Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 22, 2002)
Economic development group looks at South Morrow Industrial Park improvements B e s s ie á e t z e l l U o f J I«6*3p3 .*r L i b r a r y Eu g en e , UR 9 7 4 J 3 r A committee to study the use o f a $100,000 grant for im provem ents to the South Morrow' Industrial Park was appointed last week by the Willow Creek Valley Econom ic D evelopm ent Group. The committee hopes to meet soon and come up with recommendations on how to spend the money to make the park m o r e attractive to p ro s p e c tiv e businesses to locate there. S J In a A n call with Port WCVEDG Pres. o f M orrow George Koffler General Manager Gary Neil, WCVEG president G eorge K offler suggested the econom ic development group look at ways to spend the money to improve the attractiveness o f the form er Kinzua Mill site at the edge of town. The Port of Morrow owns the site and Neil told the group he was in favor of coming up with a plan for improvements. One of the suggestions was to build smaller size shop or manufacturing areas perhaps within the former sawmill building. An earlier marketing effort that targeted small m anufacturering businesses turned up the need for 5,000 to 20,000 square foot facilities. Currently most of the structures at the industrial park are large in the 47,000 to 85,000 sq.ft, range, for which there seems to be little demand. The $100,000 grant was earmarked for providing smaller shop or manufacturing facilities at the industrial park, which could then be better m arketed to prospective businesses. The grant came last year from the Morrow Baker Partnership, but has not yet been used. Members of the WCVEDG committee are Port of Morrow board m ember Jerry Healy, Heppner City Manager Jerry B reazeale, WCVEDG Vice President Tom Wolff and Luella Taylor of Lexington A lso discussed at last Wednesday’s meeting was the possibility of tearing down the former plywood facility building and also spending money to upgrade the entrance to the industrial park. Upgrading the entrance was recently suggested by Chapin consulting firm, which has been hired with another Morrow-Baker Partnership grant to develop a marketing plan to m arket M orrow and Baker counties. In other business at last Wednesday’s meeting the group discussed coming up with a plan to investigate the possible purchasing o f a business and moving it to the industrial park. A com m ittee had earlier been formed to investigate a business purchase. That com m ittee consists of Tom Wolff, Sharon Lewis, Erik Wenberg, David Sykes, G eorge K offler and M orrow County Econom ic Development manager Martin Davis. Tom W olff had earlier presented an economic outline for the purchase of a business. Now the committee will study what type of business would best fit into this area, how to structure the management, financing options and how to locate prospective businesses. At an earlier meeting this year the economic development group elected officers for the year 2002 G eorge K offler was elected president, Tom W olff vice president and Doris Brosnan secretary. The group also heard from Marsha Kemp who recently initiated a new membership drive for WCVEDG bringing the total membership up to 40. Kemp said that anyone who wished to join should contact her at 676-9187. Dues are $25 per year. County ATV Park moves closer to reality V O L. 121 NO. 21 16 P a g e s W ednesday, M a y 2 2 ,2 0 0 2 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon District teacher-contract negotiations at a standstill The M orrow County School Board, at its May 6 regular meeting, learned that contract negotiations between the district and the teaching staff were at a standstill. According to MCSD. because o f increases in the d istric t's PERS (retirem ent) contributions, the district will not be able to “make the gains on the salary schedule that it had hoped to.” Also at the meeting, the board voted five to two to eliminate board zones and instead elect all board members at large. The district had earlier sought a population-based map for zoning purposes from Portland State University. Board members Larry M ills, John Rietm ann, John Renfro, Burke O'Brien and Julie W eikel voted in favor o f elim inating the zones; board m em bers Pat McNamee and Gary Frederickson voted against the proposal. In other business, the board: -learned from assistant superintendent Mike Keown that the 2001 dropout rate was the lowest ever recorded for the district with 18 dropouts and a 2.77 dropout percentage rate. In 2000, the district had 27 dropouts for a 3.91 percent dropout rate. In 1999 the district had 38 dropouts for a 5.76 dropout rate. In 1998, the district had a record-high 65 dropouts for 10.43 percent. The district credits the Union-Baker ESD A lternative Education program for the improvement, -learned from construction bond project manager Nan Hall that the Heppner City Council approved a request to vacate the county road and to provide easement along Baltimore Street. She said that bids for construction in Heppner are scheduled to be opened at the district office on May 22 at 8 p.m. A walk-through was scheduled in lone for May 15 with bids opening on May 30 at the district office. -received a report from Superintendent Bruce Anderson concerning possible staff reductions, including a recommendation from Heppner Elementary School Principal Phyllis Danielson that a teaching position at HES not be refilled. Cherry Webber, HES first-grade teacher, has announced that she is retiring. That position would not be refilled unless enrollment increases. It was also recommended that the business ed position at Heppner High School not be filled, following the retirement of business ed teacher Walt Pilgrim. HHS Principal Dick Allen said that the business ed classes have had low enrollment and some o f the business ed instruction, such as keyboarding, could be absorbed into other classes. HHS may be able to offer accounting via computers or V-tel (an interactive program via television), he said. In other staffing changes, language arts teacher Lea Mathieu received approval for a voluntary transfer from a full-time position at HHS to a half-time position at Riverside High School, which leaves a language arts position at HHS open. Also vacant are a seventh and eighth-grade math position, which will come open upon the retirem ent of Karen Beck, and an advanced math position, which came open upon the resignation