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TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, February 7, 1996
The Official Newspaper of the
City of Heppner and the .
County of Morrow
Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
U S .P .S . 2 4 0 -4 2 0
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
Published weekly and entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at Hepp
ner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Second class postage paid at Hepp
ner, Oregon. Office at 147 West Willow Street. Telephone (503) 676-9228.
Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P.O. Bo* 337,
Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $18 in Morrow, Wheeler, Gilliam and
Grant Counties; $25 elsewhere.
April Hilton-Sykes.............................................................................................News Editor
Stephanie Jen sen ......................................................Typesetting, Layout, Distribution
Monique Devin ............................................................. Advertising layout It Graphics
Penni Keersemaker .......................................................... .... ....................................Printer
David Sykes, Publisher
Meeting set on discussion group
A meeting to determine inter
est in a Great Decisions discus
sion group will be held on
Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 7:30
a.m. at Twice Upon A Time...
(next to City Hall).
"D o you need more than the
evening news to understand
our changing world?" reads
the question on the Great Deci
sions 1996 brochure. "Become
informed, get involved and join
a Great Decisions discussion
group." This year's varied top
ics include: Foreign Policy and
the U.S. Political System; The
Intelligence Community: Time
for Reform?; Mexico: Embattl
ed Neighbor; Economic Coop
eration in the Asian Pacific:
Openings for the U.S.?; Water:
A Dangerous Endangered
Resource?; Failing Nation
States: What U.S. Response?;
Africa: Should the U.S Care?;
and NATO: What Future Role
in Europe?
Sponsored by the Foreign
Policy Association (FPA) since
1918, the Great Decisions pro
gram is offered to "reinvigorate
the public dialogue in interna
tional affairs for an enlighten
ed foreign policy," through lo
cal discussion groups. The FPA
is an independent, nonparti
san, non-governmental, na
tional nonprofit educational or
ganization that "seeks to help
Americans gain a better un
derstanding of significant
world issues in the belief that
in a democracy a concerned
and informed public is the
foundation for an effective
foreign policy." Oregon's pro
gram coordinator is a staff
member at Oregon State Uni
versity.
More information about
Great Decisions is available at
the bookstore and by contac
ting Pat Struthers at Eastern
Oregon Computer Consulting
in the Ployhar Insurance office,
or Doris Brosnan at 676-5382.
Interested persons are encour
aged to attend the meeting; the
program encourages participa
tion by all age groups from high
school through senior citizen.
Donations sought for St. Pat's auction
Heppner residents should
prepare themselves for the
"G re a t Heppner Auction
Blitz", said a St. Patrick's cele
bration organizer. Volunteers
will be going through the town
on Tuesday, Feb. 27, asking for
donation items for the St. Pat
rick's Day auction. Items sold
at the auction help support the
Heppner St. Pat's Celebration
by offsetting expenses for en
tertainment, publicity and the
logistical needs of the week
end, and help support local
needs and projects. Last year,
the South Morrow County
Scholarship and the park
playground equipment fund
benefited.
Almost any type of item can
be donated, although the com
mittee asks that items be in ser
viceable condition and only
small appliances can be auc
tioned.
Residents need not wait for
the "blitz" to get items out of
their homes. Volunteers are
available now to pick them up-
Steve Rhea, days 676-9113,
Mike Mills, days 676-9141, Dan
Brosnan, 676-5382, or the Mur
rays, days 676-9158, evenings
676-9631.
Letters to the Editor
Editorial: Return to Reason
To the Editor:
I am sick and tired of reading
about the petty battles in Mor
row County between the Medi
cal District and Boardman. If
the newspaper articles were ac
curate and written by someone
who knows how to report the
news, maybe the situation
would be resolved. Instead, I
have to put up with false infor
mation in which the writer did
not do any research and just
relies on hearsay from sources
that have no knowledge of the
situation.
I have only lived in the area
for eight years, so at least I'm
not prejudiced, which is more
than l can say for the majority
of the citizens of this county. In
the military, I learned that you
do not put your trust in what
an individual says, but how
that individual performs in a
crisis situation. You don't hide
behind your buddies or use red
tape for an excuse; you stand
up and confront the enemy,
period. Anything less is a lie
and the coward's way out.
To prove that I'm not afraid
to face the fire, I will admit that
my employer is Pioneer Me
morial Hospital. However, my
loyalty is to my patients and
their well-being, not the institu
tion. If I get fired tomorrow for
my opinions, I would have a
job within 48 hours. So my
views are not mandated by my
employers. Anyone who feels
my views are biased are just
blowing smoke.
I have been in the medical
field for over 18 years now. I've
worked in huge facilities that
have over 1,000 beds and I have
been in isolated areas in which
I was responsible for the health
of the men and women placed
under my care. From the clean
office setting, preparing bud
gets, to swamps trying to save
someone's leg, I've been there,
done that. So I speak with not
only authority, but with ex
perience.
