Bustin' out all over
B E S S I E W F T Z F L L
U OF OR E
N F WS P A T î R I I D
E U G E N E O K & 7 -S . 3
Ron Bowman, Kim and Gayle Gutierrez and Steve Rhea look over leveling work being done on
new softball field in Heppner.
VOL 116
NO. 13
8 Pages
Wednesday, March 26,1997
Still time to get your brick
Skip Connor purchases his brick in support of the swimming
pool. Bricks will be on sale only until May 31, says People for
The Pool Vice President Gail Hughes, shown here accepting
Connor's check. Every brick purchaser will have their name
placed on the brick and the bricks, which are made o f veneer,
will be mounted on the wall o f the pool lobby for permanent
display. The bricks cost either $30 or $40 and the donation is
tax deductible. Higher donations are also accepted, says
Hughes.
Consultants selected for parks plan
Morrow County Judge Louis
Carlson has announced the
selection of the Oregon Public
Affairs Research Consultants
(PARC) as the consulting con
sortium selected to complete the
Morrow County Master Parks
Plan.
The Master Parks Plan, a
20-year plan to give direction for
the county's parks, will be
developed using a grant from
Oregon Parks & Recreation
Department.
The
historic
operation, current resources, and
potential expansion opportunities
for
each
park
will
be
"referenced" in the plan along
with strategic marketing for the
county parks as a whole, said a
PARC news release.
In developing the overall
strategy for new and existing
parks. Morrow County intends to
use local participants to serve on
a technical advisory committee,
said PARC. The committee will
identify concerns, objectives, and
goals for the Morrow County
parks system.
Interested persons may contact
Tamra Mabbott, 541-922-4624,
or Stan Foster, 800-758-6812.
The planning process will be
completed by January, 1998.
Foundation
expands board
"One of the biggest assets a
foundation can have is its board
members." says Blue Mountain
Community College Foundation
Director. Karen Hill.
Fourteen new directors were
introduced at a recent Blue
Mountain Community College
Foundation Board meeting bv
newly elected chairman. Tern
Anderson
New board members arc Betty
Carlson. Heppner: Ken Bjorklund.
Athena: Bob Byrd. Imgon; Connie
Caplmgcr. Echo. Don Cook.
Pendleton. Ken Dauble. Milton-
Freewatcr:
Russell
Dorran.
Hermiston;
Wes
Grilley.
Pendleton.
Sky
Heatherton.
Milton-Freewater; Tim Mabry.
Hermiston; Joyce
Madsen.
Hermiston Patricia McClintock.
Pendleton:
Lonnie
Read.
Pendleton, and Scott Sager. Pilot
Rock
They join longtime
members Terry Anderson. Pilot
Rock: Ted Forth. Pendleton, and
Mick Tolar. Boardman
The board is charged with
soliciting.
receiving
and
administering gifts prov ided to the
BMCC Foundation for the benefit
of 'Blue Mountain Community
College Karen Hill was employ ed
as executive director last March
Since then the foundation held a
Book Social in August The event
raised $1,225 which is used to
assist students who may not have
funds to purchase textbooks A
memorial
scholarship
in
recognition of Leon Scverin.
former BMCC math instructor,
has been established through the
foundation Over $5.900 has been
raised for that scholarship
The foundation currently
administers $1.275.000
For
information on establishing a
scholarship, contact Hill at 541-
278-577
W CCC golf kickoff
Elks Easter egg hunt Saturday
The annual Easter egg hunt,
sponsored by the Heppner
Elks Club, will get underway
this Saturday, March 29,
promptly at 10 a.m.
Preschool children will hunt
for eggs at the city park next to
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
the library-museum building.
First and second-graders will
hunt at Heppner Middle
School playground and third
and fourth-graders will hunt at
Hager Park.
It’s time to think golf. Willow
Creek Country Club (WCCC)
women are invited to join a golf
game on Tuesday, April 1.
Kickoff breakfast will be at 9
a.m., with play to follow at 10 a.m.
The breakfast will be put on by
the WCCC ladies’ officers.
Beginners are invited to come
and join in the fun, said a club
spokesperson.
Port o f Morrow Commissioner Jerry' Healy (left) port engineer Ron McKinnis and Bank of
Eastern Oregon President George Koffler look over plans for new housing development with
developer E.J. Lcason (right).
going to be a beautiful place."
date o f September.
