TWELVE * Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 10, 1995
Proposal would put old pool site to use
The Heppner City Council
Monday night May 8, heard a
proposal which would convert
the defunct Heppner pool and
dressing rooms into a com
munity center.
The feasibility study, which
city manager Gary Marks
stresses is just a proposal, calls
for three meeting rooms, which
would be divided by articulated
doors, a small kitchen and
restrooms with access both in
side and outside. The pool
would be filled and converted
into basketball courts, with the
possibility of an ice rink in the
winter.
The building could be used as
a meeting complex for public or
club meetings, or even for
events such as wedding recep
tions.
Marks said that when the ci
ty took a grant to renovate the
pool in the 1970s, the condi
tions of the grant specified that
the site be used for recreation.
"W e can't just bulldoze it,"
said Marks, who added that if
the site is not used for recrea
tion, the grant must be repaid
with interest, which would
amount to quite a lot after all
these years.
Marks said that funding for
the proposed project is still
unknown, with possibilities in
cluding a Community Block
Development Grant and the
Rural Development Fund. "It
will have to be a coalition of
funds," said Marks. Marks said
that volunteerism, including
work on demolition of the old
structure, and selling salvage
could be options to reduce
expenditures.
In other business, the
council:
-authorized Marks to sign on
the final acceptance of the
sewer system improvements.
The contractor has completed
all work as required, said
Marks. The project is now
under a one-year warranty;
-discussed the formation of a
local improvement project.
Marks said that a Portland man
has purchased the "T ash
House", which is located up
Shobe Canyon, with the intent
to create a bed and breakfast.
However, the house is not
hooked up to the city sewer
system. City officials are con
sidering creating a local im
provement district to imple
ment specific improvements.
The project would be funded
like a "mini bond", which
would be paid by property
owners involved. Marks said
that the limited improvement
district would not be feasible
for one property, so nearby
neighbors would have to opt in
the district.
-learned that the restroom at
the city park is ready for con
struction to begin by next
week. However, state workers
have gone on strike and it is
uncertain if the state will issue
a building permit.
-learned that the project to
fund playground equipment at
Heppner City Park is within
$1,900 of obtaining its goal of
$19,700. Marks says that the
project will "hopefully" be
built by the end of July.
-learned that the city is going
out for bid for total reconstruc
tion of Aiken and Elder streets.
-learned that the city is plan
ning to widen the paved sur
faces on Water Streev for a
pedestrian walkway for walk
ers going up and down the hill.
-learned that a major
rehabilitation project of the
streets in Heppner will include
rebuilding and repaving Gale
Street, from the intersection of
the Bulk Plant to the intersec
tion near First Interstate Bank.
In this process, the contractor
will cut out bad portions of the
street and will rebuild and
repave. The good portion of the
street will be preserved and
cracks will be sealed to prevent
further potholes. Following this
project, crack sealing will be
completed at Hager and Rock
streets. The projects will be
placed on a priority list con
tingent on the availability of
funds.
-heard an update on the up
coming water telemetry system
project. The city has signed a
contract with Electronic Tech
nology of Portland to replace
the telemetry system, which is
the controls for wells and reser
voirs for the Heppner water
system The new system will
tell the wells when to come on,
distributes water and makes
sure there is enough water in
the reservoirs. Marks said that
the old telemetry system is
"dying" and the new one will
hopefully be in operation by
the end of July. The new
system is centrallized with an
early warning system . If
something happened to the
system at midnight Saturday,
for example, if the pump breaks
down, the system causes a
telephone program to be in
itiated which would call city of
ficials until it reaches one at
home. In the past, Marks said,
if the system goes off line, city
officials may not know for
several hours, a critical time
period, until someone goes to
check on the system.
Lynde Minster attends seminar
Lynde Minster of lone was
selected to attend the "Women
in
Science,
Math
and
Technology Lecture and Ban
quet", held April 21 at the
Multnomah Athletic Club in
Portland.
Each year over 300 young
women, outstanding in math,
science or technology, and
teachers and counselors attend
the Friday night banquet. Out-
of-town girls spend the night
and attend focus group ses
sions with women science prac-
ticioners on Saturday.
