Zellers buy Bristow's Market in lone
I
City Council adopts $2 million budget
The Heppner City Council donation towards a new swim
adopted a 1995-96 city budget ming pool in Heppner. Follow
of $2,228,518 at their meeting ing this year's voter approval of
Monday night, June 12. Total a swimming pool bond meas
appropriations for materials ure under the Willow Creek
and services in the general fund Park District authority, that
were cut by eight percent from money will complete the city's
the proposed budget, which is obligation towards the new
about $23,000 less than the cur pool under the terms of the
Kinzua donation.
rent year.
City crews anticipate comple
Capital project costs have
declined because the sewer tion of the Elder Street bridge
system improvement project reconstruction this week. The
now stands at 98 percent of council approved a $54,000 bid
completion and there were from Blue Mountain Paving for
significant savings below pro summer street repairs. Includ
jected costs of a used sludge ed are Gale Street, from the
truck to haul sewer plant liquid First Interstate Bank building to
wastes to fields. The current the intersection of Church
budget also funded a major Street. Also included are Elder
multi-street improvement pro and Aiken Streets and the pav
ing of the turn-around in the ci
ject in 1994.
City utility costs borne by tax ty park. The hilly portion of
payers are budgeted to be self- Water Street will be widened
supporting. Current general for a pedestrian walkby.
property tax revenues are pro
The volunteer fire deparment
jected to be about $158,000 after crew gave council members a
compression and non-payment first-hand look at a recently ac
estimates. Those property tax quired used mini-pump one
receipts represent only 16.9 ton truck. The 1994 chassis pur
percent of the total resources to chased by the rural fire depar
support city government.
ment and the cargo top have
The city tax rate of approx been repainted. Volunteer
imately $9.57 per $1,000 of firemen donated their time to
assessed value will be cut to wire and assemble the vehicle
about $5.71. Adding the bond that is now fully equipped for
ed debt tax rate with the emergencies such as vehicle
general property tax rates pro and farm equipment disasters,
duces a total estimated city tax according to fire chief Rusty
rate of $12.80 before ballot Estes.
measure five compression.
However, several city opera
tions within the budget, such
as the St. Patrick's Senior
The city of Heppner Summer
Center, the summer youth pro Youth Program is now taking
gram, and community develop registrations for youth in
ment projects are funded out terested in p articip atin g .
side of property tax revenues.
Registration forms may be pick
Insurance costs and staff time
ed up at city hall or contact Stan
are primarily the main excep Hoobing or Lea Calvert. Cal
tions.
vert says those planning to par
The city is currently experien ticipate should register or let
cing some improvements de Hoobing or Calvert know so
signed to enhance the Com that enough supplies will be
munity. Constuction of public
ordered. This year's summer
restrooms is now underway at youth program will be held Ju
the Main Street city park. Fun ly 10 through Aug. 3, Monday-
ding for this facility is from a Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2
$20,000 donation from the
p.m. On field trip days the
former owners of Kinzua Mill
hours will be from 10 a.m. to
and a small matching sum from
5:30 p.m.
the city's general fund.
"G oin g with the Flow in
Council members approved
County Morrow” is this year's
the purchase of new play youth program theme. South
ground equipment for the city
Morrow county youth, ages
park. Cost and installation of
7-13, adult leaders and teenage
about $20,000 will be funded by
volunteers will have an oppor
a $12,000 tax settlement from
tunity to visit Cutsforth Park
the Union Pacific Railroad, plus
with a U .S. Forest Service
the ''generous and most ap ranger; learn Native American
preciated support of about
folklore and Irish leprechaun
$7,700 in donations from in
dividuals, organizations and
businesses,” said city manager
Gary Marks.
The Morrow County Fair
An appropriation within the
Premium Books are now avail
budget was established to able. Premium books may be
d isp erse $ 4 5 ,000 pledged
obtained at the Morrow Coun
through last year's Kinzua ty Fair Office, Post Office or Ex-
In other business:
City council approved receipt
ot about $5,u0u in state revenue
sharing funds;
Lea Calvert presented details
of a four day-a-week summer
youth program during July.
Registrations must be com
pleted by June 16 and left at ci
ty hall or the Heppner Elemen
tary School office. The program
is free. Grants and donations
are anticipated to cover pro
jected costs of around $7,000,
used mainly for food and trans
portation. Adult volunteers are
needed, Calvert said. Average
attendance last year was about
45 youngsters, ranging in age
from kindergarten through
high school teen assistants.
