Taekwon-Do classes to be held
Ü
A new member of the Hepp
ner community is planning to
start Taekwon-Do classes soon.
Gary Oberg, who just took
the job of Mental Health Direc
tor for Morrow County, has
been involved with martial arts
the past 20 years, and says he
plans to start youth and adult
classes soon.
Taekwon-Do stresses self
discipline and self defense says
Oberg, who plans to hold his
classes Tuesdays and Thurs
days at the Morrow County fair
annex. He says instruction will
be for children six and up and
for adults.
Oberg, who recently moved
to Heppner from Longview,
started with self defense when
he was in the military, and has
also studied and is affiliated
with Grand Master Hong Sik
Kim for the past seven years.
Kim lives in Portland and
operates 100 schools in seven
western states.
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imes
Gary Oberg demonstrates Taekwon-Do
There will be an information
meeting about the Taekwon-Do
classes Tuesday, May 21, at 7
p.m. at the 4-H annex for
anyone who is interested.
Hearing set on pool site selection
VOL 115________NO. 18________8 Pages Wednesday, May 1, 1996.________ Morrow County Heppner, Oregon
Downtown renovations only one year away
By April Hilton-Sykes
The downtown renovation of
Heppner is only a year away,
says city manager Gary Marks,
and decisions as to what our
downtown will look like are be
ing made now.
"This is a very dramatic pro
ject," says Marks. "It's going
to dress up the town and com
plement the buildings. I hope
it's going to reinvigorate
downtown.
Marks says that the project
will involve new sidewalks,
new streets, street lights, tree
plantings, bumpouts at in
tersections, the removal of
power and cable poles from the
downtown area, and perhaps
even a green shamrock on the
Gary Marks points to drawing
pavement to mark the intersec
tion of Main and Willow Mam Street to the Willow
Streets.
Creek Bridge near the court
Light poles have been house.
selected to be placed at 32 sites
The downtown renovation
downtown. There are current committee is now moving on to
ly 13 lights. The new poles will a decision about the placement
be dark green, almost black, and type of trees. Committee
with an arm on one side for members include Delanne
banners and a shorter arm on Ferguson,
Cliff
Green,
the other side for hanging JoyceKay Hollomon, Claudia
planters. The new lights, which
Hughes, Bill Kuhn, Mike
are shorter and more traditional
McGuire, John Murray, Cara
in design, will replace the cur
Osmin, Randall Peterson and
rent cobra-head lights that
the Rev. A1 Trachsell. Marks
come off the telephone poles.
said that it was important that
"I feel that lighting downtown
the people involved in the deci
will be improved," said Marks.
sions "come from the com
Bumpouts planned at in
munity, so w e'll have
tersections are expected to ac
something we'll like and be
complish two functions. They
proud of when we're all
will shorten the crossing
done."
distance, which will aid seniors
Marks says the project is
and the disabled. And, by nar
estimated at about $1.5 million.
rowing the paved area, the
The Oregon Department of
resultant psychological effect
Transportation has agreed to
should cause drivers to slow
cover $1.3 million of the project
down. However, Marks stress
cost, with the remaining
ed that the width of the actual
travel lanes will not be
changed.
er Section
Proposed highway pool site
of renovation project
$200,000 paid by the city. The
city has secured three grants to
help meet its obligation, said
Marks.
A $108,000 grant to the city
from the Intermodal Surface
Transportation Enhancement
Act (ISTEA) will be used to
cover sidewalk costs. Another
$16,000 ISTEA grant will cover
the costs of paving the turnout
at the mini-park and construc
tion of a sidewalk at the same
location. The city has also se
cured a $49,500 grant from the
Oregon Department of Justice
to pay for new street lights. The
street light grant is a one-time
opportunity made possible
through a legal settlement bet
ween seven states and seven oil
companies, added Marks. The
rem aining funds, about
$25,000, will be drawn from the
city's reserve fund for the pro
ject.
