Big changes afoot in lone
HEPPNER
Betty Gray (left) with City Clerk Robbin Ferguison
imes
VOL. 117
NO. 40
10 Pages
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Wednesday, October 7,1998
Action will keep hospital and nursing home open (for now)
Medical district okays bank loan
After several weeks of
negotiations and community
meetings, the Morrow County
Health district voted Monday to
accept a $255,000 line of credit
from the Bank of Eastern
Oregon. The loan will allow the
district to pay its bills and remain
solvent until plans for the future
can be developed.
Action to take out the loan was
approved unanimously by the
board of directors at its meeting
Monday in Boardman. About
160 concerned citizens, most
from Heppner, attended the
meeting out of concern that the
Pioneer Memorial Hospital and
nursing home was going to be
shut down as a result of the
financial crisis . Without the loan
the district would have run out of
money in a couple of weeks.
In a related matter the board
terminated its agreement with
Western Health Resources,
which
had been receiving
$170,000 per year to manage the
health district.
A new administrator has not
been named, however, a hospital
trouble shooting specialist was
expected to be hired after
scheduled meetings Saturday.
Sheila Dahlman from Joseph is
scheduled to be interviewed by
the board Saturday as a
replacement for Susan Brock,
who had been the district
administrator for less than three
months, but is an employee of
Western Health Services and
therefore
left
immediately
Monday night when the board
severed
its
management
agreement with the company.
Scott Jacobson, human
resource director, will manage
the district until Dahlman is
brought on board.
Dahlman was recommended to
the district by Mike Bell, a
consultant hired by the hospital
foundation to study the medical
district.
The district got into financial
trouble
because
of
low
reimbursements
from
government agencies, poor
collections of debts owed to the
district, and expenditure of funds
out of cash flow on purchases
that should have been amortized.
The loan package approved
Monday will be secured by
future taxes collected by the
district. The medical district
collects about $525,000 per year
in taxes, money which should
begin amving in mid-November.
The district already owes about
$180,000 in short term debt.
Bank o f Eastern Oregon
President George Koffler was at
the meeting, and said that he is
confident the district will be able
to repay the loan, and mentioned
that once the consultant Bell is
finished with his report, the
district's short term debt could be
converted to longer term debt,
which would further help the
district's cash flow problem.
"This is a bandaid to get us to
where we can make an intelligent
decision," Koffler said. "We’re
buying time to get us a chance to
get better information. And we
are committed to working with
the entire health district," he said.
In the past the health district
has had trouble getting accurate
financial information in a timely
manner.
Grant, Payne,
Jensen tied for
first in GT
football contest
The consultant hired to study
the district, its finances and
possible future direction, is
Michael Bell and Co. out of
Wallowa county, and has done
much o f its work in the state of
Washington.
Larry Mills, president of the
Hospital Foundation, which is
funding the study, said that he
hopes to see a report from the
consultant by around the middle
of November.
He said the
consultant will look at among
other things: services, financial,
health care trends, affiliation,
management options (using a
fi rm
or
ma n a g i n g
independently).
Arlington
Rodeo tryouts
Heppner varsity football
coaches Greg Grant and Les
Payne, along with Heppner
Gazette graphics person Stef
Jensen, are knotted in a three
way tie for first place in the
Heppner
Gazette
Football
contest. All three have 19 right
picks against four wrong to lead
the pack going into the third
week of competition.
Bringing up second place with
a record of 18 - 5 is George
Koffler of the Bank of Eastern
Oregon, and tied for third is
Larry Mills, and lone football
coach Dennis Stefani both with
a record of 17 right picks against
six wrong.
The contest runs through
football season, and features
picks of both college and
professional games.
Health Dist.
meeting
A special Morrow County
Health District Board meeting
will be held Saturday, Oct. 10,
beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the
Home Health office in Heppner.
The business includes an
introduction of interim CEO
candidates, an executive session
and dental office proposals.
Oct. 25
The Arlington Saddle Club
once again preparing for their
annual Jackpot rodeo. Every fall
they select a queen to represent
the club for the upcoming year.
This year tryouts will be held
Sunday, October 25.
All contestants must be
between 16 and 21 years old as
of May 1, 1999.
Contestants will be judged on
horsemanship, speaking abilities
and appearance.
The tryouts will start at 10 am
with a meeting for all
contestants. The club will review
rules, patterns and judging
criteria at that time. The judging
will start at 1 pm.
A potluck lunch will be held at
noon. Everyone is welcome to
join.
Those attending are askeu to
bring their favorite dish. Drinks
will be provided. Arena games
will follow the selection of the
queen.
Anyone interested in being a
contestant should contact Debbie
Deen, 541- 454-2502, or Mickie
Seed, 541- 454-2510, for mote
information.
