Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 16, 2003 - THREE
Morrow County School District board meeting
decided to interview up to six
c a n d id a te s fo r R a d i e ’s
position on Aug. 4 at the district
office and postponed a goal
setting w orkshop w hich had
been set for July 30 until Aug.
6 at Boardman, the date which
had been e a rlie r set fo r a
policies workshop. The board
hoped to have the new board
member on board by that time,
since the goal-setting could
include such important issues
as whether to establish a high
school in Irrigon. Since Dr.
C rippen told the board that
the schools’ athletic contests
have already been set for the
2 0 0 3 -0 4 sc h o o l y ear, the
im m ediacy o f the policies
workshop, which had been set
for A ug. 6, was not deem ed
as crucial and the w orkshop
w as postponed until a later
date.
The board is required
to advertise the vacated board
position for 20 days prior to
selecting a new member.
In other business, the
board:
-elected John Renfro,
Lexington, chairman.
-becam e deadlocked
over electing a vice-chair with
B a r n e y L in d s a y , n o r th
Lexington, and Julie Weikel,
B oardm an, receiving three
votes each.
-rejected a motion by
Lindsay, five to one, to review
th e d e s ig n a tio n o f b o a rd
attorneys before reappointing
the current attorneys, John
Witty and Andrea Hungerford.
- re c e iv e d a re p o rt
from Jeannie Collins, chair o f
the Heppner Adopt A Teacher
com m ittee, relating that the
g ro u p had raised $ 1 7 ,0 0 0
toward employing a half-time
te a c h e r
at
H eppner
E le m e n ta ry S c h o o l. (T h e
a d d itio n a l fu n d s w o u ld
increase a half-tim e teaching
position to full-tim e.) The
group recom m ended that the
funds be used for a half-tim e
th ird /fo u rth grade teacher,
since the class in question is
expected to have around 32
students in the afternoons. The
group’s second priority would
be to use the funds to increase
a h a lf - tim e k in d e r g a rte n
teacher at HES to a full-tim e
teacher. N orth end schools
opted to use their English-as-
a-S econd-L anguage m onies
to fu n d t h e i r f u ll- tim e
kindergarten teachers. The
state funds only half-tim e
kindergarten. The g ro u p ’s
third priority would be to hire
an aide for HES, which has no
educational aides, other than
one-on-one ESD aides, for the
coming year.
A dopt a T eacher
re q u e s te d th a t th e b o a rd
approve additional m onies to
fond the third/fourth grade
teacher until the group could
raise the total monies required,
estim ated at around $22,000.
A fter som e discussion, the
board agreed to accept the
funds, earmarking them for the
specified position, but did not
agree to commit district funds
to m ake up the difference.
Instead they voted to increase
the third/fourth grade position
to fu ll tim e o n ly fo r the
sem ester, thereby allow ing
A dopt a Teacher additional
tim e to raise the total amount
r e q u ir e d .
The
b o a rd
commended the group for their
hard work in raising the funds.
-put o ff a decision to
employ microphones at board
m eetings, w hich had been
requested by a m em ber o f the
audience, until a “ feasibility
study” could be undertaken.
-v o te d to se ll th e
Irrigon Learning Center to the
Baker-Union ESD, which has
e s ta b lis h e d an a lte rn a tiv e
school at the site. Dr. Crippen
said that the ESD provides a
v a lu a b le se rv ic e w hich is
d e s ira b le to re ta in in the
county and the building is not
useable for M CSD purposes.
B o a rd
m em ber
Pat
M cN am ee com m ented that
he w ould like to see the funds
from sale o f the building,
a p p ra ised at $146 ,0 0 0 , be
u sed to build new d istrict
offices.
-in related business,
received an appraisal o f the
L e x in g to n d is tr ic t o ffic e
property o f $67,000 for the
land and buildings. The board
declined to put the property up
for sale “at the present tim e”,
voting five to one, since they
had p rev io u sly d ecided to
keep the office at the current
b u ild in g , b e c a u s e o f th e
d i f f ic u l ty
of
m o v in g
complicated communications
cabling and equipm ent and
costs involved. The board had
earlier determined that a move
w o u ld not re s u lt in c o st-
savings for the district and in
June rejected a m otion to
move the district office, despite
a request by Dr. C rippen to
m ove to the north end. “W hy
would we sell a building w e’re
using?” asked Lindsay at the
Monday night meeting.
