FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, June 26, 2002
County Court news
By Doris Brosnan
At the June 19 session of Mor
row County Court, Community
Health Nurse Sheree Smith and
Accounting Supervisor Tawny
Miles appeared with information
on the status of the Health De
partment for the next fiscal year.
Smith explained each of the ser
vices required under the adminis
trative rules and reported that the
department has submitted its an
nual plan. The state also required
information on how the depart
ment would provide service dur
ing the five-week closure.
Smith reported that the revamp
ing of the budget and staffing in
the department would be done
partly by cutting nursing time and
increasing lay health promoter
time in the Healthy Start program.
Miles went over the changes in
projected revenues for the depart
ment, which included some reduc
tions. Smith reported having dis
cussed the changes with staff,
which voiced support of the steps
taken.
Smith said that she had talked to
the Director of Behavioral Health
about helping with administration
during the first year. She and the
court discussed cooperation with
the Em ergency M anagem ent
D epartm ent in addressing
bioterrorism. The commissioners
unanimously voiced appreciation
to Smith for her demonstration of
leadership.
The representative of the Finley
Buttes Landfill, Dean Large,
spoke to the court, the Planning
Director, the Assistant Public
Works Director, and the Asses-
sor/Tax Collector about a new
special waste contract. Large had
previously spoken to the Solid
Waste Advisory Committee about
an opportunity for their company
that would mean increased rev
enue to the county. That commit
tee approved the agreement.
Terms in this proposed contract
would be significantly lower than
average, resulting from pricing
pressure and a soft market over
the last two years, and Large
asked that the county reduce its
fee for this special waste only.
Large described the classifica
tions of waste and the DEQ re
quirements for soil cover. He ex
plained the bid he had made on
the material, asking that the county
support it, as it will promote busi
ness in this area and generate
considerable additional revenue to
the county because of the signifi
cant tonnage: 60,000 to 70,000 tons
yearly. After a lengthy discussion
that included truck traffic issues,
the court agreed to approve the
special rate for the one contract
for its duration of five years and
asked County Counsel Bill Hanlon
to draft an agreement.
District Attorney David Allen
brought to the court the four-year
agreement with the State Depart
ment of Human Services for child
support enforcement services. He
explained that the contract had
taken more than a year to formu
late and that the new formula for
distribution of incentive money is
based on research showing that
the district attorney offices do
more than 50% of the work in
collection of child support. He of
fered statistics for the Morrow
County DA’s office that show a
cost effectiveness of 12 to 1. The
court approved the contract.
Enterprise Zone Manager Greg
Sweek informed the court that the
county would no longer be a par
ticipant in the “global agreement”
among the state, the Port of Mor
row, and Pacific Chemical Cor
poration. He also noted that be
cause of the corporation’s name
change, the county’s enterprise
zone agreement with what once
was called Stanford Chemical
Corporation should to be cancelled
or written to reflect the name
change. Sweek suggested a time
limit of five years for development
or cancellation of the agreement.
The court agreed that the agree
ment should remain as negotiated
in good faith and that Counsel
Hanlon should draw up a transfer
to the new company name.
Sweek noted that Tillamook would
be contributing to the school bond
this year and that he directed to
the court an inquiry about an en
terprise-zone exemption for a pro
posed ethanol plant.
Sweek and Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife Biologist Bob
Krein spoke to the court about the
wildlife habitat conservation pro
gram. Specifically, they addressed
the state requirement that a land-
owner file an application plan with
ODFW and with the County Plan
ning Office. Krein reported suc
cess with the system in Wheeler
County. The purpose of the plan,
the requirements and regulations
of the plan, the potential abuse of
the plan, and the land in Morrow
County that would qualify for the
plan were topics of discussion.
Sweek noted that if the court takes
no action on participation in the
plan, it would automatically be al
lowed at year’s end. The court
can adopt a resolution to allow or
disallow it. The court opted to
advertise an August 7 public hear
ing for discussion of the option.
Director of the Resource Conser
vation and Development organi
zation
(RC&D)
Karl
N eiderw erfer reported to the
court that the group is in the midst
of getting information from public
bodies to identify concerns. From
that information, RC&D will de
velop a long-term planning docu
ment. He asked that the court
complete the survey, which ad
dresses economic, federal and
state, natural resources, and so
cial concerns.
County Counsel Hanlon voiced
concern to the court about the
county funding at its expense en
forcement activities for the Or
egon Indoor Clean Air Act, as
proposed in an agreement from
the prevention officer. The court
agreed that the county does not
choose to conduct enforcement
activities. They also briefly dis
cussed with Hanlon the north-end
dairies.