It's time both parties took a
history lesson. The Medical
District needs to be aware that
when a select group of individ
uals (even though they are
elected) tries to force a small
group to conform, the follow
ing results usually occurs:
1) The small group will gain
sympathy, regardless if they
are right or wrong.
2) This sympathy will be per-
verted and misinterpreted by
the leaders as support.
3) This results in revolution,
which leads to confrontation,
and anytime there is a confron
tation, there must be a winner
and a loser.
The isolated group in Board-
man must not ignore the
lessons of the past either. For
this group to succeed, they
must be prepared to do the
following:
1) They must provide honest,
documented proof of their posi
tion. There can be no hearsay
or closed doors if they wish to
gain the support of the general
public.
2) There must be a solid plan
for the future, not just empty
statements that things will be
better without the current
leadership. The lack of a future
will create a situation that is
more intolerable than the cur
rent one.
3) Leaders of a small revolu
tionary force must be prepared
to "not be taken prisoner".
They must stake their entire
careers on their position; if
defeated, they will not be toler
ated by the victor, nor the
general public to sit in the
background and mutter their
discontent. They will have been
defeated and must accept the
victor's terms.
Each "cam p" must remem
ber that history has a tenden
cy to repeat itself. So let us
learn from the past. "Rome
was not built in a day." We
cannot rush into any situation
that may jeopardize the health
care of the citizens of Morrow
County, either in the north end
or the south. "A chain is only
as strong as its weakest link",
each "cam p" must take a
serious study as to which mem
bers in its organization may be
detrimental to its actual goal in
this confrontation. "A house
divided against itself cannot
stand." "United we stand,
divided we fall"; to continue
the current battle on the out
skirts of the battlefield leads to
failure. Either make a direct
confrontation or take your toys
and go home. This ridiculous
bickering will go nowhere and
the citizens of both "cam ps"
are tired of this childish behav
ior.
(s) Jay Straley
Singspiration to
With melting snow flooding a concern
The frigid weather in South was shut down to allow only a
be held Sunday M C G C has shoot Morrow
County finally broke very low output in preparation
All Saints' Episcopal Church
will host the "Singspiration"
service this Sunday, Feb. 11, at
7 p.m. "Singspiration is an up
lifting time of singing and listen
ing to the joy in Christian liv
ing through m u sic," said
Father A1 Miller.
Anyone is, welcome to at
tend. An offering will be taken
for the South Morrow Mini-
strial Association to help with
aid to those in need. Fellowship
and refreshments will follow.
Mick Sharp led the 16-yard
event at the Morrow County
Gun Club last Sunday, Feb. 4,
with a score of 22 targets
broken out of a possible 25.
Harvey Childers, Kelwayne
Haguewood and Roger Mor-
timore tied up second, with 21
each.
Childers won the handicap
event with a 22. Haguewood
took second with an 18.
Shooting will begin at noon
this Sunday, Feb. 11, at the gun
club.
GROWER MEETING
DATE: February 9, 1996
TIM E: 8:30 a.m.
LOCATION: Willows Grange lone
AGENDA
8:30-9:00 M arv Aguiar, T ri River Chemical
Phanoxy Formulation and C arriera
9:00-9:30 Collette M clntire, Rhone Poulenc
Herbicide Safety On Small Graina
9:30-10:00 Paul Pargeter, Bayer Product
Label Updates
10:00-10:15 Break
10:15-11 00 Geoff Roper, Sheldon Blank,
Monsanto New Products & Form ulations
1 1 :00-11 :30 P e ts Vanourek, Ciba Crop
Protection Herbicide Resietance Management
11:30-Noon George Stallings,-Gustafson Seed
Treatm ents
Credit Hours Will Be Awarded
By Kevin Erich
Morrow County Health District Administrator
Sick of petty battles
Monday, Feb. 5, with tempera
tures rising above freezing for
the first time in almost a week.
The high for Jan. 30 was on
ly 18 degrees, with a low of
minus eight. January 31 saw
even lower temperatures, with
a high of 14 and a low of minus
10 .
Meanwhile, with warmer
weather, snow melting and
rain, flooding was a concern
Tuesday.
Darcy Bergstrom at the Em
ergency Management office in
Heppner says that the National
Weather Service put out a flood
alert at 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Hinton Creek peaked at
about 6:30 a.m., but since
receded as were other creeks in
the area, said Bergstrom. She
said that Willow Creek Dam
for high output out of Hinton
Creek. The dam was holding
any water out of Willow and
Balm Fork. Officials did not an
ticipate any flooding problems
if there was no additional rain,
however Bergstrom said that
the National Weather Service
predicted some rain Tuesday
evening.
Bergstrom said that the
public works department was
in the process of clearing any
ice jams and was watching the
situation closely.
We Print
Business Cards
Gazette-Times
Yes, it's true. The Morrow County Health District is at the
center of yet another political firestorm. Misinformation, rumor
and innuendo blaze through the county and seemingly consume
all hope for rational, reasonable discussion. We must stop this
inferno before it consumes us all. With this in mind, I ask that
you consider the following information as we work our way
through this difficult time.
