TWO • Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 2, 2002
Letters to the Editor
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Septem ber 11 from page one
they're not going to let anything
happen. You can't let it bother
you or you'd just stay in your
room and feel insecure. No place
is com pletely safe."
W hile not downplaying
the tragedy. Van Liew says that
being there at the time o f the
attack
provided
him
"the
opportunity o f a lifetim e."
Van Liew says that his
m other was concerned, but not
overly so. "She thinks it's (going
to school in New York) an
opportunity. She doesn't seem to
be too worried about it."
Van Liew left Friday to
return to school where he is a
sophom ore
in
the
civil
engineering program. A 2000
graduate o f Heppner High
School, he is the son o f Sandra
and Dan Van Liew o f Heppner.
The smoke from the devastation clouds M anhattan.
Film on Harry Potter planned
St. in Heppner.
Ihe Heppner Chnstian Life Center
The video will exam ine the
church invites the public to a question, "Is the witchcraft contained
showing o f the video, "Harry Potter, m the Harry Potter books simply
V\ itchcratt Repackaged," on Sunday, innocent reading?"
Jan. 6. at 6 p.m. at 535 W. Morgan
Everyone is welcome to attend.
98tk Aiww&usany :
C leanauce Sale
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A e r o s o le s • M o o t s ie T o o tsie - S a lt W a t e rs - fe rze e s - Fruit o f the L o o m - Jefferies
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(Hollomon's 26 th year anniversary)
R E D W ING W O R K B O O T S ----------------
1 Men's 8” lace-style »404 & M407
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S W E A T P A N T S & S W E A T S H I R T S --- 30 % O ff
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M ED IU M -W EIG H T F L A N N E L F A B R IC - 30 % O ff I
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ftioHij olket uHodvetiued dale U cma
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and ou t S ALE R A C K S la check oul!
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HIGH BOOSTER CLUB ITEM£I
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| Clearance Sale: January 2nd through January 12th |
.se » SHOE BOX
TALK - N - TOPS • FABRIC’S ETC.
143 N. Main Street • Heppner • 676-5241
M ountain M ist Rhino Second W ind
Lee W estern Chief - Coets ft Ctarti - O tto
To the Editor:
I have to be fair and say I agree
with the letter in the Dec. 19 Gazette-
Times by Pete McElligott. Pete sure
told it like it is. It was an informative
letter, very good. The last paragraph
was a little sharp. Having the ATV
thing inside o f Heppner is still
ridiculous.
Why can't the state license ATVs
to use public roads except for
freeways and state highways? The
ATVs don't need to race on any road.
I'hey should operate at a safe speed,
although it’s been proven speed is
not the cause o f accidents.
C arelessness is the cause o f
accidents. If you are careless, you
had better slow down. If the ATVs
w ant to race, let them go to a race
track.
Ih e U S. Forest Service is
supposed to m anage forest lands
owned by the public. I see a lot o f
green gates. Forest Service padlocks,
berms pushed up by bulldozers and
many signs prohibiting further
access. These things are a little
difficult for me to put up with, after
driving all over it most o f my life.
There are a lot o f special places I
plan to see again someday. It makes
me wonder how m any more
restrictions the public will put up
with. The people have power to
change things, they only need
leadership. M aybe they should
organize and let their em ployees
know who is in charge.
It seems as though county road
closures are getting som ewhat
contagious. In fact, it’s more like
epidem ic. How do you go about
closing a county road that has been
open and used by the public since
year one ? I should hope you should
have to take it to a vote o f all
registered voters in the county. This
should include all roads everywhere
that have been open for the last 30
years, regardless ofbeing maintained
by the county or not. Once the public
has used a road for a long time, it’s
just not right to close it. As least it’s
in poor taste.
Seriously, why can't street-legal
ATVs be licensed the sam e as
autom obiles and carry insurance
required by the state? They should
go by traffic laws and by doing so
it would eliminate the log truck or
cattle truck hazard.
