FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times. Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 2, 1994
The Official Newspaper of the
City of Heppner and the
County o f Morrow
Heppner
G A Z E T T E -T IM E S
U.S.P.S. 240-420
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
Published weekl) and entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at Hepp
ner. Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Second class postage paid at Hepp
ner, Oregon. Office at 147 West Willow Street. Telephone (503) 676-9228.
Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 337,
Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $16 in Morrow. Wheeler, Gilliam and
Grant Counties; $23 elsewhere.
Joyce H u g h es............................................................ Office Manager, Typesetting
April Hilton-Sykes ................................................................................ News Editor
Monique D ev in ............................................................................................... Bindery
Penni K eersem aker......................................................................................... Printer
Jean Ann T u rn e r..................................................................................... Distribution
David and April Hilton-Sykes, Publisher
Letters to the Editor
Speeders endanger community
To the Editor:
The reason I’m writing this let
ter is to let people know that I’m
real tired of people speeding up
and down our hill. We live on
Chase Street and I can’t believe
how fast people drive.
Sunday evening the 27th bet
ween 7:30 and 8 p.m. someone
ran over our family puppy and
didn’t even have the decency to
stop and see if he was OK, or
knock on a few doors to see who
he belonged to. Stop and think
about the look on my children’s
faces when we found him in the
road dying.
I know it was our fault for him
being in the road. But, if people
would slow down when driving
they could have avoided hitting
him.
It scares me to think it could
have been my children.
I would really like people to
start going the speed limit on our
hill and everywhere in town for
a safer community.
(s) Jacque Hedman
Levy deserves support
To the Editor:
The school bond levy is going
to be mailed out soon. That’s an
issue that will require some real
soul searching for most of us con
sidering the recent questions
about Kinzua and resulting
econom ic uncertainties for
Heppner.
Against this uncertainty there
are major changes taking place in
the educational system as a result
of the new1 program adopted at the
state level, growth within our
district and aging facilities which
all require investments to be
made. At the same time mandated
cutbacks take away operating
funds. Standing still isn’t an op
tion even if we wanted to.
It’s a plus that the proposed
Pilot Rock, lone display true comradery
new levy would replace one
we’ve just paid off and is actual
ly less than that one. That means
we are considering the size of the
reduction in our tax rather than
the amount of the increase.
I believe this levy deserves our
support; we need to make this in
vestment in our schools. Our
community has always recogniz
ed the need for responsible in
vestment in our kid’s education.
Now more than ever though we
also need to recognize the impor
tance of our educational system
to the vitality of our community-
part of what makes this a great
place to live.
Sincerely,
(s) Bob Kahl
every year, but the task becomes
harder and harder. I fear that
some students will simply drop
through the cracks and all
students will learn less than they
might.
New classrooms are desperate
ly needed at not only Riverside
High School but at all other Mor
row County schools as well. I
hope the voters of Morrow Coun
ty will give me and all of the staff
the tools we need to prepare our
children for the life ahead of
them.
(s) Frances Glenn
Boardman
Riverside gym will torpedo bond issue School bond issue lean, no-frills
To the Editor:
Saturday’s East Oregonian has
a front page article headlined
“ Irrigon voters may torpedo
school bonds’’. What will pro
bably torpedo the bond issue even
more than the Irrigon vote is the
gigantic gymnasium proposed to
be added to Riverside High
School. Many people have men
tioned they would be willing to
be taxed for necessities, but con
sider the large gym a frill. Why,
when taxpayers are all trying to
tighten their belts, is the county
asking us to pay for a gymnasium
that will seat 2,000 people, when
the present gym is never filled for
sporting events? It would be nice
if every town in the county had
a facility like this, if there was an
abundance of funds, but that is
not the case.
I also want to comment on two
letters in last week’s Hermiston
Herald. One letter stated passing
the bond levy would lay the
groundwork for a future high
school in Irrigon as the area con
tinues to grow. Why would
anyone think that adding a huge
gymnasium to Riverside and To the Editor:
Voters in Morrow County have
enlarging that school to accom
modate 600 or more students the opportunity this month to im
woulr provide a favorable climate prove the education for their
for restoring a high school to Ir children and future generations to
rigon? I don’t think anyone in Ir come. The opportunity will pre
rigon believe that. The other let sent itself March 22 when voters
ter states voting in this bond will are aksed to approve a
lower overall taxes because of the $15,585,000 bond levy by the
decrease in tax rate because of Morrow County School District.
