Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1998)
4 , • • • *• • i ‘ / • ' ■ * i «'» » • * - - » » • ;i ,• . I il I O* < Rod Osgood to run for JP P r S S I O f OR r w s '' a r r L • „ t r* J c t m * t' z. U F p F R 0 F. t T * I ■ 0 7 ; HEPPNER 50 < imes VOL. 117 NO. 13 8 Pages Wednesday, April 1, 1998 lone Sas station included in DEQ list The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has identified 49 high-pnonty rural gas stations in Oregon that may close by the end of this year unless they get financial help to replace old, and possibly leaking, W Û -. underground gasoline storage tanks. The lone Key Gas Service is included in those stations, according to a DEQ news release. DEQ estimates there are several hundred more single- station businesses which have not yet complied with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) December 22, Rod Osgood 1998 deadline for upgrading Rod Osgood of north Morrow underground storage (UST). County has filed for the Morrow DEQ will submit a funding County Justice of the Peace request that provides more position, opposing incumbent assistance for rural gas stations to Judge Charlotte Gray. the Legislative Emergency Board Osgood, 40, who lives between meeting on April 9-10. This Boardman and Imgon, is the appearance at the emergency owner of Osgood Feed and board is a follow-up to a Supply, which he started in 1992. November 1997 session where Osgood was raised in Umatilla board members deferred action County in the Hermiston area on the initial DEQ funding and moved to Morrow County request and told the agency to nine years ago. return with more specific Besides operating his store, information. Osgood runs a few cows, quarter Stations on the DEQ high- pnonty list are at least five miles horses and running horses. Osgood has been married for away from another station and 22 years to Wendy, his high have been pnontized based on school sweetheart. The Osgoods community impact if closed have two children,' 20 and 21 using criteria established in years old. and one grandchild. Osgood says he hopes to "bring some sense to justice in Morrow County." "I don't think my job is to raise funds for the county," he said. "My job is to make it a safer, more pleasant place for the citizens of Morrow County." Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon *• PfV r# t € T 7 (ÉÉ *1 Grog Smith of the Port of Morrow, Morrow County Judge Louis Carlson and director of the Tillamook Youth Accountability Camp following a public information meeting March 26 in Heppner The prospect of siting a youth boot camp in Heppner drew more positive comments than negative at a public hearing on the issue held Monday night at Heppner High School. Around 100 people attended the hearing with over 60 indicating they were in favor of siting a 50-bed Youth Accountability Camp in Heppner and around 20 opposing it. Another 60 written testimonies were submitted at the meeting with few negative comments. Heppner Mayor Bob Jepsen, Morrow County Judge Louis Carlson, Heppner City Manager Gary Marks, Morrow County Commissioner Ray French, Heppner Chief of Police Doug Rathbun, Morrow County School District Superintendent Chuck Starr, Morrow County Commission on Children and Families Director Dar Merrill, Church of the Nazarene Pastor Duane Jones, retired Methodist minister Grace Drake, Bank of Eastern Oregon President and CEO George Koffler and Oregon State Representative Lynn Lundquist were among the many speaking in favor of the facility. The site being considered is located past the Morrow County Fairgrounds on the hillside on the right side of the road as one is leaving town. Many of those favoring the camp spoke of the economic boost it would give to the community. The Youth Accountability Camp would employ 32 people, some of which, officials say, could come from the community, and is expected to have a payroll of around $85,000 a month. Dwayne McNannay, manager of the Oregon Youth Authority said that while many goods required at the camp would be obtained through a state contract, many items would also be purchased on the local economy. He also said that local merchants and vendors would get assistance in filling out the paperwork for purchase agreements with the state. Others in favor of locating the camp in Heppner stressed the importance of providing a place for troubled youth and said they felt Heppner, because it is a close knit community, would be an ideal place to help the young people turn their lives around. Concerns were raised that there are no guarantees that the camp would not be expanded or converted into a maximum security