How about letting the ATVs buzz
around on all gravel and dirt roads
between Heppner-Spray Highway
and as far east as Ditch Creek. Lots
o f good area and it won't cost 1.2
million. There's strong possibilities
here that by staying on the gravel
and dirt roadways betw een Highway
207 and Ditch Creek it would solve
the traffic, weed and fire problems.
M ake it clear if they get o ff the
roadways onto any private or public
land they are to give up all rights
and will be prosecuted by the state.
Safe drivers would help prevent
accidents.
Food for thought: the Zellers in
lone are wonderful people, so are
Bert and Kim o f Heppner's Red
Apple, Cliff Green's Hardware and
Murray's Drug. I wish we could get
something together to help everyone.
How would you like to drive to
Hermiston for a dozen eggs? I think
we should support our good
neighbors. Let's work together and
com e up with a plan.
(s) Mel Piper
Heppner
OWGL to increase educational efforts
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materials.
The age o f the current facility
has created infrastructure (heating,
air conditioning, lighting, plumbing)
challenges for many years.
Since the early 1990s the library
has made computers available for
patrons to use for Internet research
and fore-mail. Between March 14
and April 26 this year 470 computer
log-ins were recorded. People use
the com puters for many varied
purposes. Senior citizens write letters
or use e-m ail. Tem porary
construction workers and visiting
family members, including those
briefly taking care of elderly parents,
use the Internet to stay in contact
w ith family and business m atters
at their homes.
The current city hall also is
extremely crowded. There is not a
room in which to hold small meetings
or conv ersations. The space reserved
for city council m eetings is
inadequate. Storage space is limited.
Do we need a new library/city
hall building? Probably so.
(s) Barbara Hayes
Heppner
Alternative ATV plan
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• Men’s - Women's - Kid's
To the Editor:
Do we need a new' library and
city hall?
The library has been located in
the current facility since the end o f
May, I960. At that time the library
only loaned books. In addition to
books, the library now keeps large
print books as well as audiotapes
and videotapes on shelves for people
to check out. Between 1,000 and
1,200 children’s books, adult books,
m agazines and tapes have been
loaned each month during the past
year. The branch aiso borrows 20
to 40 materials from other libraries
every month.
The library space is so small that
there is no adequate place to sit to
browse through a book or magazine
or to preview a tape. Fifty new books
were recently purchased by a grant.
The one small couch had to go live
elsewhere. There is only a closet
for an office or work space for
processing new m aterials to be
shelved or for repair o f "injured"
The Oregon W heat Growers
League will increase its educational
efforts and also work to increase
membership. Those goals were set
out in action plans approved by the
membership at the OW GL's 75th
annual convention held recently.
One o f the new efforts calls for
"convention scholarships" to be
offered to outstanding college ag
students in Oregon. "These would
pay all their expenses to attend our
convention," said Judy Rea, lone,
a past president o f the OWGL and
current Oregon WTieat Commission
member.
Some of the action plans endorsed
by the OWGT membership include
the following:
- Involve youth organizations such
as 4-H and FFA to promote family
involvement;
-Make a safety check list poster
available for members;
- Secure a seat on the Oregon Ag
lone Council
Plans meeting
The lone City Council will hold
its regular m onthly m eeting on
Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m. at lone
City Hall. Ihe time has been changed
from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Nan Hall from Heery
International will be present to
review the proposed site plan for
the new school building. For more
information, contact lone City Hall
at 422-7414.
Legal Foundation board;
-Research and develop model
conservation com pliance plans;
- Seek an Extension position to
focus on niche markets;
-Closely monitor final rules for
the Pesticide Use Reporting System;
- Seek funding to establish long
term experim ental plots;
-Take part in the advisory
com m ittee on the release o f
Clearfield varieties;
-Support passage o f Trade
Promotion Authority.
County court discusses
disbursem ent o f forest funds
By Doris Brosnan
At the Dec. 26 m eeting o f the
Morrow County Commissioners,
Morrow County Treasurer Gayle
GutieiTez reported the receipt o f the
National Forest ftinds, to be divided
among the road departm ent, the
general fund and the schools.
Commissioner Dan Brosnan noted
that the Oregon State Legislature
had indicated that school funding
would go to the state, to be
distributed under the school-funding
formula, so Gutierrez agreed to find
out why the school portion was
included in the funds to the county.
