Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 2000)
Heppner Gazette-Tim es, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, November 8, 2000 - TH R EE Catholic youth attend retreat County discusses squirrel listing L-R Back row: Caitlin Oram, Diana McElligott, Natalie McElligott, Aaron Tworek, Brian Haguewood, Chuy Elguezabal, Richard Campbell, Christian Moiler. Middle row: Salli McElligott, Marcy Miller, Julie Proctor, Taylor McElligott. Front row: Luke Murray, Alyssa Rietmann, Meghan McCabe, Megan Healy, Paula Spicerkuhn, Fr. Gerry Condon. will also attend special classes, read the Gospel o f St. Mark and perform 10 hours o f charitable service. The retreat was conducted by Fr. Gerry Condon, assisted by Kathy Cutsforth-Fullmer. The theme was, "Getting to know The youth o f St. Patrick's and St. Williams gathered on Saturday for a retreat in preparation for their reception o f the Sacrament o f Confirmation, as this is one o f the requirements to receive the sacrament. They Jesus, a human and divine person." Individual groups studied the life o f Jesus as a teacher, miracle worker and prophet. Lunch was served by Kathy Cutsforth-Fullmer. Heppner-Lexington Advisory Committee makes recommendation The Heppner/Lexington Advisory Committee, at a special meeting Nov. 6, approved a final recommendation to the school board concerning an engineer's inspection and report concerning Heppner Elementary School facilities. The special meeting, held at HES, was scheduled due to the lack o f quorum at the regularly scheduled meeting on Nov. 1. The committee discussed the findings in the engineer's report. -Tear down the old junior high and the gymnasium buildings -Gymnasium has some structural problems and does need to come down rather than put money into this building. -Junior high building is found to be sound. Suggests that if the school was to be used again that some major renovation must be done. -Other options discussed for the use o f the junior building: city hall, city library, BMCC as well as other offices. Possibly donate the building to the city o f Heppner. -Strong feelings in the area to keep this building. -Important to keep the old gym while the new one is being built. The space is needed for many school and community activities. This building is widely used. The Advisory Committee approved a recommendation to the board that the gymnasium at the Heppner Elementary School site be replaced with a new structure. This structure would include: a gym, auditorium, cafeteria and music room, placed adjacent to the mam HES building located at the south end. They further recommended that the district pursue the rerouting o f Stansbury Street around the campus; or create a cul-de-sac for bus loading and unloading.. The committee recommended that the following changes be made to their recommendations to the school board: -Remove from the list- "New roof - Heppner Junior High - Old Gym"; and place - "New Structure" as number 4 on the -•i v ». vr: . • »in*;. v •>//! v»no "Priority and Project list." The "Priority and Project" list would include 10 items. The committee also voted to recommended that the district "pursue connecting the whole district (each school) to wide area networking (fiber optics) to in c r e a s e e d u c a t io n a l opportunities for all students and staff." All other business was tabled until the next regular meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 6. ?tf Heppner selected,for marketing project The city o f Heppner has been notified that the city has been selected for the Oregon D ow ntow n D evelopm ent Association Special Identity and Marketing project. This project will be used as a demonstration project to show how a small city facing tough economic times can pull itself up and restore economic vitality. "We are pleased to be selected for this important project which has the enthusiastic support of local businesses, the Heppner Chamber o f Commerce and the City o f Heppner," said Heppner city manager Jerry Breazeale. The purpose o f this project is to have the local community establish an identity for the city that can be embraced by the citizens and business community and which will attract interest from the rest o f the world, said Breazeale. "For the community WE HAVE SOLID COPPER BRACELETS to agree on a marketable identity will be a tall order since there are bound to be many divergent ideas," he said. The Oregon Downtown Development Association will be responsible for facilitating the process and has contracted with the firm o f R/H/A/S for professional expertise to bring the project together. "Key to the success o f the project is the involvement o f the local businesses and community at large," added Breazeale. "We are fortunate that every Main Street business we approached agreed to contribute volunteer time to make