It’s spring—and south
Mills said that the gas station
Morrow County is bustin' out
will
offer two diesel pumps
all over.
and diesel service and two
In addition to the sw irnming
gasoline pumps with the
pool complex now under
ability to fuel on both sides.
construction, work has also
Three grades of gasoline will
begun
on
a
housing
be available. The facility will
development and two new ball
also offer food service items
fields in Heppner and a new
and
will include the town's
mini-mart and gas station in
Post
Office.
Lexington.
The property w as purchased
Developer John Leason,
from
the school district.
Sisters,
has
begun
Ground
has also been broken
dev elopment o f a subdiv ision
for
two
new'
ball fields-one
in
Fleppner
overlooking
designed
for
softball
and one
Willow Creek Lake. Port o f
for
either
major
or
minor
Morrow Commission Jerry
league,
near
the
swimming
Healy' said that the Port o f
Morrow and the Heppner pool complex.
Willow Creek Little League
Economic
Development
President
Rollie Marshall said
Commission (HEDC), along
that
the
Morrow
County Grain
with the city o f Heppner, have
Growers,
ow
ners
o f the land,
been working together for over
have
given
the
Little
League a
a year to prov ide building lots
five-year
lease
on
the
land and
locally.
"It has certainly been a Pat Kilkenny, former resident,
now o f San Diego, has
community effort." said Healy.
"HEDC has been really donated $15,000 for the
instrumental in helping things project with the stipulation
that the field be named after
move along."
Kilkenny's
father.
Bob,
Healy said Leason will
because
of
his
"avid
support
of
develop a subdivision with
Heppner
sports."
city sewer, water, paved
Marshall said that Roger
streets, curbs, gutters, storm
and
John
Britt have agreed to
drains and handicap accessible
donate
equipment
and
sidewalks. The development
manpower
and
Devin
Oil
has
will also include a minimum
agreed
to
supply
diesel
for
the
o f one demonstration house,
e
q
u
i
p
m
e
n
t
d
u
r
i
n
g
says Healy. Healy said that 24
construction.
MCGG
has
also
lots, some with finished
homes, will be for sale. The donated fencing, including a
lots are expected to be backstop and two sides that
had been on the old ball field
completed by early summer.
Additional
The Port o f Morrow, ow ner in Lexington.
fencing,
irrigation
equipment
o f the property, will sell to
Leason when the city gives and sod still remain to be
final approval, said Healy.
funded.
Larry Mills, manager of
Orthers who have donated
Morrow
County
Grain with field work are: Bob
Growers, says that ground has Barton, Duck Lusher, Carl
been broken for a convenience Thorpe. Joe Miller, Ryan
store-service station to be built Miller, Ryan Wilson and Ted
at the old ball field, across Britt.
from the Morrow County
Marshall says that they plan
School District office in to irrigate a strip between the
Lexington. Mills said that they ball fields to be used as a
hope to start construction picnic area with tables. He
within the next two weeks said that when the pool and the
with a targeted completion ball fields are completed, "It's
Construction is expected to be
completed by May 1.
Marshall said that the
number o f kids w ho signed up
to play ball this year was a
contributing factor in building
new field, compounded by the
threat o f loss o f a minor
league field because of
proposed construction of a
new building at the Morrow
County Fairgrounds. Over 150
kids have signed up for Little
League this year.
Ron Bowman is chairman of
the the Little League field
committee; members are Steve
Rhea, Jay Coil and Kim and
Gail Gutierrez. The group is
still accepting donations from
the community to fund the
project, and are presently
holding a raffle for a trip to
Hawaii to raise money.
PTI has also been visible in
Heppner lately, putting in big
cement vaults as junction
boxes for underground cables
at
several
downtown
intersections in preparation for
the Oregon Department of
Transportation May and Main
Street project. The ODOT
project, expected to get
underway soon, will replace
streets and sidewalks on Main
Street between the two bridges
crossing Willow Creek.
Report requested
if felt earthquake
Morrow County Emergency
Management is asking anyone
who felt an earthquake that
occurred late Friday night near
Condon to call them. Their
number is (541) 676-5161.
The University of Washington
Seismology lab would like to
determine how far away the
earth quake that occurred at
10:05 p.m. was felt. The quake
registered 3.9 on the Richter
scale. So far, the Emergency
Management
department
hasn’t received any calls about
the earthquake.