Chamber group learns of Burns
economic development efforts
U
b F s s i p wr r z E L t .
O F OR E
E W s P A r E R L I E
Heppner Chamber of Commerce members tour lamination plant.
lone church to rebuild
lone United Church of Christ
is currently engaged in a capital
funds campaign to build a new
church facility in lone.
Anyone who is interested in
assisting is invited to attend
"Challenge Sunday" on April 11
and "Celebration Sunday" on
April 18. The theme for the
capital funds campaign is
"Rebuilding with Glad and
Generous Hearts."
The church sanctuary was
severely damaged by fire in
April of 1998. In January ot
1999, the congregation decided
to proceed toward construction
of a new facility, and to raise
$120,000 or more to supplement
the funds available through the
insurance settlement.
Both
actions were approved by
unanimous votes of the
congregation.
The minimum goal of
$120,000 will allow the
construction of a new sanctuary
and community hall with kitchen
and restrooms. Gifts beyond the
minimum goal will make
possible the addition of other
spaces such as an office, a
nursery and rooms for classes,
meetings and choir rehearsal.
Helen Crawford of lone is chair
of the Capital Funds Committee
for the church. Other members
are Janet Allen, Rich Harper, Joe
Rietmann and Nancy Snider.
The pastor, Rev. Paul Clay, and
the moderator, Jerry Rietmann,
are assisting the Capital Funds
Mill site
decision
expected
soon
Committee.
Judy Rea is
receiving the gifts and pledges
on behalf of the church, with the
assistance of Harold Rietmann.
The first phase of the Capital
Funds Campaign is directed
primarily toward the members
and committed friends of the
church.
Letters have been
mailed, requesting contributions
and pledges for a period of up to
10 years.
"Challenge Sunday" on April
11 will include a presentation
after worship.
"Celebration
Sunday" on April 18 will feature
a sermon by Rev. Hector Lopez,
who is conference minister of
the Central Pacific Conference
of the United Church of Christ,
and a potluck at which the
results of the first phase of the
Capital Funds Campaign will be
announced. All who would like
to attend are welcome to
participate in the worship
services, meeting and dinner.
A second phase of fund raising
will take place when plans have
been completed and ground
breaking is near. At that time,
lone United Church of Christ
will seek donations from
members of the community and
more distant friends of the
church.
The church meets every
Sunday at St. Williams Catholic
Church at 11 a.m. with Sunday
school at the Christian Education
Building at 9:45 a.m.
A decision whether Kinzua
owner Greg Demers will donate
the old Kinzua mill site to the
Port of Morrow should be made
soon, it was reported this week.
Gary Neal of the Port of
Morrow is negotiating with
Kinzua officials about the fate
of the site.
Originally shortly after
closure of the mill was
announced,
Demers
had
indicated he would donate the
mill site for future economic
development, for possible new
business location in Heppner.
The donation would have been
to help alleviate the negative
economic impact the mill
closure and loss of jobs is
having on the community, and
also might provide a tax benefit
for Demers.
Later it was announced the
mill property might not be
turned over after all. Demers is
apparently assessing the best
financial benefit in disposing
of the property.
In other mill business a
decision on whether to add a
third shift at the Pilot Rock mill,
also owned by
Pioneer
Resources (owner of Kinzua)
will be made by May 1.
Cleanup at the mill site should
also be completed by the May 4
mill auction date.
The Port of Morrow is
applying for an economic zone
in case it does take possession
of the mill site. An economic
zone will allow tax abatement
for potential new businesses
moving into the area.
More money will become
available soon for training
displaced mill workers, after the
mill closure has now been
blamed partially on world trade
issues, or the North American
Free Trade Agreement.
CAPECO now has an office
open in the Pettyohn building in
Heppner to help laid off
workers obtain training and
other jobs.
Ducks Unlimited banquet
The annual Ducks Unlimited
Banquet will be held this Friday,
April 9, at the Heppner Elks Club
beginning at 6 p.m. with a social
hour
A prime rib dinner will be
served at 7 p.m. with the auction,
raffle and games getting
underway at 8 p.m.
Chairing the event are Steve
and Molly Rhea.
Senior girls'
luncheon
The Soroptimist Senior Girls’
Luncheon, for lone and Heppner
seniors and their mothers or
guest, will be held this Thursday.
April 8, at noon at All Saints
Episcopal Church in Heppner
The luncheon is catered by the
women of All Saints.
District math
contest April 8
The annual Morrow County
School District Elementary
Middle School Math Contest
will be held on Thursday, April
8, at 6:30 p.m., at the lone
School.
The public is welcome to
observe the contest.
Diana Kincaid is in charge of
local arrangements.
Refreshments will be served at
the end of the competition.
