Off highway vehicle park
to open Saturday
3 e a si a «íetsell
U o f J hoaspape** L i o ; : y
Eugene » OR 9 ■' 1
•>
O H V Park tour members look at perspective track arena, with the trailhead to the OHV' Park’s 60+
miles of trails. OH Vs will be directed through an In and Out created by large barriers and cattle guards.
OHV Park to
hold grand
opening
VOL. 122
NO. 20
10 Pages
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
No high school for Irrigon—for now
Irrigon w on’t have its
high school, at least this year
anyway, to the dism ay o f the
throng o f Irrigon residents
p a c k e d in to th e A .C .
Houghton Elementary School
L ibrary M onday night, M ay
12 .
The M orrow County
School Board, in a split vote,
v e to e d a m o tio n by Jo h n
R ie tm a n n o f lo n e to start
phasing in a high school in
Irrigon this fall. Board C hair
J u lie W e ik e l a n d G a ry
Frederickson, both Boardman,
Pat M cN am ee, Irrigon, and
John Renfro, Lexington, voted
a g a in st the m o tio n . L arry
M ills, w h o s e c o n d e d th e
m otion, and Burke O ’Brien,
b o th
H e p p n e r , j o in e d
Rietmann in favor o f the plan,
w hich w ould have created a
grade seven through 10 junior
high/high school in Irrigon at
the current Colum bia M iddle
School
s ta r ti n g
th is
Septem ber. R ietm ann’s plan
included kindergarten through
fourth grade schools at current
e le m e n ta ry s c h o o ls, A .C .
H o u g h to n E le m e n ta ry in
Irrigon and at Sam Boardman
E lem entary in B oardm an; a
grade seven through 12 facility
at R iverside High School in
Boardman; and fifth and sixth
grade facilities in the tw o
newly-constructed schools at
Boardman and Irrigon.
C u r r e n tly
A .C .
Houghton and Sam Boardman
e le m e n ta ry sch o o ls house
k in d erg a rte n th rough fifth
g ra d e c la s s e s , C o lu m b ia
M iddle School, grades six
through eight, and R iverside
H igh S ch o o l, g rad e s nine
through 12. Depending on the
h e a tin g
and
c o o lin g
r e q u ir e m e n ts a n d c o s ts
involved, pending a feasibility
report from architects, Heary
International, and completion
o f construction, it could be
possible that grades five and
six could be m oved into the
two new buildings this fall.
Rietmann pointed out
that the district has already
budgeted $750,000 for the
transition, which he maintained
sh o u ld be used for h irin g
tea c h e rs, and said that he
th o u g h t the d istric t c o u ld
access facility grants from the
state and possibly other grants.
He anticipated a facility grant
o f up to eight percent, which
c o u ld tra n s la te in to $1.5
million, which, when ratcheted
dow n by the state, could still
amount to a half a million. “If
w e lollygag around, w e ’re
going to have six years o f
transition,” said Rietmann, in
urging a “yes” vote for the
m o tio n . “ I th in k w e ’re
breaking faith with the voters,”
added Mills. “ I think we ought
to bite the bullet and do it.”
Superintendent Dr.
Jack C rippen told the board
that because o f scheduling and
other issues, he did not think
the plan w as possible by the
start o f school, but said it may
be possible by the sem ester
b r e a k . A ls o , he a d d e d ,
“ W e’re not sure that the new
Irr ig o n b u ild in g w ill be
com pleted by Sept. 1.” He
also said that if the changes
w e re m a d e , th e a th le tic
program would probably have
to be cancelled for that year.
The dissenting board
m e m b e rs e x p re s s e d th e ir
c o n c e rn th a t th e c u rre n t
stagnant student numbers did
not warrant a move at this time
and reiterated the criteria for
establishing a high school in
Irrigon set down by the board
at the O ct. 9, 2000, board
meeting. They expressed fears
that the plan would merely take
students and teachers from
one school and place them in
another, stretching the teachers
and finances too thin, and
would hurt the curriculum and
program s at both Riverside
H igh S chool and the new
Irrigon high school.