Assistant Public Works Director
Bob Naims reported that the crew
had finished the year’s chip seal
ing with McNab and Airport
Roads. They have swept loose
rock from roads and were clean
ing at the stockpile sites. Five
dump trucks were in use at the
ODOT chip seal project from
Heppner to Ruggs, and the grad
ers, after the rainfall, had worked
on Morter Lane, Cutsforth Park,
Buttermilk Canyon, and County
Line Road. Fire suppression ve
hicles, Naims reported, have been
stationed at the county parks, and
tools and equipment for the YCC
crews are at Cutsforth. Approxi
mately two more weeks of crush
ing at Skinner Creek is expected.
Naims submitted the one bid re
ceived for janitorial services at six
county buildings, which Judge
Terry Tallman then opened and
read. The court then sent the bid
to Public Works for comparison
to bid specifications and for a rec
ommendation.
Commissioner John Wenholz re
ported to Naims and the court
some potholes on Kunze Road
and noted that high truck traffic
dictates doing something to avert
ruination. Naims reported that the
department would be doing some
patching there, at Ella Road, and
Bunker Hill. Commissioner Dan
Brosnan also noted the need on
Sandhollow Road.
Other actions of the court included
the following:
- acknowledgement and apprecia
tion of the Willow Creek Valley
Service Club donation of a refrig
erator to the fairground pavilion
kitchen;
- acknowledgement of a citizen’s
video of drivers failing to stop at
the sign at the exit of the USFS
parking lot;
- approval of permits to Umatilla
Electric to install a line under Co
lumbia and along Olson Road,
overhead lines across Columbia,
and overhead line along Rippee
Road;
- explanation to a citizen who in
quired of the county’s contract
with the City of Heppner for law
enforcement services;
- approval o f an ODOT grant
agreement - to be used for pur
chase of a special transportation
bus - to extend the time for one
year;
- approval of the order authoriz
ing the County Treasurer to invest
funds;
- approval of a monthly payment
for radio cable to provide sound
cover for privacy purposes at the
Public Health Department in
Boardman;
- approval of the purchase of a
mobile police radio;
- approval of the purchase of a
laptop computer for the Planning
Department;
- approval of the annual coverage
agreement for health insurance;
- approval of an inter-fund loan
from the General Fund to the
CSEPP Fund to be repaid by the
2002-2003 fiscal year;
- approval of continuation of re
serve funds;
- approval of nine fund transfers.
At the County Court session on
June 12, Sheriff Verlin Denton
presented to the court the agree
ment for law enforcement ser
vices with the City of Heppner,
approved by the city council.
Denton answered several ques
tions from the commissioners,
who then approved the one-year,
automatically renewable contract
Accounting Supervisor
Tawny Miles updated a previous
report on the status of the Health
Department, and the commis
sioners discussed the need for a
comprehensive examination of the
department, including services
requirements and the recently
added federal requirement for a
response plan against bioterrorism.
Planning Director Tamra
Mabbott reported to the court that
final findings on the speedway are
near completion.
Commission on Children
and Families Director Barbara
Hayes addressed several issues
with the court, including the
amendment to the agreement with
the Oregon Youth Authority for
the Oregon Juvenile Crime Pre
vention program. The court ap
proved the amendment, which re
sulted from a reduction in funding
from the state. She noted the need
for a replacement computer for
the office, and the court approved
the purchase of the machine pres
ently for sale at a reduced price.
Hayes also explained an agree
ment with the Department o f
Human Services for “Safety Net”
services, a collaborative program
among the Juvenile Department,
Behavioral Health, Human Ser
vices, and the Commission. The
court approved the agreement.
The court also heard Hayes’s re
port on the program for childcare
for teen moms who are attending
high school. She noted that this
program involves the State Em
ployment Department, Child Care
Division. The court approved the
contract for that service.
Public Works Director
Burke O ’Brien reported on the
June 9 wind damage at the air
port. The roof and part of the back
wall had blown off the T-hangar,
which is insured, and the roof sup
ports had been pulled from the
ground. Debris was scattered 100
feet, but only one plane suffered
damage. Thunderstorm damage
on June 9 included road washes
and downed trees. The Smith
Road west of lone was washed
out, and five trees blew down in
the northern part of the county.
O ’Brien also reported
that the crew had finished chip
sealing on Tower, Pole Line,
Homestead, and Patterson Ferry
Roads and on a section o f Eighth
Street. McNab was next on the
list.