facility. Timothy Travis, program manager for the Juvenile Court Improvement Project and member of the siting committee, said that there were no assurances, but added, "This facility is not designed as a maximum security facility. We just built maximum security facilities all across the state and they are all expandable." Travis said that the committee "was not here to sell you this facility," but also said, "Measure 11 got a lot of support. . . and I think that's something you've got to own up to." Travis also said, "This is not an economic development project," placing the economic benefits second to the goal of helping troubled youth. Several people indicated concern about the Morrow County Health District's ability to provide medical care for Youth Accountability Camp cadets and employees, when the * - ■ * * . j . • î ■ i í t • ‘ ; • . * * - * . I * V W ^ » • • • * ■ '-«I : - . '--V • . -1 « . •.»* % , * •' * ‘ * •' *. •. - ■ * - * * " • " .... - ‘s*. r ■ -r J f _ l tr% .• . . - r - I Portland attorney to oppose Earl Woods Public Hearing held on proposed Heppner youth camp i i House Bill 3385 which was passed by the 1997 legislature. DEQ established the list based on requests submitted by individual station owners seeking assistance. If the emergency board approves additional funding, financial assistance would consist of grants providing 75 percent of funding for the necessary tank upgrade work for stations that can demonstrate financial need. Grants to individual stations would not exceed $75,000 per site. Congress passed the tank upgrade law in 1984 to protect groundwater from contamination from leaking underground tanks. Groundwater provides drinking water for much of Oregon, especially in rural areas, according to DEQ. House Bill 3385 is Oregon's most recent attempt to prevent closure of gas stations deemed to be essential in ensuring the continued availability of motor fuel for tourism, recreation and the economic survival of rural communities, said the release. DEQ has already provided financial assistance to 81 rural gas stations. Many more than the 49 stations listed face closure, but do not meet eligibility requirements for funding under House Bill 3385, according to the state environmental agency. . only doctor in south Morrow County has said he will not renew his contract, which expires May 31. However, Ken Schmidt, Morrow County Health District and Pioneer Memorial Hospital administrator, assured the siting committee that the district has a "very good clinic" (Pioneer Memorial Clinic) and a Level 4 trauma center at PMH which could handle the camp's medical needs. Several of those against siting the facility in Heppner said they were concerned such a camp would lower the real estate values and discourage people from moving to the area. Testimony indicated that re^l estate prices have continued to climb and the population has continued to increase at Tillamook, where a Youth Accountability Camp and a work study camp are located. School Superintendent Starr said that the school district would be willing to contract for education services for the camp. He said that the state, not the district would pay for education costs of the camp's cadets and the per student outlay is $8,700 per student, double the amount spent on Morrow County School District students. Starr said that he spoke to officials at the Tillamook School District, who said that his teaching staff enjoyed working at the camp and " did not want to go back" to teaching at the high school. Other fears voiced about locating a camp in Heppner include the possibility of the cadet's escaping escape, damaging property and being a bad influence on local youth. Officials said earlier at two — ■ .>■ - public information meetings held in Heppner on March 26 that the cadets are not allowed in the community and escapes are few and dealt with severely. They also said that the cadets enter the program as volunteers and must be committed to succeeding in the program and stressed that the facility "is not a prison". At least two individuals at the public hearing said that they were more concerned about the vandalism that already exists in the community than they were about the cadets. The siting authority will receive written testimony through April 16 in care of Brad Mulvihill, area coordinator Central/Eastem Oregon Youth Authority, 62910 O. B. Riley Road, Suite A-200, Bend, OR 97701-8696. The committee will then make its recommendation on a site to Rick Hill, Oregon Youth Authority, who will announce his decision by May 16. One site out of the three finalists-Heppner, Hilgard State Park west of LaGrande and the