Health district
meeting changed
The Morrow County Health
District’s regular meeting has
been changed to Thursday. April
8, at the Boardman Ambulance
Hall at 7 p.m.
I
Stava Rhaa with 20 gauga
I
Seeking to learn more about
economic development, the
Heppner
Chamber
of
Commerce sent a group ot six
to Bums last week.
At Bums, the Heppner group
met with some of the local
people
responsible for an
economic turnaround that has
brought new jobs and renewed
vigor to the area.
The Bums area lost 1,100 jobs
and
suffered
devastating
economic consequences when
the large Hines lumber mill
closed •
In light of the recent Kinzua
mill closure and the loss of 137
jobs ,the Heppner Chamber was
seeking advice and information
as to how the cities dealt with
the closure, and what was done
to attract new businesses.
Following the closure the
cities of Bums and Hines
brought in a motor home
manufacturing plant with 350
new jobs, a wood lamination
factory with 250 jobs, a youth
prison with 50 jobs and a state
lottery computer center with
three to four jobs. But it didn't
happen overnight, and not
without hard work and "some
luck,” officials told the Heppner
Chamber.
"We sat around for eight years
wishing for the old days to
come back." said former 24-
year county judge Dale White,
who was there through the
good times and bad.
During a two-and-one-half-
hour meeting with the Heppner
Chamber at the Harney County
courthouse. White related how
people in Bums were waiting
for something to happen, and
for someone to help them.
"There is no one coming in on a
white horse, you have to do it
on your own," he advised about
economic development.
To emphasize how low the
Bums/Hines area had sunk
after the mill closure, White
gave some facts: Before the mill
closure Harney county had the
fourth highest per capita income
in the state of Oregon; after the
closure it sank to number 33. (It
is now much higher, but not at
the level of the 1980s). Before
the mill closure the county
unemployment
rate
was
between seven and eight
percent; after the closure, 33-34
percent. The county population
dropped from 8,300 to 6,900. It
is now back up to 7,600. White
said drug and alcohol abuse,
sexual abuse and domestic
violence all increased, and
downtown Bums had 20 vacant
store fronts.
White said local people
finally realized that if anything,
good was going to happen, it
would have to come from them.
A local organization called
PRIDE was formed. A meeting
was held and 50 to 60 people
attended, set priorities on what
the city wanted to do, developed
a time line and then went to
work.
"You have to let people
around the state know you are
open for business," White said.
He pointed out that during
recruitment of new businesses a
group representing different
aspects of the community could
be assembled in 15 minutes to
"sell the virtues" of the Bums
area. He said they also helped
interested businesses cut red
tape such as building permits,
and give them information
about the local area they
couldn't get anywhere else.
"And don’t be afraid to cry a
little bit. Let people know you
are hurting, especially in
Salem," he said.
Eventually the work paid off
and a motor home company
purchased the old Hines mill
planer building, and installed an
assembly line. The plant
manufactures quality $150,000
motor homes.
A youth prison was also built
in Bums and caused a
community split similar to the
boot camp proposed earlier for
Heppner.
White, who faced a recall but
was retained over the issue, said
business people were afraid to
speak out in favor of the prison
for fear of boycotts.
There was a ranching/town
split on the issue, and the
people against the prison were
vocal and active, he said.
White said a phone survey of
400- 500 people showed 70
percent were in favor of
locating the prison in Bums.
Finally the business people in
town stepped up and the prison
was built, bringing in about 50
state jobs, some of the highest
paying in town. "The facility
has been there two years and
you don't even know it's there,"
White said. "People stepped up.
sometimes at personal peril."
The other business attracted to
Bums recently is the Lottery
back up data center, where all
the information from the state's
lottery computers are achieved.
White said when they first
applied
for the
facility
"everybody thought it was a
joke." He said with the help of
representative Eugene Timms
the facility was built there.
"Keep an open mind,” White
urged. "Success can come from
unexpected places."
Money was also involved in
the turnaround, with loans
coming from the state economic
development department, and
Harney county even setting
aside $75,000 per year for
economic development. An
enterprise zone
also was
established, giving tax breaks
to businesses locating in the
area.
"Some people didn't want
growth," White said. "They
wonder now if we have too
much, but we still need 700
people to get back to where we
were before."
"It isn't easy, and there are a
lot of obstacles, but you can't
give up. You have to keep
trying," White said.
The people who attended the
Bums meeting from the
Chamber of Commerce were:
Cliff Green, Claudia Hughes,
David Sykes. Tom Sly, Jerry
Breazeale and Dan Brosnan.
Gerald
Bergstrom
was
volunteer bus driver for the trip.
Workers make molding parts for motor home assembly plant built in Burns as part of economic
development efforts there.
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