this a win for the city o f Heppner and to help show other small cities what they can do to restore economic viability." "Now the work begins. In order to bring this project to a successful completion by the February time line means that we will all need to get involved and do our share," said Breazeale. "It is critical that citizens stay abreast o f developments and attend meetings to express their opinions. We will do our best to do our part in keeping you informed. Together we can bring Heppner back to the thriving community it has always been." Send or R eceive Heppner Gazette Times 676 9211 By Doris Brosnan At the November 1 meeting of Morrow County Court, Judge Terry Tallman reported on a meeting with the Governor's staff regarding the Washington Ground Squirrel listing. Included in the meeting were observations about the impacts an Ione-Boardman road would have had, and Tallman brought up the question o f the state's mitigation or help in taxing the involved property once the related exchange and sale o f bombing-range property is complete. He also addressed the need o f the dairies to access PGE and state roads. The Governor's Office has appointed a liaison on this topic. Commissioner Dan Brosnan asked if the results o f the meeting will affect the county's ability to get an avigation easement from the Navy or if the county would need one if the land were turned over to the Nature Conservancy. Tallman will address this question with the liaison. In answer to a question from Public Works Director Burke O'Brien, Tallman reported that a final location o f a road was only briefly discussed. County Planning Director Tamra Mabbott and Emergency Management Director Casey Beard discussed with the court a variety o f Army Depot issues. Brosnan noted the receipt o f a letter from DEQ in support o f funding for an environmental specialist position and Tallman said that he would call the Army representative to discuss that letter. Mabbott suggested asking, also, about the draft budget she has sent to the Army. All agreed they would prefer that funds be issued directly to the county, rather than having the county use an invoice system. Mabbott also recommended that a specific commissioner be assigned to take over these related tasks to assure follow- through. Tallman mentioned that a dunnage-incinerator meeting occurred without notification to the county. Hearing o f the meeting beforehand, Tallman attended. Now, the representative o f the Umatilla Tribes wants to meet with the commissioners and % Mabbott suggested discussing with that individual the "notice o f deficiency.” She said that some o f the permit monitoring issues would be CSEPP-related and has lately amounted to about one-half to two-thirds o f her weekly time. She added that the permit issues could easily amount to full-time work. The group discussed the environmental specialist position, funding for which the county continues pressing the Army. Qualifications for the position and possible options were noted, and the discussion continued to focus on issues o f dunnage and secondary waste. J Block, and the status o f the coalition of states seeking impact aid. Mabbott observed that the county was not adequately included in the original permit process and Beard added that the whole permit could be brought back into question because o f health and dunnage issues. Mabbott suggested that a technical expert could develop a list o f deficiencies for the court to consider, with attempting to stop the process a possibility. In answer to Brosnan, Beard noted that DEQ could force an inventory o f J Block, and Mabbott offered that the county could file under the Freedom o f Information Act. Brosnan questioned the Army's request for 54 igloos, when the projected waste would not fill that number, and suggested that the county take this concern to the DEQ representative. Beard reported that Senator Ted Femoli has asked if he can assist legislatively in this process. Fem oli has mentioned the possibility o f litigation through the State Attorney General's Office. Mabbott observed that the county might get a legislative counsel opinion. Mabbott reported that her reading o f the rule about state agency coordination leaves her unable to understand why DEQ believes that it is in compliance Brosnan, when asked about taking on the permit- and environmental-issues work, noted the need for one point of contact to avoid confusion and he cautioned that the work would mean he would not be available for additional responsibilities for some months. Mabbott assured her availability to help on land- use issues, Beard on other CSEPP issues, and administrative assistant Andrea Denton on contracting issues. Commissioner John Wenholz agreed to help with the other assignments on which Brosnan has been working. Brosnan also observed that he