town of Union, northeast of LaGrande-may be selected or all three sites may be rejected and the siting process started all over again. In making its decision, the committee will consider the costs of building the facility, available resources in the community, such as medical facilities, education and goods and services available, and community support or opposition to the camp, among other considerations. HHS baseball team to sell sign ads David Allen A Portland attorney, David Allen, 32, has filed for the Morrow' County District Attpmey's position against incumbent E&rl R. Woods, Jr. Allen grew up in western Kansas and attended the University of Oregon Law School. While still in law school he worked under Bill Hanlon, who was then district attorney in Madras. (Hanlon served as interim Morrow County District Attorney while Woods served in Bosnia with the National Guard. Hanlon remains the Morrow County counsel.) After law school Allen returned to Madras and worked as a deputy district attorney for Hanlon for three years. He also spent one year in Madras in private practice before moving to Portland in 1995 He is now employed with the law firm of Gary Carlson. Allen says that he has missed working in a district attorney's office and is excited about criminal law. He says that having grown up in Kansas, he is looking forward to living in a small rural area and is interested in being an active member of the community. Allen and his fiance, Dierdre. have a 10-month old daughter. Alexandra. ». Xi-’, -V - •• , V V - V J " ~> >. t **• . •••>*• y ■ -. ■ I • • T ty- • - . . . . / , A S - ' v X . O « ., . ' V - - '* Í X X- ' . . T . ' I V- O- -w .» • - • ; . x 2 v • * r t.' A * . - 'W w ■ - '»x • 1 ] r 'f A -'V- '" - ' - T S ' Response overwhelming in 4 V ' it 1 - - «F •- X : favor of assisted living ' - A questionnaire on a proposed Patrick's Senior Center, which is assisted living center in the designed for independent living. Willow Creek Valley sent out to An assisted living center would local residents received better provide help to its residents who than a 50 percent return, which is need assistance in one or more exceptional, said Suzanne of the activities involved in daily Jepsen, a member of the Willow' living, such as bathing, dressing, Creek Valley Assisted Living preparing meals or taking Corporation, the group medications, for example. conducting the survey. Jepsen said that the group is in Jepsen said that the the process of negotiating for a questionnaire was sent to 994 consultant to apply for a $10,000 homes and 500 surveys were technical assistance grant to fund returned. Of those 500, 474 were a feasibility study. They have in favor of establishing an also applied for tax exempt status assisted living center in the area and are working on their bylaws and only 26 were against it. and mission statement. "This shows this is a project She said that All Saints people are really interested in," Episcopal Church in Heppner has said Jepsen. dedicated its February mission An assisted living center is a and outreach money, which came facility which would provide to $1,500, for start-up costs. intermediate care for seniors-in Any group interested in having between Pioneer Memorial someone speak about the Nursing Home which provides proposed facility is invited to call high level care and the St. ' Jepsen. • M / -> > *•. - •. ' ■ ' i . -- -. -.j' . , y I e ; v . • •v . ’ ■ - V-, .• 'V./' .- •*; . ■ ^x ' By Rick Paullus The Heppner Mustangs base ball team is selling 4x8 foot out field ad signboards to further fund improvements on the field and in the program. Players will be vis iting local businesses soon to in quire about ad signs, or call Robin Graff, 422-7191, if your business is interested in purchasing a sign board. Martingale 4-H club to sponsor egg hunt The Martingale 4-H Horse Club of lone will sponsor their fifth annual Easter Egg hunt on horseback on Sunday, April 5. In addition to the Easter egg hunt, other Easter games and playday events will be held. All 4-H members, their families and guests are welcome to attend the hunt which will be held at Gene and Knsty Crowell's at 68104 Highway 74, lone, beginning at 1:30 p.m.. For more information call 422-7564. SAVE ON MANY SPRING ITEMS THROUGIIOIT THE STORE! x im YARD & HOME SALE M orrow C o u n ty G r a in G rowers Lexington 989-8221 • 1 -8 0 0 -4 5 2 -7 3 9 6 For farm equipment wit our web site at www megg net — r - r ^ - r - T T * " 1 ->l» ' "V ? ' • . - ' . ' • • . ‘ --- - • *.... * .* '.'"T • • ■ . »■ : • , ' " V v i* Y . .N. . - V-v*- •. ,\- *>• ■ .. 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