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TW O - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 5, 2003 The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow Editor's note: Letters to the Editor must be signed. The Gazette-Times will not publish unsigned letters Please include your address a n d p h o n e num ber on all letters (or use b y the G -T office. The G -T reserves the right to edit. The G -T is not responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters. (Any letters expressing thanks H eppner G A Z E T T E -T I M E S City Council to hold meeting to discuss Heppner water project U.S.P.S. 240-420 Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper Pub lishe d weekly and entered as periodical matter at the Post O ffic e at Heppner, O re g o n under the A c t o f M a r c h 3, 1879 Periodical postage paid at Heppner, O re g o n O ffic e at 147 W W illo w Street, le le p h o n e (541) 6 7 6-9228. F a x (541) 6 7 6 - 9211 E-m ail: gt u heppner net or gtfu rapidserve net. W e b site: w w w .heppner.net. Postm aster send address ch an ges to the H ep p ne r G azette-Tim es, P.O. B o x 337, Heppner, O re go n 9 7 8 3 6 Sub scrip tions. $ 2 4 in M o r r o w C ou n ty; $ 1 8 sen ior rate (in M o rr o w C ou n ty on ly, 6 2 years or older); $ 3 0 elsewhere. D a v id S y k e s .................................................................................. P ub lishe r K atie W a ll .......................................................................................... Ed itor News deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. For Advertising advertising deadline is Monday at 5 p.m Cost for a display ad is $4 75 per column inch Cost for classified ad is 50^ per word Cost for Card of Thanks is $7 up to 100 words. Cost for a classified display ad is $5.35 per column inch For Public/legal Notices: pubiic/legal notices deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Dates for publica tion must be specified Affidavits must be required at the time of submission. Affidavits re quire three weeks to process after last date of publication (a sooner return date must be specified if required) On the HEPPNER WEBSITE: www.heppner.net • Start or C hange a Subscription • Place a C lassified A d • Submit a N ew s Story • View Real Estate for Sale • City Council & Planning Minutes • Local Businesses • County Park • Willow Creek Park Reservations • Free Digital Postcards • Senior Housing • and more! Today’s students tomorrow’s future ______ Letters to the Editor______ are By Courtney Nelson I know that the only thing everyone has heard about the last couple of months is the school budget cuts, but 1 still think it is a topic that needs to be talked about with a bit sharper tongue in print. Yes, all we hear about is lone wanting to secede from the union, oops, 1 mean the Morrow County School District; but 1 do applaud them for their efforts and 1 do believe that they can do it. 1 think from the amount of people that they have in the community coming to their meetings and the willingness to pay for certain things, they can do it. Even if lone doesn’t have a school district for very long it will be one o f those stories either fondly remembered or chuckled about depending on how it works out. Personally, 1 think that the best idea for our area schools would be to have the lone and Heppner schools combine on a neutral campus in Lexington. But I don’t think that the schools could afford to build another school in the next year. Most o f us aren't worried about the schools combining or seceding; we care about the effectiveness o f our schools and what is good for the students. (Or at least that is what we should be thinking about.) I have taken a little survey o f teachers and aides in the Heppner schools and they all agree that they don’t prefer the cuts and o f course no one would; but surprisingly they have been suggesting things to make the recent problems better. When 1 asked the question, “What do to you think that the state o f Oregon should do to change the current situation?” I just expected to hear things like, “Get a better budget,” or “Stop sending money to a war effort,” but I can tell you I got nothing o f the sort. Most teachers and aides told me that the state should find a better tax base for education and other state needs. Some even suggested to have a sales tax, which I think is a good idea. While doing my research, I found out other states support their schools with a constant tax. For instance, Arizona uses a tax on automobile owners. I think that they pay something like 40 percent tax on their car. It sounds like a good plan but I don’t think that Oregon residents are willing to pay that much for a constant tax for schools. Then there is a fact that our school district is no longer supporting the outdoor school program. In other areas o f Oregon, the students have lost outdoor school opportunities completely, but here, we are lucky enough to have a supportive community. Our Heppner Parent’s Club has now vowed that there will be a Tupper outdoor school program whether the school will support it or not. The other thing is that we will lose a lot o f our learning quality. The people on the survey agreed with me on that fact. They agree that with larger classes and fewer opportunities for electives it will greatly affect the students o f our small town. I am sorry for the elementary students who may not have a chance to have band or a music program next year. Or the library that will not be as well kept and shelved as it is now because there may not be even an aide in there to made sure everything is in the right order. I am also sorry that these children can’t experiment with art already. All kids will do in the a few years is sit in a room and occasionally go out to the playground. They may read about culture, but never be able to experience it. They may have feelings that would be wonderfully expressed through art or music that may never be discovered. Not all children succeed through sports activ ities; students have many different gifts and talents. As I said, I feel sorry for the children o f the elementary school