will need to understand many legal issues, and county counsel's CSEPP funding could provide help with those. Brosnan agreed to take the lead and to report back to the court on November 22. Tallman said that the court will make no decision on joining the coalition now and Wenholz said that the court still needs to set a limit on the expenditures. Brosnan agreed that the court first needs answers to some questions, even if it decides that it wants to join. Tallman noted a thirty-day "opt-out" option and a governing group to watchdog the expenditures. Wenholz added that he is concerned over the number o f participants affecting the cost-per-participant. Public Works Director Burke O'Brien reported that the crew is preparing equipment for snow plowing, repairing Laurel Lane, doing some finishing work on the approach to Rhea Creek and Highway 74. Paving at the Rhea Creek project will follow the placement o f the guardrails, and, O'Brien noted, paving depends upon the weather. The representative o f the state has assured O'Brien o f help in some way with the guardrail. O'Brien told the court o f compliments on the Wilson Lane work and on the work at Rhea Creek. He shared a draft o f the proposed shared-maintenance cost agreement with Umatilla County for the County Line Road. Wenholz asked about inclusion o f another portion o f that road and O'Brien will check its status. He also reported that two employees have completed asbestos training, in compliance with the state's requirements for the transfer station, and another employee will also get training. O'Brien reported on the sale o f some vehicles at auction and reported ongoing problems with another vehicle. He completed his report by inviting the commissioners to view a video he presented o f the new Anson Wright Park sites. Other actions o f the Court included the following: -approval o f a permit to CenturyTel for installation o f a cable along Strawberry Lane; -approval o f the agreement among the local, county, state, and federal entities for the CSEPP Governing Board -approval o f some replacement back-up tapes for the Assessor's office. in observance of Veteran’s Day. Have a safe and happy holiday! .e r v » a »e a m s> m m m i -mie- O ver th e w e e k e n d . On yo u r ow n. O n th e W e b . In c la s s . W ith E a s te r n ! 400+ choices in theatre, physics, business, computer/multi-media, psychology, history, archeology, music, health and more! Learn more at Local Orientations: Oct. 27 Noon Milton-Freewater Nov. 2 Noon Pendleton Nov. 16 Noon Hermiston Phone or e-mail for details. By the City of Heppner For the month o f October High Low Precip. 10/1 77 59 .39 10/2 70 38 .03 10/3 63 35 .00 10/4 62 37 .00 10/5 64 35 .00 10/6 62 32 .00 10/7 63 35 .00 10/8 69 39 .00 10/9 74 44 .00 10/10 64 45 .33 10/11 51 47 .85 10/12 56 47 .01 10/13 62 49 .00 10/14 65 38 .00 10/15 63 35 .00 10/16 61 37 .00 10/17 73 38 .00 10/18 76 49 .02 10/19 66 40 .00 10/20 67 45 T 10/21 66 41 .55 10/22 55 31 .00 10/23 55 30 .01 10/24 57 32 .00 10/25 59 32 .00 10/26 53 36 .00 10/27 54 42 .00 10/28 64 44 .13 10/29 56 37 .01 Fair& Rodeo tryouts planned The Morrow County Fair Board has scheduled the date of Sunday, Dec. 10, for tryouts for the Morrow County Fair and Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo Court. The court is open to all girls who will be 16 but no older than 21 by August 1, 2001. For further information and applications, contact LaRae Kindle at the Fair Office. 676- 9474, or Christina Wall. Creative Care teacher hired Diane R. Stuart has been hired as the new teacher at Creative Care Preschool in lone. Stuart has 10 years' experience working as an elementary school educational assistant, has worked at a children's summer camp and also as a Sunday School teacher. She is married to Mike Stuart, lone Schools' principal. Creative Care has part-time preschool classes for three and four-year-olds. There are still a few openings in each class. For more information, contact board chairperson Lisa Rietmann, 422-7181, or secretary Lea Mathieu. 422-7215. MAKE AUTUMN S EAUTY LAST Give Teleflora’s Country Harvest Bouquet A lovely tall bouquet. A hand- painted terra-cotta cachepot richly embossed with the season’s most glorious leas es. It’s like owning the miracle of autumn all year long. To send this charming gift anywhere in the U.S. or Canada, call or visit our shop. Thanksgiving is Thursday. NovemfvT 23. C o lle g e n o w ? S u re . We will be closed Saturday, November 11 Weather Report OTelefloia EASTERN OREGON U N I V E R S I T Y Division of Distance Education (541)278-5776 Debbie L n , Center Director t matiHi-Morrow Counties e-m ail 2 3 3 Notrrw M ain M c p p n e n 9 7 6 -9 4 2 6 dlW@eQU.CdM Marie Hall. Adviior, Hermiston A Mid-Columbia Region e-m ail Qotutbuf Had* mkhall@eou.edu FAX Send or Receive Gazette Times 676-9211
