Rail line is coming up
HEPPNER
Korey Richins with A&K Railroad Materials, Inc., picks up railroad ties with a forklift.
imes
VOL. 113
NO. 44
Morrow County Heppner, Oregon
12 Pages Wednesday, October 26, 1994
Local brands on display at museum
People may not be aware that
those railroad ties and switch
stands along the now-defunct
Heppner branch of the Union
Pacific Railroad belong to so
meone, and taking them home
is stealing.
Rocky Smith, superintendent
of the Western Division of A&K
Railroad Materials, Inc., with
corporate headquarters out of
Salt Lake City, says that he
thinks people are taking the
switch stands for memorabilia.
While he doesn't believe peo
ple realize that they are steal
ing, he says that his company
will prosecute for theft. A&K
purchased the materials from
Union Pacific. Smith added
that liability in the event of ac
cidents around the track is also
a factor.
"W e have over a million
dollars invested in materials,"
said Smith. He says that the
track will be reused as track
somewhere else and that
"every bit that can be used
will be recycled." He said that
some materials will be retained
bv Union Pacific and some will
be available for sale in the com
munity at a later date. Ties will
' ^ ‘stockpiled in lone
Smith says he believes Union
Pacific is in the process of
negotiating property agree
ments with adjoining land-
owners
Smith, who has been with
A&K Railroad Materials, Inc.,
for 17 years, says that he and
a crew of up to 30 people will
be living in lone for the next six
to eight months while his
salvage operation is completed.
Right now he has a crew of
around 20 at work, including
his wife and son. "W e've got
all the housing available in
lone,” he added.
Drawing held for "big mama
M CGG annual
meeting Nov. 7
The Morrow County Grain
Growers annual meeting and
banquet will be held Monday,
Nov. 7, at the Morrow County
Fairgrounds.
Gene Pierce looks over brands from bank
Gene Pierce, former Chief Museum.
The brands were first
Executive Officer of the Bank
displayed
at the Heppner
of Eastern Oregon, shows
branch
of
the
bank in 1975.
off
brands,
form erly
In
1990,
when
the bank was
displayed at the bank, that
remodeled,
the
brands were
now have a permanent place
taken
down
and
were going
at the Morrow County
to be thrown away. Pierce
rescued them ana Marsha
Sweek, museum director,
put them on display.
The boards were finished
by Bob Lowe, who has since
>assed away. The brands
rom the 103 ranches in Mor
row County were brought in
and Monte Evans did most
of the branding.
f
Extension and 4-H to be voted on
The future of 4-H and Exten
sion work in Morrow County
will be decided by a vote Nov.
8 on establishing a Morrow
County 4-H and Extension Ser
vice District.
Don Eppenbach, chair of the
county's Extension advisory
committee, is heading the
Volunteers for 4-H and Exten
sion organization that is cam
paigning for Measure 25-8,
which would form an Exten
sion service district with a tax
base of $117,118.
"Forming a district is a way
of ensuring that Extension will
continue to offer educational
programs and services to the
people of Morrow County,"
said Eppenbach.
"Since Extension started in
the county in 1918, the local
contribution has come from the
county's general fund budget.
However, the Morrow County
Commissioners, faced with an
ever-tightening budget situa
tion, have said they can no
longer guarantee to support Ex
tension in the county budget.
The commissioners have work
ed with volunteers toward for-
Vning the d is tric t," he
explained.
Although the salaries of
county Extension agents and
specialists are paid by state and
federal funds, local funds sup
port the operation of the coun
ty office, including secretarial
support, office supplies, and
other costs. Without continued
support, the future of the Mor
row County Extension is in
doubt, he stresses.
The Morrow County office
surrently houses two full-time
Extension agents. Carol
Michael-Bennett is county
home economist and staff
chair. Bill Broderick provides
leadership for 4-H and livestock
programs.
In addition, Phil Nesse
divides his time equally bet
ween Morrow and Gilliam
Counties, working with grain
growers and other crop pro
ducers. Irrigated crop growers
in the north end may call upon
the services of Jeff McMorran at
the Hermiston office. Extension
plant pathologist Phil Hamm,
also stationed at Hermiston, is
availbable to answer questions
about plant diseases.
