Ribbon cutting held for Sperry bridge
HEPPNER
L-R: city crewm an Jay Brown, Mayor Bob Jepsen, Jim G aven, Tim VanCleave, Gary Marks,
city foreman Dave W inters, not pictured Kara Ansotegui and Roger Ehrmantraut.
City officials and crew com
memorated the opening of the
new Sperry Street Bridge in a
ribbon-cutting ceremony Fri
day, Sept. 2. The bridge was
totally rebuilt with new
materials and ended up under
budget. According to citv
manager Gary Marks, $10,300
imes
VOL. 113
NO. 37
6 Pages Wednesday, September 7, 1994
was budgeted for materials for
the project, but only $9,000 was
spent.
The bridge was on the agen
da for rebuilding, but work was
moved up when the state
bridge inspector found the
bridee unstable. Don Olson
with the Anderson Perry
engineering firm said he was
impressed with the stoutness of
the new bridge, according to ci
ty crew foreman Dave Winters,
who headed up the project.
Construction included paved
approaches to the bridge.
Camp Fire Girls prove their mettle
Morrow County Heppner, Oregon
County-wide medical district formed
An on-going dispute about
health care funding in Morrow
County may be coming to an
end, after the Morrow County
Court last week signed papers
forming a county-wide health
district, says Morrow County
Judge Louis Carlson.
Two separate health district
proposals, one for the north
end of the county, and one for
the remainder of the county,
will still be on the November
ballot, but approval by the
court of the county-wide
district will nullify’ whichever of
the two districts is approved by
the voters, says Carlson.
The separate medical district
controversy started about
seven months ago, when
disgruntled petitioners from
the Boardman area gathered
enough signatures to place a
separate health district issue on
the ballot. If approved, the
original measure would have
placed the city of Boardman,
along with the Portland
General Electric Coal Fired
plant (a substantial property tax
payer in the county) in a special
medical district. Health services
in the county currently are part
of the county budget, although
levies are often voted on
separately.
In response to the Boardman
petition, south end residents,
lead by the Heppner Chamber
of Commerce, spearheaded a
petition drive which successful
ly placed another health district
on the ballot which also includ
ed the coal-fired plant.
Multiple problems arose by
the possible passage of both
measures, and a bi-county
com m ittee held multiple
meetings in an effort to iron out
the differences between the
north and south end groups.
Since the coal-fired plant could
not be taxed twice for the same
services, the county commis
sioners were charged with the
task of establishing boundaries
for the two districts. The com
missioners eventually placed
the coal fired plant in the
county-wide district, but ques
tions were raised as to the
legality of altered boundaries
since both proposals were
generated by petition.
The end result of those
meetings was the county-wide
district signed last week by the
county court.
This district proposal was
generated by a resolution of the
county court.
One agreement to come out
of the negotiations was the for
mation cf five zones, from
which directors will be elected
to adm inister the health
district.
Election of the medical dist
rict board members will be held
later, and the court is expected
to ask members of the current
county health board to serve
until an election can be held.
S tate law forces delay in pool vote
A little known state law will surrounding the pool in March.
force the Willow Creek Park
At the conclusion of the
District to delay plans to sub meeting, the Park Board adop
mit bonding and funding ted a motion to begin work on
measures to the voters for a a bond authorization and serial
new swimming pool in Hepp levy reguest for the March
ner. The district had originally election.
planned to put the issue on the
The board will ask voters to
Nov. ballot, but now will put approve a $975,000 20-year
the issue to the voters in bond for pool construction.
March.
Construction is expected to cost
The Park Board's plans to $1.2 million, but the park
submit companion bonding district board said that it is com
and funding levies to the voters mitted to raising the additional
in November came to a halt funds through donations,
Wednesday evening, Aug. 31, grants and loans. "If there is a
when the board learned that a shortfall," said Marks, "there
state law, requiring a public will be elements of the pool that
hearing 30 days before filing a will be scaled down." The pool
serial levy, could not be met commission has recommended
given the quickly approaching an outdoor zero-depth fan pool
September 8 filing deadline.
with four lanes, competition
Although a public meeting length, with a slide and slide
was held in early August and well, in addition to a small in
notice of the meeting was given
door therapy pool.
in the Gazette-Times, the
A $45,000 grant from the
district's bond attorney has ad
former
owners of Kinzua to the
vised that the meeting does not
fund raising group "People for
satisfy the technicalities of the
the Pool" has been approved,
state law in question, said Gary
contingent on voter approval of
Marks, volunteer pool project
the pool levies.
coordinator. As a result, the
The Willow Creek Park Board
pool measures must be delayed
has made passage of the con
to the March election.
struction bond issue contingent
"It's too bad that techni
on passage of a three-year,
calities will delay the election,
$36,000 serial levy for operation
but the law is the law," said
of the pool. The outdoor pool
Marks.
would be operated for three
Board members discussed
months in the summer, while
the fact that the delay would
the indoor pool could be
have the positive effect of mov
operated year-round. The
ing the pool measures off the
therapy pool could be used for
already crowded November
classes, seniors and physical
ballot, thereby allowing voters
therapy, which would create a
to more fully focus on issues
wider base of usage and may
make the project more likely to
qualify for grants, say Pool
Commission members.