Measure 5. This is totally inac
As 20 year residents of Board-
curate, voting in a 15 million man and lifetime residents of
dollar bond issue is not going to eastern Oregon, we strongly sup
lower taxes. Many people in Ir port the school initiative. We base
rigon have had their property re this decision on both the cost-
evaluated and are paying con effectiveness of the bonds and our
siderably more tax than before county’s need for modern new
Measure 5.
school facilities. This is a lean,
I have one parting thought. I no frills, package that will pro
don’t believe any town in the duce major capital benefits at
county would support the bond m inim al cost to taxpayers
issue if it meant they would lose estimated no higher than $1.97
their high school. Before you per thousand dollars of assessed
criticize Irrigon too harshly, stop valuation.
and think how you'd feel if it
were your town in danger of los
ing your high school, or, as is our
situation, in danger of not having
it restored.
To the Editor:
(s) Annette Eppenbach
Opportunity is knocking in
Irrigon Morrow County. In the Morrow
County School District. 89 per
cent of all school building in
vestments are paid by corporate
or commercial property taxes. It
If deterioration sets in, if health is like big business chipping in 89
facilities are inadequate, if ser
cents everytime you, I and our
vices are cut back, then our future
neighbors elect to spend 11 cents
is also at stake. H eppner
Chamber membership urges you
to vote yes to insure a continuing
environment where people and
business thrive.
Sincerely, To the Editor:
The upcoming mail ballot in
(s) Steve Dickenson, president
cludes
the Morrow County
Heppner Chamber of Commerce
budget request to operate our
county for the next Fiscal year.
The budget committee, which in
cludes the three county court
members and three independent
citizens, met for five full days to
review, question and in a number
of instances cut or reconstructed
the various department requests.
The end effect resulted in a tax
requests less than this year.
The amount of property taxes
requested is in a sufficient amount
to adequately fund all essential
county services and to retain all
existing county employees. The
retention of these jobs has
become highly significant in light
of the potential loss of jobs at the
Kinzua Mill and the planned
reduction of 30 forest service
positions.
The economic base of south
Morrow County could well be
dependent upon the successful
passage of the Morrow County
budget. I urge you to please mark
your mail-in ballot in favor of the
To the Editor:
Election is just around the cor
ner with ballots being mailed out
March 3. Heppner Chamber of
Commerce encourages citizens to
support both the Morrow Coun
ty opeating levy and the Medical
Fund levy. It is essential that our
county continue to provide those
services necessary to the health
and well being o f our
communities.
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To the Editor:
Morrow County’s general fund
finances the services that we
locally benefit directly from..
We watched the budget com
mittee, the county commissioners
and a strong budget officer go
on school facilities.
Big business probably doesn’t
think that’s fair but when an op
portunity to build lasting facilities
knocks for 11 cents on the dollar
it should be seized. Please help
pass the school bond levy.
(s) Dean Mason
Boardman
Morrow County tax request. As
a member of the budget commit
tee, I can assure you that we will
continue to work for sound, effi
cient and responsible budgets that
we can recommend to our fellow
taxpayers.
Yours very truly,
(s) John A. Prag
through departmental budgets
item by item and make hard
decisions.
I believe it’s lean as can be.
prudent, and deserves our
support.
(s) Ken Turner
Act positively for our schools
To the Editor:
We are writing this letter in
support of the upcoming Morrow
County School District bond levy
which will be coming to voters in
March. The school district
facilities are in need of expansion
at the north end of the county.
The population increase has caus
ed all the north end facilities to
be very overcrowded. When
Riverside High School was built,
it was expected to house 200
students. Their enrollment is dou
ble that amount, and is currently
being held in the commons area,
under stairwells and any other va
cant space where a few desks can
be placed.
The Heppner Middle School is
deteriorating. It is cold in the
wintertime and too hot in the
spring and fall. Tiles are peeling
off the floors; there was once a
fire in the upper timbers and the
charred timbers are still there for
future potential problems.
With the possibility of Kinzua
closing, and I sincerely hope and
pray the new owners will not
close down Heppner’s source of
stability, Heppner needs to look
good to potential businesses in the
March 3rd:
South Morrow economy could depend
on budget passage
COAST TO COAST
Heppntr
At a recent school board
meeting, a group of residents
from Irrigon told the board they
would not support the bond if
they could not have a high
school/middle school in Irrigon.