Much of the contention is focused on expansion plans and the
distribution of services and tax dollars between the north and
south ends of Morrow County. Let's look at what is presently
provided and at what cost to the taxpayer. The following are pro
vided by the Morrow County Health District: (1) County-wide
emergency medical services; (2) County-wide home health care;
(3) Pioneer Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home; (4) Boardman
Health Care Center; (5) Pioneer Memorial Clinic; (6) Boardman
Dental Office; (7) Fleppner Dental Office.
Just how much do these services cost taxpayers? With a district
operating budget of seven million dollars, $455,000 comes from
taxpayers. Tax revenue is 6.5 percent of the total budget. The
remainder comes from patient revenue, grants, donations and
working capital. ’
To understand the true impact of district services on Morrow
County taxpayers, it's important to realize who pays what of this
$455,000. According to information from the County Assessor's
office, Morrow County utilities pay $284,830 (62.6 percent). The
remaining $170,170 (37.4 percent) comes from residential, com
mercial, industrial, farm and forest taxpayers. Bottom line-the
owner of a $50,000 home in Morrow County pays $25.42 (before
Measure 5 compression) in tax support to the Health District.
Some Boardman residents have expressed concern that they
aren't getting their fair share of services. They say too much tax
money goes south at the expense of services in their communi
ty. So, how much tax money goes to Boardman? Nearly one-
third of the medical district tax dollars go to pay for services at
the Boardman Health Care Center. This clinic is owned by the
District, but operated independently. The clinic receives approx
imately $150,000 in tax suport per year to provide medical care
to the Boardman community. It retains all revenues
($300,000-$350,000) generated from its operation. The Health
District receives no rent, is responsible for building maintenance,
property taxes and some equipment purchases. In comparision,
the physicians at Heppner's Pioneer Memorial Clinic (also owned
by the District) are salaried and all of the revenue generated there
is retained by the District.
The total 1995 health district taxes (after Measure 5 compres
sion) collected from within the Boardman city limits was $15,971.
The area surrounding Boardman, excluding the Port of Morrow,
paid a total of $22,160.
Also in the Boardman taxing district are two major industrial
areas-the Port of Morrow and the PGE plant. Combined health
district taxes from these nonresidential areas were $262,750. This
amount comes from industry located within Morrow County's
borders-not from Boardman area residents' property taxes, dear
ly, Boardman medical services receive far more in tax support
than what is paid into the District by Boardman area home-
owners. The same is true for each community in Morrow County.
The questions are always "Where have our tax dollars gone?"
and "How have they been allocated between north and south
Morrow County?" I feel the real issue is how can we more ef
fectively use tax dollars to enhance services. During the past two
fiscal years, an average of $143,901 was needed for operations
in north Morrow County. The other areas of the District utilized
$155,353 of tax funds to balance operations. North county en
tities generated $394,980 in revenue from the $143,901 in tax
support-resulting in a return of 2.75. The entities in the rest of
the district generated revenues of $4,391,962~a return of 28.27
times the investment. Tax support for Pioneer Memorial Hospital
and Nursing Home was $189,469, which in turn generated
$3,220,463 in gross revenue.
The Health District is eager to improve services in north Mor
row County. Unfortunately, contracting services without con
trol over how funds are managed and without receiving any of
the revenue generated by these services means additional tax sup
port will be needed to expand or provide new services.
On Dec. 28, 1995, the Morrow County Health District Board
held a strategic planning session where they unanimously agreed
to aggressivley work on improving health care services to the
people of north Morrow County. Most of the projects are targeted
for Boardman and Irrigon. We know we must plan wisely if we
are to meet tomorrow's demands on our health care system—
particularly in these growing communities. Our plans include
a new medical center for Boardman; a medical clinic in Irrigon;
adult foster/day care for Boardman and Irrigon; new ambulances
for Boardman, Irrigon and Heppner; physical plant improve
ments at Pioneer Memorial Hospital; computerization of all
medical records; and improved medical technologies throughout
the county.
These projects are in the early planning stages. Now, we need
input from Morrow County citizens. Five town hall meetings have
been scheduled throughout the county. The agenda is open. We
want to answer your questions. We want you to tell us how you
feel about expansion plans. Perhaps these meetings will provide
the format for a return to reason. I hope so. The future of Mor
row County's medical services may depend upon it.
676-9228
fiAfeAl Valentine
0 he children o f
¡Raymond and CJhelma O'Neal
Collection
wish to extend an invitation
to the couple's
6 0 th
Wedding anniversary
Give a gift to last a lifetime...
colored gemstone jewelry.
S atu rd ay , T e h . 1 0 , at 2 p .m .
Lunch Will Be Provided
in conference room o f the T est Western M otel
Following Lunch:
1:00-1 45 Steve Kdhler, Country Hedging Inc.
Grain M arketing, Futures and Options
2:00 R -134 A ir Conditioning Sem inar
H ighway 2 6 T ., TrineVille O T .
Member
,
Jeweler« of America. Inc
Peterson’s
no gifts please
Heppner
Jewelers
676-9200
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