Home Rule proposal in final stages
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VOL. 114
NO. 12
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8 Pages Wednesday, March 22, 1995,_______ Morrow County Heppner, Oregon
Marks find hidden shamrock
Clue four
From last week
An address told
On a street
where justice doled
Near a house where no one sleeps
On a crane where no one eats
Above andiron I wait for you
Come and get me, and make it soon!
G eorge Koffler (r) presents G ary and Laurie Marks a gold coin
valued at $113.
Gary and Laurie Marks of
H eppner found the lucky
shamrock and won the Bank of
Eastern Oregon coin in the an
nual Hidden Shamrock Hunt.
The Marks found the sham
rock in its hiding place in the
barbeque pit behind the cour
thouse in H eppner. They
found the shamrock shortly
after the final clue was publish
ed in the paper last Wednesday
evening.
Following is the answers to
the clues given this year:
Clue One
In this borough we call home
a marker speaks of a past that's done
a gushing tragedy in ought three
left a building for them to see
where this proud lodge once did
stand
we’ll start our quest across the land
The marker was the historical
marker down by the creek that
tells about the big flood of 1903,
or ought three. One of the ma
jor buildings left standing after
the flood was the palace hotel
(the proud lodge). The palace
hotel at that time was located
where Les Schwab is now.
Clue two
A palacial Inn
in old Heppner
is where you’ll stand
if your clue hunt’s been good
There inside from Les’s guy
you’ll hear my missive
and know what to try
Mr. A's age reveals his clue
remember this and know what to do
A yellow sheet where you reside
look on the age page
and then decide
A monumental call you have to make
Get your directions down pat. for
goodness sake
A palacial Inn is of course the
site of the old Palace Hotel.
Les's guy is Jon the manager of
Les Schwab. If asked, Jon
would tell hunters the clue:
"W hy are you looking for John
Allstott (Mr A) don't you know
he is dead?" John Allstott was
buried in the H epp ner
cemetery and his age was 72
when he died. A yellow sheet
where you reside is the yellow
pages at home in your phone
book, and on page 72 is an ad
for monuments. And under the
ad was the name, you guessed
it, Pat Sweeney. Pat Sweeney
was also given a clue to tell peo
ple, but just like Jon, only when
asked.
Clue three
A numbers game
This week we play
Do it right, and
find a shamrock you may
Add the years from all your clues
Don’t miss one now or
you're sure to lose
Add the digits in your sum
Times by four, and here’s
what you've won
an address you have
in our fair burg
on what street?
Next week you will learn
There were four years used in
the clues. The year of the flood,
John Allstott's birth and death
years, and Pat Sweeney's clue:
" I t's fair to say that is the year
it began". The year the Morrow
County fair began, which is
over
the
gate
at
the
fairgrounds. Add all those
years together, add the digits of
your answer together, multip
ly by four and you get 100, or
the address for somewhere in
Heppner.
A committee that has been
studying Morrow C ounty
government the past 16 months
is planning to have ? measure
on the November ballot that, if
passed by voters, would greatly
change the operation of coun
ty government as we know it.
Committee chairman Rollie
Marshall says that the plan is
in its final stages and the com
mittee will ask for public input
at meetings scheduled for both
the north and south areas of the
county.
Marshall says that the com
mittee has met 15 times over
the last 16 months and believes
their proposal is a good one. He
says that the new form of coun
ty government, called home
rule, will be more effective and
will provide more accountabili
ty and better representation for
all areas of the county.
Marshall says that the com
mittee was created by the Mor
row County Court in response
to inquiries about home rule.
The county appointed four
people to the committee, the
state legislature appointed four
and
the committee itself
appointed one more. The com
mittee consists of Marshall,
Dan VanSchoiack and Hal
Dinkins, all Heppner, Linda
LaRue and Lisa Rietmann, both
lone, John Prag, Bill Brown and
Jack Strege, Boardman, and
Don Holes, Irrigon. "It's a
good, diligent, working com
mittee," commented Marshall.
The committee's home rule
proposal would call for:
-five districts in the county:
1) the city of Irrigon and sur
rounding area; 2) the city of
Boardman; 3) the rural areas of
Boardman and Irrigon; 4)
Heppner and areas south and
east of the city; and 5) lone and
Lexington and areas north and
of Heppner;
-one commissioner from each
d istrict
but
elected
county-wide;
-a salaried administrator who
would answer to the board of
commissioners;
-a nominal salary, such as
$500 per month, for each
commissioner.
-appoin ted rath er than
elected department heads.
According to Marshall, the
committee sees an advantage in
employing a administrator,
educated in business and per
sonnel procedures, who would
run the day to day county
business. A board of commis
sioners, who would operate
much like the school board,
would oversee and set policy.
Because the board vtfould meet
in the evenings, membership
would be availed to a wider
variety of people, including
business people who are un
able to get away during the
day. The county court current
ly meets Wednesdays during
day time hours.