September football trip planned
A new street, new storm
drainage system and a new
water main will be installed on
Main Street. The present water
main, which is made of
asbestos concrete pipe, is very
brittle, says Marks and must be
replaced. Marks says that the
street project will probably last
four to five months, but
stresses that only one side of
the street will be worked on at
one time, so that people can
still get downtown. TTie city
engineer is now working to set
tle issues concerning driveways
downtown.
A sidewalk will start at the
mini park on the right side of
the street coming in to town
from Lexington. After the
Willow Creek Bridge, side
walks will b« on both sides of
The Heppner Mustangs and
Ponies will travel to Yoncalla
for a preseason football contest
Friday, Sept. 13, and will watch
the University of Oregon (UO)
Ducks play the Colorado State
University Rams in noncon
ference action.
A rooter bus will follow the
team, watching the junior high,
junior varsity and varsity foot
ball teams play Friday after-
noon and evening.
The rooters will stay in Cot
tage Grove Friday night, travel
to Eugene to watch the UO-
CSU game Saturday afternoon
and then return to Heppner
that evening.
The trip and accomodations
must be booked by Wednes
day, May 15. Contact George
Koffler, 676-5192 after 6 p.m.
for reservations.
MC Historical Society trip has vacancy
The spring getaway trip, to
Isaquah, Washington, spon
sored by the Morrow County
Historical Society is well
underway.
The group will board the bus
at 7 a.m. Thursday, May 9,
from the St. Patrick Senior
Center. The bus will also pick
up Lexington and lone riders.
Breakfast will be at the Ir-
rigon Marina.
There is still a vacancy on the
bus. Anyone interested in go
ing on the trip should call either
Ruth McCabe in lone or Delpha
Jones in Lexington.
Construction of the pool is
A public hearing to gamer in the city, but a conditional use
put on the site of the proposed permit will be required. Several not expected to be completed
swimming pool has been set for neighbors near Hager Park until next year.
In 1995, voters approved
Thursday, May 16, at 7 p.m. at have said that they do not want
the pool located at the park. If $975,000 for pool construction.
Heppner City Hall.
Two sites are being con the pool were to be built at The pool will feature a zero-
sidered for the pool-one on the Hager Park, it would not be as depth fan, much like the slope
highway coming in to Heppner visible to the community, but of a beach, a four-lane 25-meter
from Lexington, between M&R traffic safety there may not be competition area and a deep
Floor Covering and an Oregon as much a concern. Rocky plunge well with a slide, dress
Department of Transportation ground may also be a problem ing rooms and an office. If
(ODOT) building; and one at at Hager Park, but officials do enough outside funds are rais
not plan to do a core sample ed, a therapy pool and a
Hager Park.
According to Ken Turner, until a site is selected to cut general purpose room for
chairman of the Willow Creek down on cost. Marks said that meetings and instruction could
Park District, the site on the a core sample could be as much be built.
highway is now favored by the as $10,000.
park district members and the
pool committee. "W e're not County employees
donate to baseball
committeed to a site yet," add
ed Pool Committee chair Gary
Marks.
Officials agree that the site on
the highway is more visible and
is in an area of town that needs
dressing up. Plans had also
been discussed earlier concer
ning a farm museum near the
proposed highway pool site.
Turner said that access to the
pool at that site would be
limited to Riverside Street,
rather than the highway, thus
lessening concerns over
pedestrian safety. He also
stressed that landscaping
would also be a crucial part of
the plan.
Turner said that if the high
way site is selected for the pool,
ODOT has indicated that they
would give Willow Creek Park
District (WCPD) the land, if
Gayle Gutierrez (I), trustee of the Morrow County Employees
WCPD agrees to build a fence
Union Local, presents a $200 check to Shawn Kempas, Little
around OD OT's building.
League secretary/treasurer.
Turner estimates that a fence
Half of the funds will go to the lone Little League program and
would cost around $11,600.
half to the Heppner program for equipment.
There is no additional cost in
obtaining land at the Hager
Park site, since it is owned by
SN A P P E R LAW N M O W ER S A L E
Till May 1 1 t h
.
We also rent T hatch ers
* * * ■
...
Morrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221
1-800-452-7396