Park District hears lone
imes
VOL. 114
NO. 31
6 Pages Wednesday, July 19, 1995,
So far 60 petitions have been
filed at the Morrow County
Courthouse by property own
ers who want out of the Willow
Creek Park District. Many of
those on hand at a meeting in
lone Monday night were ready
to tell the park district board of
directors why.
Dick McElligott, who farms
near lone, said that since the
planned swimming pool and
completed RV park are located
in or near the city of Heppner
the park district has given no
service to him or many other
property owners, and he call
ed for another election on the
park district, this time ex
cluding Heppner voters.
"The fairest way to resolve
this problem would be to es
tablish a boundary containing
all of the Willow Creek Park
District's physical assets in
cluding the day park and the
income producing RV cam
pground plus the city of Hepp
ner and any contiguous proper
ty which the owners might
wish to have included. An elec
tion of all areas outside the
boundary should then be held
to see if they wished to
withdraw," he said.
Previous elections have been
held to establish the park
district, which includes Hepp
ner, lone and Lexington as well
as outlying farmland, and to
issue bonds and levy taxes to
build and operate a swimming
Morrow County Heppner, Oregon pool in Heppner and a RV park
at Willow Creek lake.
Property owners who have
filed petitions to with draw
from the district say they gain
no benefit from these projects,
and therefore should not have
to pay. Voters in the lone
precinct in March overwhelm
David Green buys local disposal service
ingly voted against both the
new pool construction bonds
and the operating levy, how
ever, both passed with support
from the Heppner area.
Park district board members
said lone was approached be
fore the election about possible
projects to be funded through
the district, but no interest was
shown from the area.
Morrow County School
Superintendent Chuck Stan-
had earlier pointed out that the
lone swimming pool, which is
owned and maintained by the
school district, is in need of
repairs and that the school
district had no money to make
those improvements. Stan said
that according to engineer's
reports the repairs could cost
around $324,000.
Some at the meeting Monday
said the park district wasn't
needed to make the repairs and
that the money could be rais
ed from the lone community.
Further complicating the
withdrawal petitions is the fact
that $975,000 in bonds to con
struct the swimming pool have
already been sold, and even if
property owners are with
drawn from the park district,
they may be liable to repay
those bonds.
Monow County Assessor
Greg Sweek said that taxes to
pay for the pool project and all
of the park operations would
total $81 per year for each
$100,000 of assessed valuation.
Sweek said that because of
measure 5, the property tax
law, Heppner taxpayers would
not see an increase in taxes to
pay for the three year, $36,000
per year operating levy. lone
and Lexington taxpayers would
see an increase for operating
funds, because they have not
yet reached their taxing limit.
Heppner taxpayers, however
will have to pay additional
taxes for the pool construction
levy, which does not come
under ballot measure 5.
The Morrow County Court
has the authority to grant
withdrawal requests, but after
two public hearings on the mat
ter has taken no action. A third
hearing is planned. The court
is bound by Oregon law which
describes when propety
owners may be released from
a taxing district.
Park District chairman Ken
ny Turner asked the crowd
Monday to give the district 60
days to further examine the
lone pool situation. "If we can
get a couple of people to par
ticipate from lone and listen to
the engineer's report, then if
you want to go to court and get
out of the park district then let
it b e ," Turner said.
McElligott said earlier he had
already consulted an attorney.
Don Bristow said that even
though the community was ap
proached before the last elec
tion about projects to be fund
ed, he saw the offers as no
more than a carrot to get the
levy passed. "W e're getting
frustrated because we're not
getting ours," he said of Lex
ington and lone. "W e haven't
seen any sharing and it's get
ting frustrating."
Board member Skip Math
ews said he was afraid that if
the county court grants the
withdrawal petitions it could
lead to other withdrawals in
other districts. "W hat's next?
The library, the rural fire
district or maybe the medical
district."
Summer Youth Program underway
- ‘
L-R: Greg Smith, David Green, Cliff Green.
David Green of Heppner has
purchased the Heppner Gar
bage Disposal Service from his
father, Cliff Green, with the
help of a $40,000 Regional
Strategies loan.
The Heppner Garbage
Disposal Service is a family-
owned business that has been
serving Heppner, Lexington
and surrounding areas for over
44 years, spanning three gen
erations.
David's grandfather, Her
man Green, bought the bus
iness in 1951 from Roger Con
ner and turned it into a regular
pick-up and delivery route. He
started our with a 1942 Ford
truck with a plywood bed.
Then then moved to a manu
factured side-loader and then
eventually went to a side-load
ing packer unit.
David's father, Cliff Green,
bought the business in 1973. He
later upgraded the truck to a
rear-load packer. In 1989 he
started hauling to Finley Buttes
Landfill and then went to a
larger rear packer with a diesel
engine. Cliff says that he paid
$2,500 for his first truck and
$31,000 for his last one, which
was used.
