Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 12, 2003)
Secession issue turns ugly at county school board meeting 3^33le ¿'etzeL1 U o f J Newspaper Ll ca : Eu^en : , Oft 974 3 list Annual Wee Bit O ' Ireland St. Patrick's Weekend Celebration Schedule -------------------- Thursday, March 1 3 t h ---------------------- S A IN T PATRICK-APOSTLE OF IRELAN D AND S A IN T BRIG ID -PA TRO N ESS O F IRELAND - 7 PM, St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish Hall, 560 NW Jones. Set in the Irish Mood. Original play written by Father Condon. --------------- — Friday, March 1 4 t h ---------------------- HEPPNER PUBLIC LIBRARY- Open 9:30AM - 5PM MORROW COUNTY MUSEUM - Open 1 - 5 PM VENDOR'S SQ U A RE - Enjoy crafts, food and other treasures from local and visiting vendors. All day Friday, Saturday <4 Sunday at the Neighborhood Center on Main S tre e t across from the Library/Museum/City Park. For information call 541-676-5024. D ED IC A TIO N O F IR IS H FA M ILY FO U N TA IN - 4 PM in front of Murray's on Main Street. S T . PATRICK'S ANNUAL A U C TIO N - Starting at 7 PM at the Elks, 142 N. Main Street. Live and Silent Auction. Drawing for $100 Pot O' Sold MRS. O ’LEARY'S S T EW FE ED - 5 - 7 PM at St. Patrick's Senior Center, 190 N. Main S tre et, prepared by the Heppner United Methodist Church members. B U FFET D IN N ER - 6 - 8 PM at the Elks, 142 N. Main Street. LAD S A L A S S IE S T EEN DANCE - 9 PM - midnight—a drug and alcohol free event for teens at HHS Cafetorium. Sponsored in part by Morrow County Behavioral Health. Music provided by Dan Burns. — ------ -- — Saturday, March 15th -------------------- (Shuttle Service All Day) BREA KFAST - 6 - 10 AM at St. Patrick’s Senior Center, prepared by O’Senior Center. SH EEP DOS T R IA L S - Starting at 8:30 AM (all day) at Thompson's Ranch, 3 miles northwest of Heppner on Bunker Hill Rd. off of Hwy. 74, between mileposts #41 and # 42 . S T . PADDY'S C R U Z -IN - 10 AM - 4 PM on Willow S tre e t in Downtown Heppner. Come and take a look at Antique and Classic cars in Heppner's Third Annual Cruz-In. S T . PADDY'S M O TO CRO SS - Sponsored by the Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo Committee Sign up 8 - 9AM with races going from 9 AM - noon—then continuing afte r the Parade at 2 PM until finished $2 admission fee. MORROW COUNTY MUSEUM A FARM E X H IB IT OPEN MORROW COUNTY C R E A T IV E A R TS AND C R A FTS - 9 AM - 3 PM, show and sale at Les Schwab. VENDOR'S SQ U A R E - All Day - Neighborhood Center across the street from Library/ Museum/City Park. IR IS H HOOPSHOOT - Starting at 10 AM at the BEO Drive-way. Sponsor: Colt Basketball KUMA C O FFEE HOUR - 10 AM at the Elks Club. Come hear family histories, music, stories and blarney! Enter the IR IS H BROGUE C O N T ES T and win cash prizes Drawing for $ 100 Pot O'Gold HEPPNER PUBLIC LIBRARY - Open 11 AM - 3 PM O 'SEN IO R CEN TER - 11 AM - 1:30 PM Have a taste of Irish homemade soup/bread, pie/ coffee after parade. O'BARBECUE chicken and Ribs - 11 AM - 4 PM by Kessler's Katering at the City Park on Main Street. SHAMROCK LA N ES - Irish Sweepstakes/Mixed Doubles No-Tap Bowling Tournament, 11 AM and 2:30 PM BRUNCH - 11:15 AM - 1:30 PM at the Elks, 142 N Main Street. L IT T L E LEPRECHAUN CA RN IVA L AND K ID S K U IS IN E - 11:30 AM - 3 PM On Main S tre et by Post O ffice IR IS H PARADE - 1PM on Main S tre e t C E IL I (pronounced K-Lee) - 2 - 4 PM, upstairs at the Elks. Irish entertainment featuring John Doherty and The Irish Singers, The Baile Glas Dancers and The Shenanigans EW E-D O BINGO - 2:30 PM Live sheep activity - corner of Main and Center Streets. Sponsor: Cheerleaders TO U RS - 2 - 6 PM Morrow County Historical Courthouse structure built of blue basalt in 1902 O'DUCKY RACE - 3 PM Sta rts at the bridge in front of the Courthouse Adopt a duck to win a prize of $10 to $100. Sponsor: Heppner Colt Football Program. S T . PATRICK'S HAM D IN N ER - 4 - 7 PM at the St. Patrick's Catholic Parish Hall at 560 NW Jones Street. B U FFET D IN N ER - 6 - 8 PM Corn Beef & Cabbage, etc. with music from 9 PM - 2 AM at the Elks TH E T IL L E R ’S FO LLY CONCERT - 7PM at Heppner High School Cafetorium - Admission Charge $10 for Adults/ $5 for those 10 years old and younger Drawing for $ 100 Pot O'Gold W EE HOURS O 'TH E MORNIN' BREA KFAST - 10 PM-3 AM by Volunteer Fire Department at 190 NW Willow. ---------------------Sunday, March 1 6 t h ---------------------- BREAKFAST - 7 - 10 AM at the Nazarene Church, 335 N Gilmore. SHAMROCK LA N ES - Irish Sweepstakes/Mixed Doubles No-Tap Bowling Tourn., 10 30 AM/1:30 PM CHURCH - Your choice. Visitors welcome. VENDOR'S SQ U A RE - All day at the Neighborhood Center across from the Library/Museum SH EEP DOG T R IA L S - All day at Thompson's Ranch - See Saturday for location W ILLO W CREEK SYMPHONY AND S IN G E R S - 3:15 PM at Heppner High School Cafetorium ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: M O N D A Y S A T 5 :0 0 P .M . » The Morrow County School Board and the lone Self Determination Committee are no closer to working out a split of assets and liabilities in the proposed lone secession from the Morrow County School District as the two groups lobbed volleys at each other at the regular board meeting Monday night in lone. M CSD S u p e rin tendent Dr. Jack Crippen had formulated a draft div ision of assets and liabilities that he says shows the proposed lone School District could owe MCSD between $1.7 and $2.7 million after the split. His figures were formulated on insurance estimates based on rep lacem en t am ounts, including personal property, on the high end, and assessor’s estimates, which don't include personal property, on the low end. Dr. Crippen said those figures were only a starting point for negotiations. The lone S elf D eterm ination Committee, however, says the