrow County Grain
Growers annual meeting will be
Monday, Nov. 1 at the Morrow
County Fairgrounds in Heppner.
Dinner will be served by the
Willows Grange at 6:30 p.m. The
program will include reports from
company officers and election of
directors.
The speaker for the evening
will be Fritz Hill who will give
a humorous talk on agriculture.
Nominations sought for ASC ballot
Farmers are asked to nominate
candidates of their choice by
November 1 to be on the ASC
county committee ballot, says
R.H. Matthews, chief executive
officer.
The ASCS county committee
election will be conducted from
November 26 to December 6 by
mail ballot.
ASC committees are responsi
ble for managing federal farm
programs on the local level. To
meet the needs of individual pro
ducers, ASC committee members
must be concerned and responsi
ble individuals, Matthews said.
Morrow County farmers have the
opportunity to nominate people
they feel would best serve the
farm community. Farmers will be
receiving petition forms by mail
and will be submitting them to the
county ASCS office.
A few basic considerations
should be kept in mind when cir
culating petitions, said Matthews.
In order to be valid, petitions
must be limited to one nominee
each, must include written cer
tification that the nominee is will
ing to serve if elected, must be
signed by at least three eligible
farm voters in the ASC communi
ty. and must be received in the
county ASCS office by
November 2 deadline.
Farmers may circulate or sign
nominating petitions for as many
candidates as they choose.
Anyone wishing to nominate a
farmer for the ASC committee
election may contact the county
ASCS office for full details, in
cluding eligibility requirements
for office holders.
Farmers should petition for and
elect those individuals they feel
would do a good job as a member
of the ASC committee, said Mat
thews. The election of concern
ed farmers to positions on ASC
committees is essential in the ad
ministration of farm programs, he
said.
Matthews further explained
that the county ASCS office
welcomes all valid petitions. The
opportunity to nominate, vote,
and to be elected to office is
guaranteed to all farm ers
regardless o f race, color,
religion, sex, age. marital status,
handicap, or national origin.