T h e 2 0 0 0 c r ite r ia
stipulated:
-“ th a t th e fu n d in g
levels currently established are
maintained by the state with a
cost-of-living adjustment.
-“that the proposed
Ballot M easures 9 1 ,8 8 ,8 and
93 do not pass. A ny m easure
o r legislative action, w hich
s e v e r e ly c u r t a il s s c h o o l
fu n d in g , w o u ld m ake the
establishment o f an additional
high school unfeasible.
-“ th a t in stru ctio n al
program s at R iverside High
S c h o o l w o u ld n o t be
elim inated o r reduced as a
result o f establishing a new high
s c h o o l. T h is d o e s n o t
preclude a m inor adjustm ent
in program to accom m odate
s c h e d u lin g o r s h iftin g o f
re s o u rc e s w ith in e le c tiv e
offerings.
- “ t h a t e n r o llm e n t
betw een the com m unities o f
B o a r d m a n a n d Irr ig o n
continue to increase at the five
percent average as in the past
five years.
- “ th a t th e d is tr ic t
e s ta b lis h a s e p a ra te fund
during the transition period,
using revenues from student
growth.
-“that the new high
school w ould be phased in
over a period o f three years
beginning no later than the year
follow ing the opening o f the
new ele m en ta ry school in
Irrigon, so space is available
for sixth graders, (i.e. bond
passes in Spring 2001; new
elem entary school completed
in D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 2 ; m ove
sixth grade students to new
elem entary school in January'
2003; eighth graders that are
prom oted in 2003 would stay
as the first freshm en in Fall
2003. The next year Fall 2004
w ould have freshm en and
sophom ores at Irrigon High
School and the fall o f 2005,
you w ould have your full
b lo w n h ig h s c h o o l. T h e
freshman class o f 2002 would
graduate from Riverside High
School.)”
The 2000 motion was
p a s s e d by F r e d e r ic k s o n ,
M c N a m e e , W e ik e l a n d
R ietm ann, w ith d issenting
votes by then-board members,
continued page 3
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
I
The M orrow County
OHV Park will be holding its
grand opening Saturday, May
17. The ribbon cutting will be
h eld at 11 a.m . A fte r the
ribbon cutting, persons will be
able to try out some o f the new
trails. A picnic lunch will also
be a v a ila b le fo r th o se in
attendance.
The Park is located 26
miles south o f Heppner along
Hw y 207. It currently has 60
m iles o f available trails. The
P ark is op en to all O H V
classes o f vehicles.
A n a g e n d a for the
opening ceremonies include: A
w elcom e by Burke O 'B rien,
w ith M orrow County Public
W orks and M orrow County
Judge Terry Tallman; History
o f the project by Karen Wolff;
a discussion o f “Where we are
now. W hat to expect in the
future” presented by O'Brien.;
presentation by the M ichael
Carrier, W ayne Raw lins and
the ATV Allocation committee;
comments from the governor’s
r e p r e s e n ta tiv e a n d o th e r
dignitaries; concluding with the
R ib b o n C u ttin g by Judge
T a llm a n , C a rrie r an d the
governor’s representative.
Ballots due
May 20
Election ballots lor the
c u r r e n t M o rro w C o u n ty
election are due by 8 p.m.,
Tuesday, May 20. Ballots mast
be at th e o ffic e s by th is
deadline, ballots not received
by 8 p.m., will not be counted.
M o rro w
C o u n ty
ballot boxes will be located at
the following sites: in Heppner,
at the M orrow County Court
House Clerk’s Office; in lone,
a t th e B a n k o f E a s te rn
O regon; in Lexington, at the
Public W orks B uilding; in
Irrigon, at the Justice Court
lobby; and in Boardman, at the
Behavioral Health Building.
All box locations will
be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
on election day, except for
B ank o f E a ste rn O reg o n ,
which will be open from 9 a.m.
to 4 p .m ., a n d M o rro w
C ounty C ourthouse C le rk ’s
O ffice, w hich will be open
from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
G-T to close for
Memorial Day
The
H eppner
Gazette-Tim es will be closed
M o n d a y , M ay 26 fo r
Memorial Day. The news and
advertisement deadline for the
M a y 28 e d itio n o f th e
newspaper is Friday, M ay 23,
at 5 p.m.