The city of lone has some
pretty big plans for a small
town. But, this can-do city has
already accomplished quite a
few' of its goals and is one the
way to making lone an even
more livable city.
lone City Hall is now open
four days a week and the city
has hired a city clerk to handle
the
city
recorder's
and
treasurer's duties, w'hich have
now been combined, and the
watermaster's
job,
which
requires testing and paperwork.
Robbin Ferguison. 38, who
started as clerk Sept. 1, will
keep the office open Monday
through Thursday, from 9 a.m.-
noon and 1-3 p.m. People may
now come in and pay their
water bills and pick up permits.
(Ferguison is the only EMT
currently in lone during the day
time, however, so she may be
called away on occasion.)
"It's a business now," sa’d
Mayor Betty Gray. "It's not just
a volunteer operation." Gray
said that the process took awhile
to complete, since the charter
had to be changed to allow for
the consolidation of positions
and the "right person" had to be
hired.
The city has also applied to
the office of Rural Development
for a grant/loan to build a new
water reservoir and has received
a $12,000 grant from the
Morrow County Economic
Development office to fund a
study about a new water system
which would replace the current
one, built in 1922.
"If we had an emergency, we
would have only four hours of
water," said Gray. Gray said
that they have determined the
proposed water reservoir can
handle 700 thousand gallons,
compared to 250 gallons in the
present antiquated system and
have decided that the reservoir
will have an aerator and a
chlonnator. The cost of the
proposed reservoir is estimated
to be around $1.4 million.
Gray said that they anticipate
an increase in water rates, in
addition to a grant, to help
offset the cost of the facility.
The city has also received
another grant to study flood
control down Rietmann Canyon,
which has had flooding
problems in the past. "We will
hopefully find ways to alleviate
that problem," said Gray.
Gray added that she is excited
about hiring Ferguison and also
credits the lone City Council for
"jumping right in if they see
something that needs done."
"We have a wonderful city
council," added Gray. "They're
very pro-active and interested in
continuing to make lone a
wonderful place to live."
Council
members
include
Dennis
Stefani,
Dennis
Thompson, Mark Bruno. Bob
Ball. Dick Allen and Tim Key.
The city is also planning to
improve the city park in several
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stages. Phase One included
buying the park property,
extending the park to Highway
47, putting in an underground
sprinkler and new grass,
fertilizing
and
spraying,
repairing rostrums and the
gazebo, planting new trees,
placing new power poles and
lights, purchasing maintenance
equipment
and
yearly
maintenance at a total cost of
$19,024. The improvements
were funded through a grant,
matching funds and donations.
The stage at the park was built
with the help of the Arts
Council and the city.
The second portion of Phase
One includes park tree removal
and
trimming,
additional
electrical outlets, an additional
water drip system and a kiosk at
$5,500
Phase Two
improvements include RV pads
for an RV park, handicapped
approved
sidewalks
and
pathways, a complete access
road with a kiosk, a handicap-
approved bridge crossing,
yearly maintenance
and
equipment at a cost of $39,430.
Phase Three includes new
handicap access rostrums with
showers, playground equipment,
yearly maintenance and other
equipment, estimated at $54.
7 15.
Phase Four would be yearly
maintenance at a cost of $7,500.
Gray also envisions a summer
music in the park program one
night a week, similar to Imgon
and Boardman’s music in the
park held this past summer. "It
will happen, too,” laughs Gray.
"It s amazing the workers we
have."
In other changes, the time of
the lone City Council meeting
has been changed to 6 p.m. on
the first Tuesday after the first
Monday.
Ferguison says she is trying to
streamline the office to make it
more efficient. Her immediate
goal is to put the budget into the
computer so the council can
review each budget item. "It
will give them more control and
it will be easier to read," she
said. The accounting has
traditionally been done on
paper.
Booster club auction
features lots of items
Luke Basile. eight years old. shows off the Beanie Babies collection to
be auctioned at the Heppner High School Booster Club Auction
Saturday. Oct. 17. The Beanie Babies are donated by Pat and Trish
Sweeney, Sweeney Mortuary.
The HHS Booster Club steak
feed and auction is planned for
Saturday, Oct. 17. The steak
feed will be from 6-8 p.m. and
the auction will get underway at
8 p.m.
Auction and raffle items this
year range from a collection of
20 Beanie Babies (three cats, two
dogs, a snake, turkey, flamingo,
spider, ostrich, kangaroo, two
monkeys, bull, cow. lamb, rhino,
racoon, horse, and iguana) to
jewelry, hunting and fishing
trips, a Mexican dinner for four,
a rifle and autographed sports
memorabilia.
Dinner and raffle tickets may
be picked up at the Shoe Box in
Heppner.
You need not be
present to win raffle items.
Steak feed tickets are $7.00
each.
News deadline
5p.m. Monday