Engineering estimates to con
vert the former Heppner swim
ming pool site into a communi
ty center with outdoor basket
ball courts is estimated at
$195,000. Community block
grants and rural development
funds may be available to fund
this project, Marks said.
Installation of a new water
telemetry system may be de
layed until fall as the company
has exceeded bonding limita
tions until they finish a large
project.
An additional $3,200 was ap
proved from the sewer fund to
access sewer lines for the new
restroom facility at the city
park.
Register now for summer program
culture; participate in an actual
courtroom case; enjoy the
water at the lone swimming
pool; take a peek at the behind-
the-scenes activities at a televi
sion station; see what it is like
to work at a commercial airport,
and see farming technology at
work at a local wheat ranch.
Activities also include a
make-your-own-lunch walk
through Heppner, exploring
the sight and sounds of early
Morrow County history, and
playing kickball, bowling and
demonstrating one's artistic
talents.
The program will be possible
if adults and teenages willing to
volunteer time, talents and
skills step forward. Applica
tions are available at the Hepp
ner city hall. "H elp make this
summer a unique experience
for the youth of south Morrow
County,” said the Reverend
Stan Hoobing, program coor
dinator.
Fair Premium books now available
tension Office in Heppner,
M orrow
C ou nty
G rain
Growers in Lexington, the Post
Office in lone,’ and the city halls
in Boardman and Irrigon.
By April Sykes
Norm and Barb Zeller have
some big shoes to fill as new
owners of the lone Market,
formerly Bristow's Market. But
it looks as if the couple, who
became owners of the grocery
store June 1, are starting off on
the right foot.
The Bristows had kept the
market in their family since
1914 when Edmund John Bris
tow took it over. His son, Ed
mund Wade Bristow took over
the store in 1944 and John
became owner in 1979. Don
Bristow had worked at the
market all of his life.
"W e're really busy,” said
Barb. "W e've got a lot to
learn,” added Norm. "T h e
Bristows have been really good
with helping us get started.
They've been great.” Both
Zellers say that they enjoy
w orking with the public.
"T h at's the best part,” said
Barb. "W e both like people and
this gives us the opportunity to
continue to work with people.”
Norm Zeller recently retired
after 22 years and nine months
as an Oregon State Patrolman.
He started out as a patrolman
in Tillamook in October of 1973.
He worked in the patrol divi
sion for five years and in 1978
was assigned to the Fish and
Wildlife Division. In 1986 he
came to Heppner where he
continued to work in that divi
sion. The last several years he
was in special investigations
and worked outside the area.
'I 'l l miss the department,”
said Norm. "Bu t, I came to
eligibility for retirement and
wanted a career change. I never
thought I'd get into the grocery
business, but the opportunity
came along. I'd always wanted
photo by April Sykes
L-R: Norm and Barbara Zeller and Mandi Gutierrez
to own my own business.”
Barb has owned her own hair
styling shop, "A t The Top", for
the last four years. She has
been a hair stylist since 1976.
Although she has had her own
business, she says that the
market "is a lot different, and
on a lot bigger scale." She
laughingly adds that people
have asked her if she could put
in a beauty shop in lone. Barb
is an lone native, growing up
on a ranch on Rhea Creek and
graduating from lone High
School. "lo n e 's a great com
munity,” she says. "T he peo
ple are wonderful."
The Zellers say they don't
plan on changing things at the
store. "W e're going to main
tain the same type of service, ”
says Norm. " T h e y (the
Bristows) were very successful.
If it isn't broke, why fix it?" The
couple, who live in Heppner,
plan on moving to lone. "W e
want to get down here as soon
as possible," said Barb.
Accompanying the couple
will be their two children, Man
di and Brian Gutierrez, who
will both help out at the store.
" Mandi's been really great
help. She's catching on really
fast,” added Barb. Mandi, a 15
year-old sophomore at Hepp
ner High School, is already
working as a store clerk. "W e
had to buy the store," jokes
Norm, "to give Mandi a sum
mer job. It's quite an ex
perience," Mandi says. " It's
really different. I'm learning a
lot. It's a lot of fu n ." Barb says
that Brian, 10, will be their can
boy, sorting cans and bagging
ice.