figures used in calculations are faulty and outdated. They maintain the new district would not owe MCSD that much money and complained that the district is trying to throw a m onkey w rench in the secession process; all the while saying they (MCSD) support the secession. At the Monday night meeting, members of the lone community pointed out that an lone School District existed before the MCSD was formed and lone brought the buildings it had at that time into the district, so they should be allowed to take the buildings with them when the new lone School District is formed. They also asked that since the district may have had plans to close the lone High School, why not just give the new district those buildings, which MCSD had no plans to use anyway? Dr. Crippen reported that several amendments have been added to a bill in the state legislature, which the self- determ ination com m ittee initially proposed to speed up the secession process. The bill has been tak en out o f com m ittee in the Oregon L e g isla tu re b ecau se o f opposition. MCSD plans to add the a b ility for remonstrance (opposition) as an amendment to the bill. As the bill now stan d s, no remonstrance to the bill would be allowed and once the bill was approved by legislators, it would become law. MCSD wants to allow opposition, which is allowed if the lone secession proceeds through the Education Service District, rather than as a bill in the legislature. Dr. Crippen said that information presented in a handout and read by Lisa Rietmann o f the lone Self Determination Committee critical of Crippen and the board was "full of innuendoes and lies.” Jerry Rietmann of the Self Determination C ommittee angrily retorted that he took offense at his friends, wife and himselfbeing called liars. At one point in the meeting, at the behest o f Marvin Padberg of lone, the lone community rose to its feet when they were once again asked how many were in favor of forming an lone district. M em bers o f the board later reiterated that they represented the entire district and voted to authorize an appraisal to determine the value of its assets. Board member Gary F red erick so n told the audience that lone would be welcomed back into the district if the secession fails or the new district finds it cannot operate on its own. In other business at the meeting, John Murray of Heppner, representing the H eppner G rassro o ts Committee, presented a list of req u ests to the board concerning starting and other items at Heppner Schools. Murray said that a fund has been created to receive m onies to fund teaching positions in Heppner and families are being sought to host foreign exchange students in Heppner to increase the number o f students attending in the area and therefore increase the state monies receiv ed . He said the committee is also seeking the following from the district: -a fu ll-tim e kindergarten teacher for the 2003-04 year if a Heppner Foundation is able to raise the money required. The board had proposed a half-time kindergarten teacher for Heppner Elementary, although Irrigon and Boardman schools retained full-time kindergarten teachers. -a d ecrease in administrative time at Heppner Elementary from half-time to one-quarter time, with the remaining 25 percent covered by a retired administrator or teacher, as a cost-saving measure. -reimbursement by the district office for additional costs that would be incurred if the district office moves into HES from its current office in Lexington as a cost saving measure. The G rassroots committee says, "We are not looking to make money from ’ the IX) move to HES, but feel strongly that H eppner Elementary students should not have to pay for costs incurred by the district office being in their school.” Dr. C rippen responded later in the meeting by saying that if the district office was not welcome at HES, perhaps it should be located in north Morrow C ounty w here tw o new schools stand empty because of lack of funding. He also stated that it might be more logical to have the district office in the north end because most o f the activity is there. However, Crippen said that the heating costs inv olved in a move to schools at Irrigon or Boardman may be prohibitive because the whole building, not just a portion o f it, would have to be heated. At this point it is uncertain as to w hether the district office will move at all from its Lexington location. The move had been proposed to save the district money in utility costs and the district also hoped to sell the building. The d istric t o ffice has four em ployees, all o f whom currently live in south Morrow County. If the office were moved to the north end, the current employees could opt to drive or move to the area. Upon resignation or retirement of those employees, however, employees from the north end would likely till those positions. -sc h o larsh ip s for students to take v-tel and cyber school classes, so that electives would be available to south county students. In other business, the board: -received a report, but took no action concerning coordinating the bell schedules continued page 2 mam nap HES survives water line damage C ity workers labored, Thursday. M arch 6, to repair a broken w ater line at Heppner Klementary School. T h e line was hit w hile Colum bia Basin was drilling. The break caused a 60-foot geyser and a flood of mud and water that stretched dow n Quaid St. all the way to Main. The road to the school had to be closed and students were sent home early. It took city workers four hours to stop the water and a few more to clean up the mess. Students were able to return back to school on Monday. Danner Boot Sale 20°/o OFF SS N ot all boots in stock - orders gladly taken! Ulorrow County Crain Growers Lexington 989-8221 * 1-800-452-7396 For farm equipment. visit our web site at www.mcgs.rtet