O ’Brien announced
names of students selected for the
OYCC summer work: Kelsey
Greenup, Brad Bowman, Justin
Botefur, Aleishia Geer and Tylynn
Smith. He also publicly thanked
Dodge Logging for the use of their
rock screen.
O ’Brien ended his report
with information on some equip
ment replacements available at
the City of Portland’s auction in
July. He said that the new
Heppner Public Works Director,
who used to work for Portland,
alerted him to the excellent buys.
The court approved the purchase
of a mechanic’s used truck and
two utility trucks.
Other actions of the court
include the following:
- agreement to send a memo to
county employees clarifying that
frequent flyer miles acquired while
on county business may not be
used for personal use;
- choice of a date for a meeting
with the Navy to further discuss
the bombing range easement;
- approval of a property tax re
fund to a landowner;
- approval of several budget reso
lutions addressing additional bud
get resources and some transfers
of appropriations;
- reappointment of Gail Hughes
and Carolyn Holt to the Commis
sion on Children and Families;
- approval of allocations for pro
grams identified by the Commis
sion on Children and Families,
based on availability of funds from
the State;
- approval of language changes
for clarity in the pension plan;
- approval of a contract renewal
with SCM for technical assistance
with the chemical depot project;
- approval of a corrected contract
with Unicom for telephone ser
vice;
- approval of renewed contracts
with Tim Holt, psychiatric nurse
practitioner, and Kathleen Myers,
psychiatrist, for services to Be
havioral Health.
Teaching charac
ter traits at VBS
Kids will be building positive char
acter traits at the Valby Lutheran
Church Vacation Bible School.
The students will be discovering
character
traits
through
storytelling, questioning, Bible
study, arts and crafts, songs, and
other learning activities. The traits
to be studied this year include kind
ness, respect, stewardship, thank
fulness and trust. This year’s VBS
will also include some instruction
in Reader’s Theater. The children
will be participating in small
groups to perform their Reader’s
Theater productions for the Valby
congregation and parents on Sun
day, July 14. The VBS will meet
Monday through Friday from 9
a.m.?12 p.m. starting July 8 and
ending July 12. Children of all
ages are welcome to attend; teen
agers and adults are also welcome
to attend.
For questions or for registration
inform ation, contact Sarah
Carlson, 42277245.
Deadline set for
this round of EQIP
funding
O regon
agricultural
producers who w ant to be
considered for the current round
of cost-share funding through the
Environmental Quality Incentives
Program (EQIP) need to apply by
Monday, July 8, the Natural
Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) announced Monday.
“EQIP has a continuous sign
up period for producers interested
in the program, but a ranking cut
off date of July 8,2002 has been
established to ensure the
obligation of funds by October 1,
2002,” said Soil Conservationist
Connie
H olm quist. “ All
applications, including new
applicants and those applicants
not form ally enrolled in an
obligated contract, will be re
ranked for funding consideration,”
she said.
H olm quist
said that
applications received after this
date will be retained for a future
ranking cutoff. Future cutoffs will
be established as funding is
available.
For additional information and
to sign up for EQIP, call the
USDA Service Center at 676-
9011.
Alumni golf will
benefit Heppner
youth
The seventh annual Heppner
High School Alumni Golf Tourna
ment will be held Saturday and
Sunday, July 6-7 at Willow Creek
Country Club. This year the com
mittee has opened the tournament
to non.’alumni. Anyone who is 18
and out of high school is welcome
to participate.
Cost of the tournament is $40 per
person, which includes 18 holes
of golf on Saturday and Sunday,
and a steak dinner following play
on Saturday. Participants can put
together their own five.’person
team or will be placed on a team
by the committee. Play will be a
scramble format so that even those
with little or no golfing experience
can enjoy the fun.
Tournament proceeds help a va
riety of Heppner youth activities.
The winning team members will
have their names and a photo
placed on the tournament plaque,
which is displayed in a trophy case
at the high school.
Entry forms are available at Wil
low Creek Country Club, or for
an entry or more information, con
tact David and Patti Allstott,
67675216, or John and Sonja
McCabe, 67675231.
Country Club la
dies playdays/
invitationals
The Willow Creek Country
Club ladies have held several
invitationals and playdays re
cently. Results are as follows:
On June 4, the W’illow Creek la
dies hosted an 18-hole invitational
play day for teams from Kinzua-
Condon, Pendleton, Umatilla and
Willow' Run. Forty ladies attended,
with a salad luncheon following
golf play.