Norm has two other children,
Lea, 27, who works at a bank
in Portland and is married to a
city policman, and Ty, 24, who
is lives in Hermiston and works
at Simplot. He and his wife, the
former Stacy Toll, have a son,
Kurtis, two.
The Zellers plan a grand
opening in the near future.
First reading of annexation approved
By April Sykes
The Boardman City Council,
at a public hearing Tuesday
night June 13, unanimously
voted to pass the first reading
of an annexation to the city of
Boardman. The board also ap
proved continuation of the
hearing until June 27.
If the annexation is approv
ed, the city of Boardman will
add Port of Morrow property,
which includes Boardman
Farms, Lamb-Weston, Oregon
Potato Company, Simplot and
the Portland General Electric
Coyote Springs Co-Gen Plant.
According to Ed Glenn, a pro
perty owner within the propos
ed annexation and initiator of
the annexation proposal, an
nexation would "m ore than
double" the assessed valuation
of the city of Boardman. The ci
ty currently has a total valua
tion of $30,415,090.
Glenn and other supporters
of the plan, including Oregon
Potato Company and Lamb-
Weston, two of Boardman's
main employers, say that their
major concern is water, which
is facing strict regulations con
cerning its uses. They also said
they wanted to be "good dustrial wastes and the city of
neighbors", willing to pay Boardman also proposes in
more taxes to help provide ser dustrial wastewater service.
vices for their employees and The port, PGE and Morrow
contribute to the infrastructure. County also opposed the move
The area proposed for annex because they said they were not
ation is in the Boardman Urban given enough time to study the
Growth Area.
matter. A PGE attorney also
According to a city staff contended that PGE's approval
report, under the proposal the is required for the annexation.
city shall provide w ater, Len Gunderson, PGE project
sanitary sewer and industrial manager said that the city of
wastewater service and full ser Boardman had earlier pledged
vice roadways to those within 2.000 gallons of water a minute
the annexed areas. If the pro for the project. He added that
posal is passed, the city will in he had not heard if the city had
volve annexed property own withdrawn the offer, but if it
ers in the utility rate structur does withdraw the offer, PGE
ing processes which have any would have to reconsider the
direct impact on them.
second phase of the Coyote
Portland General Electric and Springs Co-gen plant. The
the PGE Co-Gen plant and the plant needs 4,000 gallons a
Port of Morrow went on record minute, he said. He also said
as opposing the annexation. that the port had also pledged
PGE said that the move would 2.000 gallons a minute.
single out PGE to bear much of
The Boardman City Council
the burden.
is aiming at a June annexation
Port of Morrow officials ex for taxing purposes. The fiscal
pressed concern that the move year ends June 30. The city also
could ultimately leave the port indicated that they want to
•unable to meet its bonded in complete restructuring of the
debted obligations. The Port Urban Renewal Agency by
has recently constructed an ef August 15 and complete and
fluent plant to deal with in adopt an urban renewal plan
within three months of annex
ation or by October 15, 1995,
whichever is earlier.
Under the proposal for an
nexation, the city said that it
would not levy ad valorem real
p rop erty taxes, including
street, park or other public
general tax levies, bonded in
place unless accompanied by a
debtedness and other forms of
parent, guardian or other per
taxation against annexed ter
son 21 or older with parental
ritory
in excess of certain
authorization. An exception to
percentages—zero percent the
the rule includes minors engag
first year, 1995-%, 20 percent
ed in a school activity or
employment which makes it the second, 30 percent the
third, and 10 percent each suc
necessary for them to be out
cessive year until it reaches 100
during the curfew times.
percent by the year 2004-5.
M inors who violate the
The annexation proposal also
curfew may be taken into tem
asks
that the territory be
porary custody and parents
removed from Boardman Rural
may be subject to a fine for
violation of a class C civil Fire Protection District and the
M orrow C ounty U nified
infraction.
Recreation District.
Police Chief Doug Rathbun
reminds of curfew hours
Heppner City Police Chief
Doug Rathbun reminds parents
and •’heir minor children of the
city curfew regulations.
According to city regulations,
minors under the age of 14 and
not attending high school have
a curfew of 9:15 p.m. on school
nights and 10:15 on weekends.
The curfew for minors 14 to 18
is 11 p.m. school nights and
midnight on weekends. The
curfew is in effect until 6 a .m .
the following morning.
The regulations prohibit any
minor under 18 to be on the
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Morrow County Grain Growers
_____ Lexington 989-8221
1-800-452-7396_______