Minster was selected by lone
High School's Talented and
Gifted (TAG) coordinator,
Diana Kincaid, math and
science instructor, Dale
Holland, and Principal Dick
Allen. She was sponsored by
the Umatilla-Morrow Saturday
Academy, which provided
transportation, the banquet
and Saturday meals and hotel
accommodations.
"It (the seminar) was very
educational," said Minster. "It
inspired me to pursue a career
in math and science. It was a
wonderful opportunity." She
added that during the Saturday
morning discussion she became
"interested in finding the cure
for cancer through genetic
research."
The banquet speaker was
Linda Leigh, a botanist with 20
years of experience as a field
researcher, lecturer, consultant
and scientific administrator.
Leigh was a human subject and
scientific team member in
Biosphere 2, which was, at the
time, the longest human-
occupied closed system test.
Honoree for the symposium
was Isabella Karle, Ph. D, who
has made significant contribu
tions to the areas of crystal
lography, chem istry and
biophysics and is the only
female member of the chemis
try section of the National
Academy of Science. Karle and
her husband, Jerome, joined
the plutonium project at the
University of Chicago in 1942 to
support the war effort. She
became the first person to make
plutonium chloride.
In The Heppner Gazette
Your Ads Are Read
Call 676-9228 to place your ad
Old pool building would be replaced
State Conservation farm tour set June 6
The 1995 Oregon League
State Conservation Tour will be
held on June 6, at the
Frederickson family farming
operation, Boardman. Lunch
will begin at noon at the
Oregon Hay Products facility
just north of the Port of Mor
row exit from Interstate 84, one
mile east of Boardman. The
tour will begin at 2 p.m.
The Frederickson family
operates two separate farms,
Frederickson Farms and Port-
view Farms which straddle the
Columbia River east of Board-
man. The farms are primarily
operated by Gary and Vernon
Frederickson. Their parents,
Clarence and Virginia Fred
erickson, and Gary's wife,
Casey, are involved with the
operation. Gary and Casey
have two children, Nikki, 12,
and Cody, 2. Vern's wife,
Suzanne, and their son, Greg,
12, are also involved.
Vern and Gary attribute
much of their success to their
cadre of assistants, field
employees Bob Waring and
Sergio Morales, chief mechanic
George Row, and Pam Kuns
and Shannon Zumwalt in the
office.
Frederickson Farms has leas
ed 745 acres of cropland from
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
(USF&W) since 1969. Portview
Ranches, a partnership bet
ween Vern and Gary, has leas
ed 1600 acres from the Port of
Morrow since 1985.
Frederickson Farming is
located in and around a wildlife
refuge adjacent to the Colum
bia river. According to the
lease, a certain portion of
cropland is planted exclusive
ly for wildlife. Limited water-
fowl hunting is regulated by
Fish and Wildlife. No deer hun
ting is allowed.
There are five irrigated circles
in production. USF&W does
not allow use of restricted use
chemicals. Vem, who manages
the farming part of the opera
tion, each year submits a list of
agricultural chemicals that they
plan to use for Fish and Wild
life's approval. There are no
fertilizer restrictions.
Crops include wheat, alfalfa,
peas, com, lima beans and
canola. Corn or beans are
planted in June after pea
harvest to provide the opera
tion with two crops off the
same field in one year. Peas
and alfalfa, like other legumes,
add nitrogen to the soil that
following crops can use.
The primary soil type is
Quincy loamy fine sand.
Although the wildlife manage
ment area has trees to reduce
wind erosion, it is nevertheless
necessary to maintain adequate
soil residue. Vern works close
ly with the Soil Conservation
Service as a director of the Mor
row County Soil and Water
Conservation District and as a
client with erosion concerns.
A complementary part of
Frederickson Farming is
Oregon Hay Products, a com
pressed bale operation that is
operated with the Sumitomo
Corporation, a Japanese com
pany. Oregon Hay, managed
by Gary, doubles the density of
the hay, shears the bales in
half, and then sends them
overseas to Japan. About 75
percent of the hay that goes
through the compression plant
has been purchased elsewhere.