Administrative assistant Andrea
Denton reported that expenses for
the city o f lone's bike path project
had exceeded the tippage-fee award.
Judge Terry Tallman explained that
lone Mayor Betty Gray had contacted
him to say that the asphalt costs had
exceeded the verbal estimate. After
a lengthy discussion, the court
approved the original tippage-fee
am ount and agreed to invite the
mayor to the next meeting to discuss
the balance.
Morrow County Behavioral Health
director Kelly Sager updated the
court on the department's issues. He
reported that the departm ent still
has a need for an office for the office
manager, as well as two more offices.
The court awaits a report from the
Extension Service about a possible
relocation, which could favorably
affect this need.
Sager reported that the
department's growth continues at
the north end o f the county and
includes two hours o f counseling
service in the schools each week
for Oregon Health Plan students.
Space continues to be an issue at
the north end. Sager said, and he
proposed using some carryover funds
for resurrecting plans to remodel
that office.
Sager reported that W heeler
County is breaking ground on a new
office building in Fossil. A
Com munity Developm ent Block
Grant is funding that project. In
Grant County, Sager said, they have
not yet been able to recruit an
assistant director. He pointed to a
very low salary scale in Grant County
as the problem in recruitment. He
has notified the Grant County
commissioners that failure to recruit
could result in canceling Morrow
County's contract with them when
this one ends in June.
Sager reported that a department
survey has been com pleted and
results are being tabulated. He
reported that Shen Gregory has been
hired as a secretary, to begin on
January 2. He also explained to the
court that a new rule requires that
professionals with master's degrees,
not associates with bachelor's
degrees, do assessm ents. He
requested the court to consider
financial assistance to help
employees to get the professional
degree because his department has
had
problem s
recruiting
professionals.
He also reported on a pilot
program for which Morrow County
was chosen, an innovative treatment
program in which a client's
psychologist,
psychiatrist,
neurologist, physician and school
are involved.
Sager and the court discussed
his desire to allow staff one hour
monthly for performing volunteer
services. C om m issioner Dan
Brosnan, while agreeing that
volunteerism is im portant to
communities, expressed opposition,
noting that tax m oney pays them
to perform specific services to the
public; if they are being paid for their
time, the work is not volunteer; and
union and precedent problems could
ensue. Commissioner John Wenholz
said that he is also opposed. Andrea
Denton
suggested
allowing
em ployees to flex schedules and
participate in volunteerism during
times that do not coincide with their
work schedules. Sager requested
the court to give the issue more
thought.
Planning director Tamra Mabbott *
again appeared to discuss the
proposed Farm Agricultural Building
Agreement. Tallman and Wenholz
said they found the language
confusing, so M abbott suggested
some changes which may ciarify
the issues. The court and Mabbott
discussed the agreement in detail
and the court approved the agreement
in principle, noting that M abbott
will complete checking on related
issues and finalize the wording.
C ounty assessor Greg Sweek
approached the court about adding
an appraisal position to the
department in the next budget. He
explained the costs, some o f which
would be paid by a grant. The court
had several questions for Sweek,
who said that the department is not
able to handle the demands with just
one appraiser, citing the need for
appraisals in the Imgon area as one
example.
Public works director Burke
O'Brien reported the following: the
crew continues blading on
Strawberry, Kemp and Stock Drive
lanes and Valby, M eadowbrook,
Bert Peck, Cemetery Hill, Kinsfather,
Lloyd and Lindsay roads. They are
replacing old asphalt on Homestead
with gravel. They have plowed and
sanded on North Fork and Willow
Creek Road.
O'Brien introduce a petition to
vacate a portion o f Third Street West
in Imgon. He indicated that he would
com plete research and make a
recommendation with the planning
director at the next m eeting.
Tallman and OBnen both reported
having been asked by different
parties if the county could be hired
to grade private roads. The court
discussed the issue in length but did
not make a determ ination.
The court also approved
membership in "Community Oregon"
and approved the behavioral health
carryover report.
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