"There has been lots of
change," said Cliff. "There us
ed to be a lot of salvage, but not
any more." Cliff says that they
used to be able to salvage scrap
iron and other metals, but now
they can't. He says that now
appliances can no longer be
salvaged and repaired. Cliff
also notes the increase in plastic
and paper packaging. The big
gest change, however, is the
huge increase in transportation
and disposal costs. "It used to
be next to nothing," said Cliff,
This business not only pro
"but now it's a major part of
the operation." Part of the ex vides a service to the local com
pense is driving 35 miles to munity but it also helps the
North Central Oregon Regional
Finley Buttes to dispose of the
Strategies Board achieve its
garbage.
"Heppner is a special place strategy of developing busines
to live," adds Cliff. "I'v e ap ses based upon environmental
preciated the opportunity to services," said Greg Smith,
serve my customers over the loan officer for the Greater
last 25 years. I thank them for Eastern Oregon Development
their patronage." Cliff, 52, con Corporation (GEODC).
The loan is part of a larger
tinues to operate the Coast to
Coast store in Heppner he pur project financed by the Bank of
Eastern Oregon and GEODC.
chased in 1984.
David Green began working
The Regional Strategies Loan
part-time for the Heppner Gar Program was created by the
bage Disposal Service while he North Central Oregon Regional
was still in high school. After Strategies board to assist small
receiving his associate degree in to medium sized businesses
business management from with their fixed asset financing
Blue Mountain Community needs. This program, partner
College, he returned home and ship with local financing in
began working full time. "It's stitutes, serves the counties of
a privilege to live and work in Morrow, Gilliam, Grant, Sher
Heppner," said David."For a man, Wasco and Wheeler.
lot of people it's just not possi
With the change of owner
ship, customers should now
ble."
David has been operating the send their correspondence and
business for about the last five payments to: Fieppner Gar
years. "H e's virtually been do bage Disposal Service, Attn:
ing it all," says Cliff. "H e's David Green, P.O. Box 782,
well versed in the operation." H eppner, O regon 97836.
"I'm looking forward to ser Customers may contact David
ving the residents of Heppner directly at 676-5364. Payments
and Lexington in their waste and messages may also be left
transportation needs," said at the Coast to Coast store in
David. "The only thing that's Heppner.
going to change is where you
send your payment."
When you talk about David's
purchase of the business, you
can't leave out his partner.
The annual Morrow County
David is faithfully accompanied
potluck
picnic will be held at
on his rounds by Mandy, his
Mt.
Tabor
Park, S.E. 60th and
dog. Mandy, now 11, is a
Salmon,
Portland,
on Sunday,
"Heinz 5 7 ", a border collie,
August
6.
dingo and Carter dog mix.
Anyone now living in, or
The loan approval came from
who
has lived Morrow Coun
the Greater Eastern Oregon
ty
is
invited to attend the pic
Development Corporation's
nic
from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
loan committee.
Site chosen for
M.C. picnic
The Summer Youth Prograi
is underway in Heppner, wit
activities and field trips
youth, 7-13, through August!
' 1 he program is held Monda
through Thursday from 10 a.n
to 2 p.m. On field trip days, th
day is extended.
On the first day of this year
program, American Heritag
Day, 109 kids and adults lean
ed what it was like to e:
perience life "in the olden
days". Some of the activi
included washing clothes v
a wash tub and scrub bo<
ironing with an old fashioi
iron, playing jacks, shoo!
marbles, sewing quilts, rep
ing shoes and of course, en
ing fresh butter, fresh-squee
lemonade and homemade
cream.
The second day the gr<
went to Pendleton to visit
sights and sounds of
Pendleton
Underground
Wednesday and Thursday c
the first week, the childre:
learned first hand about Nativ
American folklore and culture
from Native Americans Ji
Jones, Jr., chief of
Umapima,
and Mildrei
Quaempts who encamped a
the junior high school grounds.
Other activities throughout
the program include visiting
Cutsforth Park, seeing an ac
tual courtroom case, swimm
ing, a behind the-scenes peek
Mildred Quaempts encamped at the Heppner Junior High
School grounds.
at a television station, a visit to
a commercial airport, kick ball
and bowling, among many
other activities,
j h e Rev Stan Hoobing is
coordinator of the program.
Wheat harvest begins with average yields
The wheat harvest is just
starting to get underway, with
"average” yields expected.
John Ripple, grain depart
ment manager for the Morrow
County Grain Growers, said
that most of the people who
have already started harvest ex
perienced hail damage from the
storm that swept through parts
of the area Sunday, July 9.
While the hail missed the
Heppner area, some growers in
lone, Condon and in the north
Lex area, especially along the
Bombing Range Road, were
devastated.
"It's going to be an average
to slightly above average
harvest, running 35 to 40
bushels an acre," said Ripple.
Ripple said that while there
was plenty of rain this spring
some farmers had to reseed
because it was so dry last fall.
Ripple added that cheat grass
and disease also figured in the
projected yield.
Ripple said that harvest
should be well underway by
the end of the week.
Harvest Hours
Mon-Fri 7 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat. 7 a.m.-4 p.m.
Wasco Mon-Fri 7 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat. 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Morrow County Crain Growers
Lexington 989-8221
1-800-452-7396
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