As many as 12 seasonal
employees are employed at the
Port of Morrow plant. In addi
tion to managing the plant,
Gary is also in charge of
marketing and harvesting the
alfalfa.
Portview Farms leases pro
perty owned by the Port of
Morrow, approximately two
miles east of Boardman. As part
of the lease, Portview Farms
must accept effluent from near
by processing plants. The Port
of Morrow, in turn, must com
ply with Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ)
requirements relating to nitro
gen management.
The DEQ directs the Port of
Morrow to require the use of
crops that use considerable
nitrogen. Alfalfa is such a crop.
Vern commented that they are
also going to try growing
onions for the nearby onion
dehydration plant. Other crops
that Portview Farms has grown
include dark northern spring
wheat, canola, corn and pota
toes.
M aybe ice skating?
Portview Farms must also
contend with possible wind
erosion in the sandy soil. The
effluent forms a crust on the
soil and helps to prevent soil
blowing. Maintaining high
amounts of residue in the soils
has also helped reduce soil loss.
In addition, they plant sor-
ghum-sudangrass around the
borders of the irrigation circles
to reduce erosion and to pro
vide cover for birds.
The Port of Morrow recently
built an effluent holding pond
that will allow Portview' Farms
to apply the effluent when the
crop needs it. The pond is
about 40 acres in size.
Doug Drake, former Morrow
County Wheat League presi
dent, commented that the Fred-
ericksons were selected for the
award "for their perseverance
and ingenuity in managing
highly erosive soils, their abili
ty to deal positively with en
vironmental restrictions, their
involvement with several agen
cies, and their success at im
proving soil productivity and
tilth."
O D FW plans
big game meet
The Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) will
hold a public m eeting,
Wednesday, May 17, at the
Heppner Elementary multipur
pose room, beginning at 7 p.m.
The purpose of the meeting
is to review the 1995 recom
mended tag numbers for all big
game seasons, discuss the pro
posed 1996 big game seasons
and to present proposed
changes to the Rocky Mountain
bull elk seasons.
This public review of the pro
posed regulations is timed to
allow public input prior to final
decision on the 1995 tag num
bers and 19% season proposals
at the June 9 commission
meeting.
The proposed changes to the
Rocky Mountain elk seasons
will be addressed at several
public meetings this summer
and are being presented at this
time to ensure that all in
terested people understand the
issues and process that will be
used, said an ODFW news
release.
The public is invited to at
tend.
Chamber Chatter
By Claudia Hughes. Chamber Manager
Heppner Chamber of Com
merce, it's about community,
honesty, working together to
maintain Heppner's slower
paced quality of life, yet being
open enough to grow and pro
vide incentive for future
generations as they discover
their home town has much to
offer. When members come
together, though they differ in
many ways, their focus is what
is best for Heppner. All, I
think, would agree that some
change has to happen to keep
our community growing and
healthy, yet it is important that
this change does not cause a
loss of the qualaity of life that
we enjoy.
Personally as long as a small
community doesn't get caught
up in the "urgency syndrome"
as they work toward their vi
sion, they will keep that quali
ty of life. Have you ever taken
a moment from the "urgency
in your life" to observe an ant
hill? Throw those ants a crumb
and watch what happens. Do
they work together to store that
crumb for the future, or are
they distracted from their real
purpose? Does the crumb pit
them against each other, stirr
ing them up good so they over
look their original focus? Does
the temptation encourage every
man for himself in that his
urgency becomes so strong the
original intent of preparing for
winter together is lost in the
process? Is the anteater the one
who threw the crumb to
distract the ants?
Compare the urgency of the
ants with our world. For many
it is imperative that they have
the last computer, fax, cellular
phone, modem, internet, new
system, house anything that
will help them get to (their idea
of) the "to p ". Hurry, scurry,
worry.
If you've read books by
Stephen Covey, he talks of
stopping the urgency, being ac
countable, taking inventory,
living, loving, learning, leaving
a legacy. Sometimes we need
to take a good look at our
urgency. If our ant hill was
squashed tomorrow, would it
have been worth it? Just some
"crumbs for thought". Watch
for the anteaters.