Marshall says that the com
mittee has reviewed several
counties who have opted for
home rule and some who have
rejected it. He says that after
Umatilla County approved
home rule, county operations
were streamlined from 23
departments to just 12. He says
that the Morrow County pro
posal is patterned after the
Hood River County home rule
plan
If voters agree to the home
rule proposal, Marshall an
ticipates that the committee will
ask current County Judge Louie
Carlson to be the administrator
until his term runs out. He says
that while elected officials
would not be guaranteed a job,
they would be given an oppor
tunity to apply and, if ap
pointed, would be given the
same level of seniority that they
had accumulated previously.
He says that most of the non-
elected employees would be re
tained, because personnel poli
cies governing their employ
ment are already in place.
Because home rule has no
provisions for a juvenile court,
circuit court would take over
those activities. Marshall says
that the change might be a
disadvantage for people living
in south Morrow County, but
may be a change for the better
for north county residents.
H ow ever, he ad d ed , the
change would mean additional
work for an already backlogg
ed circuit court.
Marshall says that the com
mittee has the power to place
the proposal on the ballot
whether or not the court
agrees. He also maintains that
any of the changes proposed
above could be done now,
without home rule.
The Home Rule Committee
meets every fourth Tuesday.
Their next meeting will be
Tuesday, March 28, at the
Public Works office in Lex
ington beginning at 7 p.m. The
committee will finalize the
rough draft and will also
discuss at least three different
options to the plan outlined
above. Meetings for public in
put are scheduled for 7 p.m. on
April 25 at Boardman City Hall
and May 23 at the Public Works
office in Lexington.
Willow Creek RV Park dedicated
On a street where justice is dol
ed out would be Court Street,
and 100 is the address of the
Morrow County Court House.
And just to make sure it wasn't
missed there is a reference to
the house (Courthouse) where
no one sleeps. A crane is
another name for the metal arm
that swings out from the side
of a fireplace on which pots are
hung to cook food. This is
where the shamrock was hid.
Also it was over an andiron, or
metal stand or grate on which
fireplace logs are placed to
burn.
Pretty easy, huh?
Child dies
in accident
The Heppner St. Patrick's
celebration was marred by
tragedy Saturday, March 18,
when a child died in an acci
dent involving a wagon and
team of horses.
According to Heppner Police
Chief Doug Rathbun, Glenda
Taylor, lone, and her daughter,
Josey Sue, 21 months, were
thrown from the wagon and
the baby was run over by the
wagon. The baby was trans
ported to Pioneer Memorial
Hospital in Heppner where she
was pronounced dead.
Rathbun said that a basket
ball rolled out into Main Street
shortly after the St. Patrick's
Parade and spooked two
horses that were pulling the
wagon. The leather traces on
the horses broke and released
the single tree which started
swinging back and forth and hit
the horses. The wagon hit the
curb and tipped sideways, but
did not fall over.
Glenda Taylor had been sit
ting on the outside platform of
the wagon holding her daught
er when the accident occurred.
She was also taken to Pioneer
M em orial H ospital with
injuries.
On hand to cut the ribbon at the W illow Creek RV Park cerem ony Friday, March 17 w ere l-r: H epp
ner M ayor Bob Jepsen, board m em bers Bob Kahl, Kenny Turner, Nancy Snider and John Ripple.
The Willow Creek Cam
pground overlooking the lake
above Heppner officially open
ed Friday, March 17, during the
St. Patrick's weekend. About
15 recreational vehicles of all
sizes took advantage of this
facility during the grand
opening.
Determined to " build it and
they will com e” the park
district has labored towards
meeting the needs of tourists
for the past eight years. What
was once projected to cost $1.2
million, was actually con
structed for under $120,000, ac
cording to park board of direc
tors. Current board members
are chairman Ken Turner, Nan-
cy Snider, Bob Kahl, Robin
Baker and John Ripple.
This campground features a
heated rest room facility with
hot water showers and 24
trailer spaces on multi-level
graveled roads. Fifteen trailer
spaces are equipped for water,
electricity and sewer hookups.
Others have access to electrici
ty and water. The facility is
designed so that 21 campsites
have pull through driveways to
accommodate large trailers.
The board anticipates future
paving of roadways and the in
stallation of underground
sprinklers to care for grassy
areas and shade trees. Land
scaping and trees may be fund
ed through a grant.
While the actual construction
has taken only eight months,
Turner said that delays have
caused frustration as the board
overcame lack of funding dur
ing the siting process. The pro
perty is now leased from the
Corps of Engineers. Turner
said that while the project has
been a "labor of love", it would
not have become a reality
without the contributions of in
dividuals and businesses who
have donated time, labor and
equipment.
According to board member,
Bob Kahl, the park district has
plans to develop campground
facilities in other Willow Creek
valley towns.
Early Spring Sales
Ends Sat., March 25th
Morrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221
1-800-452-7396