During Thursday evening play on
June 6, the low gross of the field
was tied betw een Luvilla
Sonstegard, Cindi Doherty and
Lindsay Ward. Low net of the
field was Mary Kincaid. Least
putts of the field was tied between
Linda Schultz, Loa Henderson and
Jackie Allstott. Long putt was
Elaine Miller. KP was Luvilla
Sonstegard.
On June 18, the Willow Creek la
dies hosted a nine-hole invitational
for the 15 golf clubs from the T-
Bird Association. Nine clubs were
in attendance, with 57 ladies play
ing golf. Following the day of golf,
the ladies were served a salad lun
cheon by the kitchen crew of Judy
Buschke, Joyce Ward and Betty
Brown. Howard Bryant, Gene
Orwick, Gene Sonstegard, Jim
Wishart and Earl Fishbum once
again helped with assignment of
golf carts and monitoring balls lost
in the creek, etc., for the guests.
During Thursday evening play on
June 20, the first low gross was
Cindi Doherty; second low gross
was Pat Edmundson. First low net
was Elaine Miller; second low net
was Loa Henderson and Lindsey
Ward. First low putts was Missy
Cutsforth and Loa Henderson;
second low putts was Della
Heideman.
“Going buggy” at the library
Chamber Chatter
by Claudia Hughes
Chamber Executive Director
What happened to the lazy,
hazy, crazy days of summer of our
childhood.’ Remember when you
could wile away time with a friend
in a field o f bachelor buttons
watching cloud formations7 Now
somehow we think everyone has
to be busy. Teach your kids to
look for cloud formations. The
benefit is, you will have to find
them too!
Eastern O regon V isitor
Association met in John Day last
Thursday. This organization,
composed o f representatives
from eight counties, works
diligently to bring visitors to the
eastern part o f the state. They
focus on the Visitor Guide, leam
what the member counties have
to offer, share new visitor
am enities, work on budgets,
promote the scenic byways, and
in the future, hot-off-the press
sub-region packages.
Morrow and Umatilla County
Chambers are brainstorming a
“Bootloop Tour” with a couple of
destinations in both counties
including the opportunity to have
not ju st a vacation, but an
experience. Ideas are welcome in
the Chamber office. Come visit
about what you envision as a great
Morrow County tour. Help us put
it together. Will it be about history,
eco-tourism ,
sportsm an
activities? What are some new
opportunities creating both jobs
and visitor amenities? It’s an
exciting opportunity to work with
Boardm an and Pendleton...
“ From The River To The
Mountains.”
Izzy Orem of The Ponderosa
Ranch in Harney County gave an
enthusiastic
m arketing
presentation
encouraging
communities to aim higher. We
can all get beyond the thought
that, “even Santa Claus doesn't
know where I am”, with some
creative planning. It’s a great
reward to give people something
to enjoy while offering a learning
experience and enhancing the
economy of our community. It is
even fun.
In the meantime, when you
see people looking lost on Main
Street, reach out, shake a hand
and offer information. If you don’t
know the answer, find someone
who does. Remember that list of
100 things to do in Heppner in our
Wee Bit O ’ Ireland brochure?
Those things are right under our
noses. Look for those clouds.
Next week all entities share.
Heppner happenings during the
monthly business meeting at
John’s Other Place, Tuesday, July
2, at noon.
Thought for the week: “We
have not passed that subtle line
between childhood and adulthood
until we have stopped saying “It
got lost, “ and say “I lost it.” —
S.J. Harris
Correction
Last week’s edition of the
Gazette-Times contained an error
in the column, A Look Into Our
Past. The man pictured with his
son was Harold Cohn.
Christian Smith, Deidre, Rachael, and Allie Allen and Paige Grieh choose tissue paper for the “wings”.
By Sarah Coller
There is a large bug
residing at the Heppner library.
She was hatched at Heppner High
School during art class and is now
on display for the participants in
this y e a r’s sum m er reading
program to hang their nametags
on.
The sum m er reading
program. “Don’t Bug Me, I’m
Reading”, is well under way; and
area students are learning a lot,
not only about books, but also
about bugs. Last Wednesday,
Joyce Shepherd from Hayden
Family Dentistry educated the
kids on “gummy bugs”, the little
bugs that live in your teeth if you
don’t brush them often enough.
The children made
butterflies out of clothes pins,
tissue paper, pipe cleaners and
glitter. All area children are
invited to come share in a time of
reading, crafts and learning about
creepy crawlies. The program
beeins at 11:15 on Wednesdays