No matter which side of the issue
you believe in, the space and im
provements are needed regardless
where the schools end up. Let us
pull together as a county to build
a future for the present and future
children of Morrow County.
The measure of any strong
community can be determined, in
part, by its support of local
schools. Do we care about our
young people? Do we care about
their future and our community’s
future? The answer to both ques
tions can be answered with a yes
vote on schools March 22.
Sincerely
(s) Blair and Dalarie Philippi
Boardman
Opportunity is knocking
Chamber supports county levy
cutbacks.
Along with these young ladies,
the lone Community Band came
to play and show their support for
the Heppner teams. The com
radery between Heppner and lone
was evident and a fond apprecia
tion of the lone Community Band
was evident everywhere in the
gym.
No words can express what it
meant to the Heppner teams and
supporters to have the Pilot Rock
cheerleaders and the lone Com
munity Band boost our spirits.
We are grateful to both.
Heppner Boooster club
(s) Marcia Kemp
County budget sound
New classrooms needed
To the Editor:
In the past 18 years, I have had
the privilege of teaching nearly
1,300 Boardman and Irrigon
students in one or more classes at
Riverside High School. My
classes have always been crowd
ed, with more students than the
district wide average, and I've
enjoyed having a full classroom.
Since Riverside has grown
from 150 students to nearly 400
since the last remodeling was
completed, every classroom,
mine included, has grown as
well. Every teacher tries to cope
with more and more students
To the Editor:
If you attended the district
playoffs this past weekend at the
Pendleton Convention Center,
you would have witnessed one of
the most memorable events that
ever took place-no not the actual
basketball games, but Pilot Rock
cheerleaders and a community
band from lone cheering and
playing for the Heppner girls and
boys basketball teams.
The young cheerleaders are
true components of sportsman
ship, for they possess the courtesy
and generoisty to set in and cheer
for another school which lost
cheerleaders and band to budget
area. In the past, when disaster
has come to Heppner, the people
have a history of building up
again. With this bond levy, Hepp
ner can build a new facility which
can be used by the entire com
munity and make its schools on
the leading edge of technology
Technological improvements are
very important for our students
today who will be adults in the
next century, and doubly so
because of our rural location in
the state and country. Our
students need to be on top of these
advancements.
All facilities are in need of
maintenance and upkeep, which,
if not voted in with this levy, will
need to come out of the general
fund budget. If the funds come
out of the general fund, it would
mean the loss of programs and
staff.
At the present time, MCSD is
not in any bonded indebtedness
and interest rates are down. This
is the time to act and to act
positively for our schools. Vote
yes in March.
Sincerely,
(s) Frank and Cara Osmin
Old Timers - PER
Widows and Ladies Nite
Dinner at 6 p.m. Recognition during lodge at 8 p.m.
March 18th:
Calcutta - St. Pat’s
bull riding Saturday
March 19th:
St. Patrick’s Celebration
beginning at 10 a.m. with KUMA broadcasting
program, brunch 11 a.m. dinner 6 p.m. dancing
9 p.m. with two bands.
N OW H IR IN G :
part-time cook
(lunches Tues.-Thurs. and from menu
Fri.-Sat.) evenings
Bingo every Wednesday night 7:30 p.m.
Heppner Elks
676-9181
Where Friends M eet”
142 N. Main
Court Street Market
111 N. Court Heppner 676-9643
GROCERIES - MEATS - PRODUCE
Prices good March 2nd - 8th
Western Family 18 oz.
Fresh Asparagus
lb.
Peanut Butter Reg
*20»
$ |4 0
Western Family 12 oz.
t5< lb. Chocolate Chips Reg *1«
Celery
Green Peppers
99 <
Soup Starter M ix 70z
3 for
Kraft 16 oz.
i Cucum bers
D ’ Anjou Pears
3 for
99 < Cheez Whiz Reg
♦ •<ib
»4»
$ | 4 *
Hills Doggies 3 i lb
La Victoria 22 oz.
Salsa Reg
$l ° ° Ground Beef 8 i% lean
» 2 «
Western Family 90 count
m Paper Towel
2 for
I Boneless Pot Roast
$ |4 9
lb.