Burke O ’ Brien (second from left) discusses prospects for the
Morrow County OH V Park w ith tour members at the Grant County
line, the O H V Park's south most point.
M o rro w
C o u n ty
OHV (O ff Highway Vehicles)
Park will be a new fixture in
M orrow C ounty, 27 m iles
south o f Heppner, this 6200
a c re p a rk w ill b o a s t
approxim ately 80 m iles o f
o p e n tra ils . M e m b e rs o f
M orrow C ounty received a
to u r o f th e O H V P a rk ,
Tuesday, May 6. The Park will
host its grand opening May 17
w ith ribbon cutting ceremony,
picnic and trail rides.
The O H V Park will
be op en to all c la sse s o f
O H V s , in c lu d in g A T V s,
M o torcycles and 4-W heel
Drive vehicles. Special trails
w ill be ta ilo re d for e ach
vehicle, along w ith general
trails. Currently, 60 m iles o f
trails are open. A long with
special class trails, all trails will
be rated for level o f difficulty.
T here will be three levels,
ranging from beginning to
extreme.
The Park will be open
free o f charge to those w ith
t h e ir O H V lic e n s e s a n d
permits. For those who do not
have these items, there w ill be
a place m ade available for
their purchase.
Along with the OHV
Park trails, a 120-unit RV park
is in the works. It is planned
to have the RV site completed
in 3-5 years. This season, only
dry camping w ill be available.
T here are currently
two day-use areas in the Park
as w ell. These areas will be
open from daw n til dusk and
closed during the evening.
However, the trails themselves
will be open for night riding.
Also being created is
a w ash dow n area for the
O H V s. A part o f the old log
area has been maintained that
will be m ade accessible to
O H V s and eq u ip p ed w ith
water. This area will be close
to the trailhead. The trailhead
was created to m anage the
traffic in an out o f the Park
entrance. C reated by large
cem ent barriers and cattle
guards, there w ill be an “ in”
and “out” from the main Park
area.
For those who need a
rest from riding, fishing ponds
h a v e been c re a te d . T h ese
areas will be stocked with fish
from local areas.
A ccording to Burke
O ’B rien w ith the M orrow
C ounty Public W orks, and
project m anager for the Park,
it is hoped that the Park will
be o p e n y e a r ro u n d .
However, he did state some
trails might have to be closed
due to water saturation. If the
trails get to wet, riding on them
could tear up the ground and
ruin the trails.
Also part o f the OHV
Park is Porter Creek, a fish-
sensitive stream . OH V Park
w orkers will be w orking to
m aintain this creek and keep
it from being disturbed.
A park host will be on
the g ro u n d s, and M orrow
County Sheriff's Office will
also be patrolling the area.
T h ro u g h g ra n ts o b ta in e d
th r o u g h th e O H V P a rk ,
M CSO has been given money
to hire a part-time deputy.
O H V Park creators
hope that the Park will be
e n jo y e d by e v e ry o n e in
M orrow County and through
out the Northwest. According
to O ’B rien , th ey w a n t to
prov ide a place for people to
enjoy and for an expansion
tool for M orrow County.
A v a ila b le at th e
opening and to any new riders
will be maps of all the trails and
o f the OHV Park itself.
Adopt A
Teacher
foundation to
go door-to-door
On
M ay
17,
volunteers for the A dopt a
Teacher foundation will be
going door-to-door selling
bricks that w ill be placed at the
new H ep p n e r E lem entary
School. They will also have
inform ation on becom ing a
m em ber o f their organization
and answer any questions you
may have.
“ W e h a v e so far
collected over $8000 for our
foundation,” stated an Adopt
A T e a c h e r p re ss re le a s e .
Every little bit helps Heppner
s c h o o ls a n d s ta y s in the
Heppner community.
Get Your Lawn Thatcher
and Front Tine Garden
Hototiller Rentals Here!
Morrow County Crain Growers
Lexington 9 8 9 -8 2 2 1 • 1 -8 0 0 -4 5 2 -7 3 9 6
For farm equipment. visit
our web site at www.mcfg.net