who will be hurt the most. Then there are the students o f the high school who will only lose opportunities for new learning. We will now learn more through a television than from a human. Now understand, I do think this is a wonderful opportunity but I think that if a student has a question, it is hard to ask a camera. We have also been lead to believe that we could get the chance to have more electives than we have at the moment. I’ve seen the principal asking the students o f the high school what electives we would like to have in the school next year and the students I saw rattled o ff about 20 different electives and Mr. Smith said that they were all possible. Now this boggles my mind; ifw e are having to take aides and teachers from our schools, how in the world are more electives possible? How can we have a drama class when we barely have a drama club? But my largest question is, are you taking money from younger students and giving it to older students when younger students learn more and need more? And can the community do anything about it? Remember today’s student is tomorrow’s future. To the Editor: Next Monday evening the City Council will hold a public hearing to hear input on the proposed Water System Project for Heppner. After the hearing, the Council is expected to take action on whether to proceed w ith the project and related loans and water rate increases. I believe the project is sorely needed. I believe the water system infrastructure in H ep p n er is in d ep lo rab le condition. Stop by City Hall and examine the various chunks o f pipe taken from repairs made in various parts o f our city. I believe the financing package the City has arranged is as good a “ d e a l” as we can possible get. The majority of the value will be a loan at one p erce n t in terest. A $1.25 million grant and a $900,000 standard R.U.S. loan will round out the package. If we are going to do the project, I believe this is the best way to pay for it. The big question is “do we do the project?” On the down side, the grants and low interest loans require that we increase our water rates to a level acceptable to some state agency. For most people, this will double, to almost triple, the water portion o f their current city utility cost (for sure during the summer months). (The city has promised that all revenues generated by the increase will be earmarked for project debt re tire m e n t.) G ratis w ater provided to churches, ball fields and other taxing districts will have to stop. Every service will have to be on a meter. The City Council has discussed ways to continue to provide gratis water to our ball fields, and some arrangement will probably be reached. The low cost financing also requires some minor ADA upgrades be installed at City Hall itself. It is easy to ignore the improvements needed when one turns on their faucet and pure, clean, water spouts forth. I believe our water system is a house o f cards waiting to fall. I urge the residents o f Heppner to visit City Hall and inspect the pipe sections there. Read the project flyer received in your mail on last Friday. Consider the costs o f not fixing the problem s with inexpensive money, and waiting until the main lines collapse entirely. Consider the impact on your personal budget by doubled w a te r ra te s. C om e to an informed opinion. Call your C ity Councilors and discuss the project with them. This is our city. We need to maintain it, and we must also be able to afford to live here. (s) Tom Wolff Heppner City Councilperson Help lone on its way out To the Editor: Since my early high school years I’ve becom e acquainted with many folk in the lone community. They are a quality of people who I would have to give a “ 10.” When they get together to get something done, they do a first rate job. The people o f lone have decided to leave the M o rro w C o u n ty S ch o o l District and form a district o f their own. On the back page o f the Feb. 26 issue o f the Heppner Gazette-Times is the story. Read it for yourself and see w hat you think. Read Senate Bill 372. It’s all right th e re . N o o n e n eed s a California attorney to figure it out. Self-determination is ab o u t lo n e ’s p aren ts and community deciding what is best for lone’s children. These people represent credibility, integrity and are honest, fair and trustworthy. They would not take one penny that belonged to someone else. They only want to get out and start a new district as soon as possible. They have been pushed into this and they have decided to get out. I am a sk in g th e M o rro w C o u n ty S ch o o l District and School Board to DOUBLE COMFORT Workboota That Work™ Men's 8" Lace-R Copper Caprice #762 D, EE S 139. S S Æk On m iners Men’s W ear (541) 676-9218 193 N. Main Street, Heppner help them on their way. You pushed them, and quit poking around with a sharp stick trying to be big shots. Bury the hatchet in the ground, not in y o u r n e ig h b o r ’s sk u ll; u n d erstan d and try to be decent. There is a moral to this story and I just love morals, “It’s impossible to plug a round hole with a square peg no matter how big the hammer.” (s) Mel Piper Chief consultant and executive director o f Fuller Canyon Former Heppner couple leaves bequest to local Elks Lodge T he H ep p n er Elks Lodge recently received a bequest o f about $59,000 from form er H eppner residents Conley and Violet Lanham. The Lanhams designated the Heppner Elks Lodge as one of the b e n e fic ia rie s o f th eir c o m b in e d e s ta te , and re q u e s te d the fu n d s be m anaged to p ro v id e scholarships for area high school seniors. The lodge tru s te e s and s c h o la rs h ip co m m itte e m em bers w ill manage the funds. Vi Lanham, a former te a c h e r and c o u n c ilo r at Heppner High School, died in early 2002. She was involved with the local Soroptimist Club. Conley, a past Exalted Ruler of the local lodge, owned and operated the Western Auto Hardware store in Heppner for many years and later owned a ranch in the lone area. He had died earlier. The Lanham s named many beneficiaries in their wills, including former co lleg es and professional