New bridge going up on Court St.
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Workmen put in re-bar for new bridge
What has become a familiar
rat-a-tat-tat to those living in
the south Court Street area,
will become a new bridge by
the end of October.
The wooden bridge on south
Court Street has been
demolished and a new concrete
bridge is under construction by
the state of Oregon.
According to Heppner City
Manager Gary Marks, plans for
construction were underway
before he became city ad
ministrator. The state has a pro
gram for repair of bridges and
the program also has access to
federal monies. The bridge,
called a concrete boxed culvert,
will be funded 80 percent by
federal monies, 10 percent by
the state and 10 percent by the
city.
A grant, called the small cities
allotment program for cities
under 5,000, will fund the city's
portion of the costs. The pro
ject is budgeted at $249,900,
with the city of Heppner's por
tion at $25,000.
Marks said that the state put
and let the bid. "The city has
very little to do with it," he
said. "In the process, we'll get
a concrete bridge that will pro
bably last forever."
Once the bridge is com-
pleted, the turn onto Hager
Street, which was very sharp,
will be much more gradual and
the bridge will actually be mov
ed. Although there will be
12-foot travel lanes, the actua-
ly roadway is much wider and
there will be sidewalks on both
sides.
The original bridge was built
in 1948. A state bridge inspec
tion determined that the
original bridge was not in very
good condition and thus
qualified for the state program.
The project completion date
was set back around a month
following problems with city
water lines.
Regulations drive hunter out of state
Ji m Swanson (left) and John Bristow look over new subdivision above lone
What can a town accomplish
when it rises up in determina
tion to accomplish a task? How
about a 32 unit subdivision to
bring in new residents.
That's what lone set out to do
12 years ago, and through dif
ficulties and hard times quali
ty building lots are now
available in lone.
John Bristow and Jim Swan
son, both members of ICABO,
the community development
group in lone, can stand on the
hill overlooking lone and with
sense of accomplishment point
to an 80-acre development
ready for tenants.
• With power, water, sewer
and a road system already in
stalled, not to mention a spec
tacular view east up Willow
Creek Valley, the lots are ready
for homes. Already five lots
have been sold and many more
in the one, two and three acre
size are available.
"They're ready to g o," says
Bristow, owner of Bristows
market in lone, as he surveys
the results of a can do attitude
in lone. "This is the result of a
lot of people around here who
wanted to do something to
help our situation."
"Hie situation was a declining
population of the town and
consequently the local school,
which threatened the very ex
istence of the school.
"The bottom line is we did
this to help out our school,"
says Sw anson, owner of
Wheatland Insurance in lone.
"W e saw the population
declining and we wanted to
stop it."
The development, along with
the recent approval of a road
across the Bombing range to
Boardman now help the
situation.
"If someone works at the
Coal Fired plant and wants to
live in lone, the road will make
it that much easier,” says
Bristow, who also worked
diligently for the road opening
over the years. Opening the
road will change over a 50 mile
commute from Boardman to
lone to about 14 miles says
Bristow.
The development project has
been named the Slim Emert ad
dition because it was local ran
cher
Slim
Emert who
donated the 80 acres before his
death for the project. Lots in
the addition are selling for
around $3,500 each, and
Bristow thinks once homes
begin to go up on the hill, it will
make it that much more attrac
tive and more people will want
to live there.
"This project isn't here to
make money, it's here to attract
families," says Bristow.
ASCS nominations due Oct. 31
The Morrow County ASC
Committee election will be held
this year on Dec. 5. Eligible
voters have the right to
nominate candidates of their
choice by petition. Blank peti
tions (ASCS-669-3) may be ob
tained at the county ASCS of
fice. each petition submitted
must be: limited to one
nominee; signed by at least
three eligible voters in the com
munity; signed by the
nominee; and postmarked or
delivered to the county ASCS
office no later than Oct. 31.
Persons nominated should be
currently engaged in the opera
tion of a farm or ranch and be
well qualified for committee
work. A farmer is eligible to be
a county ASC committee
member if the farmer lives in
the county and is eligible to
vote in the ASC elections.
County ASC committee
members may not hold posi
tions in certain farm and com-
modity organizations, if these
positions pose a conflict of in
terest with ASCS duties. These
positions include functional of
fices such as president, vice
president,
secretary
or
treasurer, and positions on
boards
or
executive
committees.
The duties of County ASC
Committee member include:
informing farmers of the pur
pose and provisions of the
ASCS programs; keeping the
state ASC committee informed
of local conditions; recommen
ding needed changes in farm
programs; participating in
county meetings as necessary;
and performing other duties as
assigned by the state ASC
committee.