"A ll this could be lost
without local support," Eppen
bach adds. "T h e cost is
modest, only at 15 cents per
$1,000 of assessed valuation, or
$7.50 a year for a home valued
at $50,000."
If voters approve, Morrow
would be the 13th Oregon
county to form an Extension
Service District. Others are
Curry, Lincoln, Tillamook,
Clatsop, Columbia, Yamhill,
Deschutes, Crook, Grant,
Lake, Wheeler, and Union
counties.
Domestic Violence
workshop offered
Domestic Violence Service
will be offering an informa
tional workshop and training
for volunteers and interested
community members Nov. 3-5.
The workshop will be at the
conference
room.
State
Building, Hermiston. The
workshops will be held Nov. 3
and 4, from 6 to 9 p.m. and
Nov. 5, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information and
registration call 276-3322.
Regulations enforced in wilderness
Phil Kline, acting forest
supervisor, reminds wilderness
users of regulations pertaining
to the three Wilderness areas
located on the Umatilla Na
tional Forest.
"The North Fork Umatilla,
North Fork John Day and
Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness
Areas are popular spots during
hunting season,” said Kline.
"W e experience an influx of
hunters this time of year, many
of whom are not familiar with
wilderness ethics and the
regulations needed to protect
wilderness resources."
Wilderness regulations pro
hibit storing, leaving or aban
doning equipment, personal
property or supplies for more
than 72 hours. This violation
occurs when hunting parties
set up camp in the wilderness
ana tnen store or cache the
equipment rather than pack it
out.
Wilderness trailheads are
posted with regulations regar
ding riding, hitching, tether
50 cents a guess, wins the pum
pkin. The drawing will be held
at the Moonlight Madness sale
Thursday evening Oct. 27.
Tickets are on sale at Murray
Drugs.
A third pumpkin, given to
Ann Spicer's parents in Selah,
Washington, earned S75 in an
auction
for
Planned
Parenthood.
Ann says that the pumpkins
also have "wonderful flesh"
and make great pumpkin pies.
One can imagine just how
many pies "M am a" would
make.
A pumpkin planted by the
SpicerKuhn family in Heppner
is indeed a "big mama". The
huge pumpkin, called "Mama
Pumpkin" by the youngest
member of the family, 10 year-
old Paula, weighed in at 206
pounds at the Morrow County
Fairgrounds cattle scales.
While the pumpkin was
destined to become gigantic,
since it was grown from Atlan
tic Giant pumpkin seeds, it also
got a lot of babying and talking
to, in addition to a normal
amount of w ater, fertilizer and
weeding.
Ann Spicer, Paula's mom,
says that they plan to carve
"Mama Pumpkin" and put her
on their porch for Halloween.
The SpicerKuhns donated
another of their giant pum
pkins to the Heppner Parents
Club as a fund raiser for Tup-
per Outdoor School. The per
ing or hobbling a horse or other
saddle or pack animal.
Also prohibited within the
wilderness is the disposing of
debris, garbage, or other w’aste;
possessing or using a wagon,
cart or other vehicle; short-
cutting a switchback in a trail;
and entering the wilderness
with a group consisting of more
than 12 persons or more than
18 head of pack or saddle stock
without permit.
For more imformation on
Wilderness regulations, contact
the Umatilla National Forest
Supervisor's Office at (503)
278-3716 or visit 2517 SW
Hailey Avenue in Pendleton.
Moonlight
madness sale
The Heppner merchants'
Moonlight Madness Sale will
be held this Friday, Oct. 28,
from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
The annual sale will feature
lots of bargains from local
stores.
son who comes closest to
guessing the correct weight, at
I I
thru Oct. 31st
f ■'S : -
f c ¡8 $
This is the place to SAVE!
■.% ?
Morrow County Grain Growers
L exin gton 9 8 9 - 8 2 2 1
1 -8 0 0 -8 2 4 -7 1 8 5
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