organizations. Expertise adds to success of St. Pat’s Senior Center Volunteers who lend their time and energy to activities at St. Patrick’s Senior Center in Heppner have been described in previous issues. There are also several key persons whose expertise adds to the success and friendly atmosphere o f the center. Mike Amato is the Case Manager for the use o f grant monies allocated to M orrow County through CAPECO (Community Action Programs o f East Central Oregon). He is a paid employee o f the agency. At the center, he primarily oversees the smooth running o f the Wednesday lunches - menu planning, working with the cooks, delivery o f Meals on Wheels, working with the maintenance personnel for the kitchen and dining room, and being the liaison between the Board o f Directors o f St. Patrick’s Center and CAPECO. Armato’s total job description covers much more. His office is shared space in the Veteran’s Affairs office, on the first floor in the back o f Heppner Hardware. His responsibilities include other services to assist senior citizens in all areas o f Morrow County with heating, household labor, transportation and other acute needs. He maintains a close cooperation with other agencies (such as the Extension Service), merchants who offer assistance (Red Apple frequently gives food supplies), and other business people. “Mine is very much a one to one, ‘hands on jo b ’ o f helping people with everyday needs,” says Armato. April Wilson is another paid employee, who is head cook for the Wednesday noon meal. She works directly with Armato on meal planning and purchasing orders. She supervises the Meals on Wheels, which go out each week and the preparation o f extra frozen meals for those who find meal preparation difficult. She often circulates and visits with the diners. Barbara Struthers is a volunteer who is the coordinator for the RS VP people in dining room on Wednesday. She and Dorothy Odell work together to be sure every one signs in, as an accurate count is needed. A personal touch she adds is providing cards to persons who are ill, bereaved, or celebrating an event o f note. All guests are invited to sign the card, which she sends or delivers. Barbara is a member o f the community welcoming committee. As such, she prepares and delivers a basket o f fruit to each new resident in the St. Patrick’s apartments. From observation, she can be named the gracious hostess o f the event when many eat together on Wednesday. She is also a resident who, with Ralph, her late husband, was, and is an ever-present volunteer to assists in many places o f need at the center. Marian Murchison, resident, is also apartment manager. She is also a member o f the Heppner City Council. In a future issue, her job will be discussed. A familiar group o f seniors are busy planning their annual St. Patrick’s parade float. Be watching for them - they are a riotous bunch. CHAMBER CHATTER By Claudia Hughes, Executive Director Reality. We are up against some very big challenges that seriously effect our way o f life, be it educating our students, taking care o f our seniors, our safety, the economy, and the list goes on. All this comes right in the midst o f a possible war. Placing blame solves nothing; communicating with the legislature and each other can help. So, what do we do? We look at the glass half full instead o f half empty. We count our blessings. And we continue to hope the Willow Creek Valley, consisting o f Heppner, Lexington and lone will continue to be the best that we can be under the present circumstances. We respect each other as we strive for what is best for each community. We work at being honest and above board. We make sure facts are known and rumors squelched. Become detectives: make sure fiction isn’t leading the parade. Count to ten. More than ever we need to remember that old saying, “N ever judge another until you have walked a mile in his moccasins.” Willow Creek Valley shares in and supports each other’s activities, be it Town and Country, St. Pat’s, Fourth o f July, Fair and Rodeo, or Christmas events; we work together on trying to bring new industry and jobs to the area. We promote each other; we attend church together; we drive from town to town to work and for meetings. Our communities overlap in so many ways and we are all too small to stand alone. We need to respect each community’s wishes, working both separately and together when appropriate. We need to squelch rumors that arise out o f fear and share every positive story we hear. Bottom line, we need each other, and we need to set a fine example for the youth we are trying to help. Whatever the outcome, wherever each community goes from here, is still unknown. But, together we can all make the best o f tough situations and grow from the experience. On Tuesday, March 11, the Chamber program will be a conference call with Representative Greg Smith and Senator David Nelson. Legislature needs direction. They need to hear from people who care. And with that, may the luck o ’ the Irish shine down on one and all during next w eek’s celebration when we all come together for food, fttn, and shenanigans. A bit laughter is the best medicine under any circumstances. Highway litter pickup date announced T he St. P a tric k ’s Annual Celebration will be happening in just a few days, so it’s time to do the Chamber o f Commerce sponsored litter pickup on the state highways through town. T he d a te for the C ham ber volunteers litter p ic k u p a c tiv ity w ill be Wednesday, March 12, from DA’s Report 5-6 p.m. C h ris to p h e r Jo n es U se S to p O reg o n pled guilty to Harassment- Litter and Vandalism (SOLV) violation. Jones was sentenced litter bags to collect any trash to pay $199 in fines. or unsightly vegetation along y o u r stre tc h o f th e state highway. You may dispose o f your litter yourself or put the litter bag by a street sign for the Chamber volunteers to collect. Your assistance with this effort to prepare Heppner for the St. Patrick’s Celebration is appreciated. C o n ta c t John Edmundson, Chamber litter pickup coordinator, 676-5177, if you have any questions or you need flagging to mark hazardous material.