This program or activity will
be conducted on a non-
discriminatory basis without
regard to race, color, religion,
national origin, age, sex,
marital status, or disabilitv-
Vern Wilson says he's had
enough. Had enough of the
Oregon hunting regulations he
says don't make sense; had
enough of the fish and wildlife
department. And had enough
of the so-called citizen input in
the formulation of Oregon hun-
ing laws% “vv- »•”
So Vem and his wife Lilly are
leaving town. Leaving the
county. Leaving the state. The
Wilsons are moving to Idaho.
Upset especially with the bull
elk regulations, Wilson says the
Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife has so messed up
the tag application process that
many people have become
frustrated and just quit hun
ting. He says Idaho has more
sensible game regulations. So
he's moving there, to Medvale,
25 miles north of Weiser, for
the hunting.
Wilson moved to Heppner
from California in 1970 mainly
for the hunting, and says now
it's why he's leaving.
"Im against the total draw
system on the Eastside mule
deer. It's not necessary, and
has forced us all to hunt in one
unit. I think we need to protect
our right to hunt just as much
as we protect our right to bear
arm s."
And Wilson hasn't just sat
around quietly the past several
years as the hunting rules have
changed. "I've been to their
public meetings, lots of them,"
he says almost with contempt
for the system of public hear
ings the state holds on propos
ed new game regulations.
"They will not use hunter's in
put from public meetings. They
end up doing what they plann
ed on doing in the first place.
These meetings are just for
show ."
Wilson says the state should
have an elected board of direc
tors for the fish and game
department similar to Idaho. In
Oregon the governor appoints
the governing board, which
makes the agency unrespon
sive to the public, Wilson says.
He also wonders why an out of
state person was brought in to
Vern Wilson
administer Oregon's draw
system, and an out-of-stater ap
pointed the new director of
ODFW.
"W h e n the department
started this whole mess by
splitting the bull elk season and
forcing us to enter the lottery
to hunt first, I hadn't heard any
of my friends or fellow hunters
who thought it was a good
idea. We were told they
wanted the ones who were
drawn to have a quality hunt
like in the old days when there
were fewer hunters." Wilson
says they can't turn back the
clock, and instead need to deal
with the reality of today.
For instance Wilson says he
recently, after 25 years got an
antelope tag, and when he and
his wife got to the antelope
country, "there was almost a
buck for every doe I saw, and
I saw hundreds of them and
only a few other hunters in the
area." He says the ODFW is
overprotecting the antelope.
Wilson moved to Oregon for
the hunting, now the former
Columbia Basin Electric Co-op
lineman and Heppner gas sta
tion owner is leaving, because
of what has happened to hun
ting in this state. "It is so com
plicated,
aggravating,
frustrating, and confusing that
many hunters have quit hun
ting altogether. Young hunters
have a hard time getting tags
and some don't get to go when
they are first eligible. This is
very disappointing to a young
person," Wilson says with a
shake of his head.
Boosters to hold steak dinner
The Booster Club steak feed
and auction will be held Satur
day, Oct. 15, beginning at 6:30
p.m. at the Heppner Elks Club.
Prizes for the auction, which
will get underway around 8
p.m., will include one night at
the Pendleton Red Lion; one
set of tires from Morrow Coun
ty Grain Growers; one day of
bass fishing for two in a drift
boat from Doug Lowe; a
salmon, steelhead or walleye
fishing trip for four from
Laverne VanMarter; a salmon
dinner for four; one night's
lodging for two at the Cliff
House at Clarkston, WA.; and
tickets to OSU, WSU, Seahawk
or Trail Blazer games.
Advance tickets for $7 each
are available at Murray Drug,
Ployhar Insurance, Bank of
Eastern Oregon and Morrow-
County Grain Growers. Tickets
will also be sold at the door.
Çet rJ^ady
The dinner menu will feature
barbecued steak, baked potato,
salad, homemade bread and
dessert.
Over the years, the Heppner
Booster Club has contributed to
many school and community
projects. Through fund raisers
like Reno Night, dinners, bake
sales and raffles, the Boosters
have donated money to the
baseball field project and foot
ball lighting project. The
Boosters have purchased a
video camera, trophy cases,
volleyball nets, dance team
uniforms, cheerleader pom
poms and flags for the high
school. In past years, the
Booster Club has provided food
baskets for many high school
activities such as Drama Club
and FFA. Each cr>ring, ' -
Heppner F *h
’
. j
receive sch ... . . u ^ a trom the
Booster Club.
fo r W inter Sai
Ends Saturday, Oct. 8
Shop the store for SUPER BARGAINS
Morrow County Grain Growers
L e x in g to n 989-8221
1-800-824-7185______________