of current math teacher Luke Casady. Other staff changes include a recommendation that one full-time position be reduced at lone and a remedial math position be reduced at Columbia Middle School. A language arts/Spanish position is still vacant at CMS. All positions are filled at A.C. Houghton and Sam Boardm an Elem entary schools. All positions are filled at RHS with a half-time temporary science position and a half-time language arts position to be RIF'd (reduction in force). -received a report from Anderson concerning problems surrounding the relocation of the Boardman Head Start facility from its location near Sam Boardman Elem entary to a site near Riverside High School. -accepted as a second reading and adopted Certificate of Initial M astery requirem ents for a second language. The district will now require that students receiving the CIM be able to speak and write at a proficiency level of two years o f Spanish language study. Students w ho feel that they could meet the standards without enrolling in classes may take assessments from a district- licensed Spanish language instructor. Students who feel they can meet the standards in another language must find a licensed teacher, approved by the school district, who would score their work samples. -accepted as a first reading the following extra duty contracts (south M orrow County only listed): H eppner High School-John Flaherty, annual advisor; Linda Dutcher, Talented and Gifted program coordinator; Dave Fowler, computer trainer; Wendy Appleton, half-time choir and half-time pep band: Les Payne, head teacher, assistant football coach; Val Campbell, DART; Virginia Grant, rally advisor; Dale Conklin, athletic director, head track coach; Greg Grant, head football coach, head golf coach; Jason Hanna, assistant football coach; Terri G entry, head volleyball coach; Becky Kindle, assistan t volleyball coach; Melissa Metz, assistant volleyball coach; Chuck Matteson, head b oys' basketball coach; Jay Papineau, assistan t b o y s’ basketball coach; Ken Eckman, assistant boys’ basketball coach; Dana Reid, head girls' basketball coach; Ron Brisbois, assistant girls’ basketball coach; Molly Rhea, assistant girls’ basketball coach, depending on a sufficient number of players; Rick Johnston, head baseball coaeh; Rick Paullus, assistant baseball coach; Steve Brownfield, assistant track coach; Lindsay Harle, head softball coach. Heppner Junior High School- Chuck Matteson, head football coach; Rick Paullus, assistant football coach; Dana Reid, head volleyball coach; Cindy Doherty, assistant volleyball coach; Jason Hanna, head boys' basketball coach; Tim Van Cleave, assistant boys' basketball coach, assistant girls’ basketball coach; Greg Grant, head g irls' basketball coach; Susan Hisler, head track coach. Heppner Elementary School- Jannie Allen. Talented and Gifted program coordinator; Karen Sm ith-G riffith, DART; Cara Osmin, computer trainer; Wendy Appleton, halftime band and half time music. lone High School-Knsty Crowell, annual advisor; D arlene M arquardt, half-tim e music; Dean Robinson, athletic director; Dale Holland, head football coach; Dennis Stefani. assistant football coach, head boys' basketball coach; Charity McElligott, head volleyball coach; Cathy McCabe, assistant volleyball coach, head tennis coach; Scott Burright, continued page two ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M. Visitors look over proposed ATV park site at the Kinzua Re-load site. A planned All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) campground and trail system in Morrow County is moving closer to becoming a reality after a visit by state officials to the area this past weekend. A group of 35 officials responsible for allocating money for purchase of the park toured the proposed site located at the old Kinzua Reload 33 miles from Heppner on Hwy. 207. The ATV Park, which C a m p in g has been in the planning stages a re a for some time, “is real close to becoming a reality”, Morrow County Public Works Director Burke O'Brien told the Heppner Chamber of Commerce. O'Brien, along with Executive Assistant Karen Wolff, has been working quite some time to produce an a c c e p ta b le ATV park for the county. An earlier effort Public Works Dir. to establish Burke O'Brien trails near Anson W right Park was discarded because of surrounding area, fishing pond, heliport and access to US Forest Service land property owner's objections. with many more miles of trails. “We think we have the There is also electricity and an problems mostly solved,” O'Brien 800-ft. well available on the told the Chamber. The new site reload site. at the form er Kinzua reload The park is to be avoids most of the problems with purchased by the State of Oregon adjacent landow ners and, “probably worked out better”, using ATV fuel taxes, and then turned over to Morrow County for O'Brien said. operation. “There is money in the The new plan calls for grant for law enforcem ent, the purchase of about 2,000 acres emergency services and other o f property from Pioneer impacts to the county,” O'Brien Resources (the former Kinzua said. He said once purchased and owners) and turning it into a park developed, the park will pay for that could have 120 tent and RV itself with fees collected. “We cam psites, three different think there will also be more motocross and ATV tracks, and up to 150 miles of trails. The park dollars available for maintenance would also feature a wash down down the road." he added. Proposed ATV park at Kinzua re-load site N ew s d e a d lin e changed this w eek The Heppner Gazette- Times office will be closed on Monday, May 27, to observe Memorial Day. The deadline for news and ads w ill be changed from th e n o rm al M o n d ay deadline to Friday. May 24 at 5 p.m. for all news and ads. The normal deadline will resume next week. Frozen french fry give away Thursday There will be a frozen french fry and hash brown give away Thursday. May 23, at 1 p.m. in the neighborhood center parking lot. Anyone is welcome and donations are accepted. $4” per gallon Bulk $3*s per gallon All Season Engine Coolant and Antifreeze (5 gallon m inim um -bring yo u r own ju g ) Triton antifreeze is non-evaporating, water soluable and offers exceptional foam resistance, which promotes efficient circulation and heat transfer M orrow County Grain Growers Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 » llffil t^WptffllfL trip! Wtt It tmme. . Wt !