At its regularly scheduled
meeting August 24, the Mor
row County Court determined
to give its
non-union
employees a 1.5 percent cost-
of-living increase. "Well below
the established 2.7 percent ac
tual rise in the cost of living,"
said Judge Louis Carlson.
"The budget committee was
very explicit about its desire for
cost containment in personal
services," said Judge Carlson.
In other changes, the court
decided to restructure the
health insurance benefits to a
more efficient plan. "There
have been many discussions
over the past couple of years
about the rising costs of health
insurance," the judge said "so
we began several months ago
exploring changes." The coun
ty's health insurance was put
out for bid and it was ultimately
recommended that the best
way to achieve savings was to
increase up front costs such as
the deductibles and co-pay
ments. The result is markedly
reduced premium costs to both
the employee and the county,
said Carlson. "T he county
rannon Brittni MadDerg, TyLynn Smith, Sheena Shank, Paula
„
SpicerKuhn, Tara Ozm ent, Cindy Kennedy, Shelbi Padberg.
Some Heppner youngsters leaders at first assumed that the but not so big that they could
have proved themselves true fire was just a slash pile burn be harmed. No full size trees
Camp Fire Girls. Not only did ing because someone was log were involved, just the trunks.
they spot a forest fire, but they ging in the area. But, after a "T h e girls wanted to do
put it out-all by themselves.
hike to the park, the group something to help," said Bran
looked up the draw and notic non. "And Paula SpicerKuhn
The girls, Tara Ozment,
TyLynn Smith, Paula Spicer ed that the smoke had become made it clear that we couldn't
thicker. Brannon and Kennedy just leave the fire burning. We
Kuhn, Brittni and Shelby
Padberg, Aleshia Geer, Sheena told the girls that they would had to do something."
So Brannon and Kennedy got
Shank, Abby Kahl and Sally walk them up to the fire later
the
girls rounded up with
Calvert, were on a one-night in the day.
shovels
and buckets and they
campout with their leaders,
Right before dark fell, the
set
to
work.
By this time it had
girls
and
their
leaders
took
a
Merry Brannon and Cindy
Kennedy. Brannon and Ken walk up the hill. When they ar gotten pretty dark, so some
nedy had taken the girls to Bob rived at the fire, they could tell held flashlights for those who
and Aloha DeSpain's cabin right away that it wasn't a con were putting out the fire.
"They worked fast and they
near Anson Wright Park to get trolled burn because it wasn't
them prepared for a week-long in a place where anyone would worked hard,” said Brannon.
" I had never seen so many lit
stay at the Camp Fire Camp, start a fire.
The fire was about 100 yards tle bodies move like these kids
Camp Da Kon Ya.
When the girls arrived at the long and 15 feet wide, big did. Falling down in the pond,
cabin, they spotted a fire across enough to get the girls excited, which is nearby, or tripping on
the ground, a log or a rock was
the road and up the draw. The
no big deal. The important
thing was to get the fire out."
Brannon said that the girls
would get one stump put out
and then move to another area
court is committed to balancing tion. "It's taking money out of that needed attention just to
its responsibility to the tax one pocket and putting it in then turn around and see a
payers with the need to treat another,” acknowledged Car- small spark of fire that had to
our employees fairly," said son, "but the court ultimately be put out again.
Brannon had nothing but
Commissioner
Raymond decided that it must honor the
French.
commitment made to our praise for the girls. "These girls
The court also decided that it employees by a previous were very cautious and brave
in their actions," she said. "We
will no longer pay the em administration."
are
very proud of our girls.
ployee contribution toward the
"Upon implementation of
county's retirement plan. This these changes, sone of the non They remembered what they
decision, however, is in direct union employees will see a were taught and did it on their
contradiction to a decision decrease in their take home own. These girls are real
made by a previous court many pay" says county accountant troopers and are truly Camp
years ago, said Carlson. In Lisanne Currin, "and others Fire Girls."
Brannon and Kennedy are
order to mitigate the effects of will see a minor increase."
reversing that obligation,
These decisions apply only to not alone in their appreciation
Carlson said the amount that the county's non-union em of the girls' efforts, the girls
was budgeted for that purpose ployees. The union employees were given commendation
will be rolled over into the are in the process of negotiating lapel pins from the Heppner
employees salary for them to a contract on these and other Forest Service for their brave
efforts.
use in paying their contribu issues.
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