-after som e debate,
chose
W in d y
R iv e r
Elementary as the name for the
newly-constructed Boardman
e le m e n ta r y s c h o o l, b u t
deadlocked at three and three
for tw o proposed nam es for
the new Irrigon elem entary
school. The board could not
d e c id e b e tw e e n Irr ig o n
E le m e n ta r y a n d S to k e s
Landing Elementary. The issue
will be revisited at a later date.
SPEIDEL
WATCHES
with
Speidel
Watch
Bands
continued from page one
-attended to 2003-04
annual organizational details,
appointing superintendent/
clerk, director o f program s,
d e p u ty
c le r k /b u s ir ie s s
m anager, b oard se cre ta ry /
personnel director, custodian
o f funds and m aking other
designations.
-review ed the 2002-
03 board goals, w hich the
district generally achieved, said
Dr. Crippen.
- re c e iv e d a re p o rt
fro m N an H all o f H e e ry
International which stated that
the Boardm an, H eppner and
lo n e b o n d c o n s tr u c tio n
b u ild in g s a re e s s e n tia lly
com pleted and nearly ready
for occupation
-learned that the old
lone School is scheduled for
demolition on July 21.
-h ea rd
co n c ern s
about pooling o f w ater at the
n e w B o a rd m a n s c h o o l
c o n s tru c tio n , w h ic h H all
attributed to overw atering o f
new grass.
-heard from Hall that
no problems with flooding are
a n tic ip a te d at th e Irrig o n
sc h o o l c o n s tru c tio n a fte r
installation o f the b u ilding’s
drainage system.
- h e a r d th a t th e
renovation o f the locker room
at Heppner High School m ay
not be completed this summer.
T he bid for the HHS locker
room cam e in $25,000 over
budget and the bid deadline
was extended.
-heard the follow ing
district project report from
Howard Sheets: replacem ent
o f ex terio r doors at A C H ,
installation o f a rain gutter at
lo n e a n d i n s ta lla tio n o f
m agnetic door-hold opens at
H ES, HH S and SB E have
been completed. Installation o f
carpet in five room s at CM S,
a tennis court dryw ell and
wainscoting at lone, asbestos
floor tile rem oval at HES,
installation o f metal siding and
w in d o w s a t H H S a n d
installation o f carpet in tw o
rooms at RHS are in progress.
Asbestos floor tile removal at
HHS is scheduled to begin July
18 and asb esto s flo o r tile
removal at ACH is scheduled
for July 22. Bids for w indow
replacem ent at lone are due
July 18.
-set a district-wide in-
service day in Boardm an for
M onday, A ugust 25, the first
day o f w ork for teachers and
selected B arney Lindsay to
r e p r e s e n t th e b o a rd in
addressing the assembly.
- a c c e p te d
th e
f o llo w in g r e s i g n a ti o n s /
retirem ents: Bob D avidson,
retirin g from his teach in g
position at R iverside High
S c h o o l; C h r is B o n n e y ,
r e s ig n in g fro m h is S am
Boardman Elementary School
teaching position; Wally Greer
from his C olum bia M iddle
School technology education
teaching position; L indsay
H arle, resig n in g from her
H eppner Elem entary School
special ed teaching position;
Val Campbell resigning from
her H eppner H igh School
language arts/Spanish teaching
position; and Randy Vosberg,
re s ig n in g fro m h is lo n e /
Heppner Elementary assistant
custodian position.
-ap p ro v e d
th e
following employment: Mark
R ouska, R H S basic skills
teacher; Joyce Hesla, A.C.
Houghton Elementary School,
T itle I r e a d in g te a c h e r;
M a ria n n e A n thony, A C H
second grade teacher; Angela
D ix o n , SB E fo u rth -g rad e
teacher; and Brooke Spencer,
SBE fourth grade teacher.
-ap p ro v e d
th e
following extra duty contracts:
M ark Rouska, RHS assistant
soccer coach; D ieter Waite,
HHS assistant boys’ basketball
coach; M olly Rhea, Heppner
J u n io r H ig h h e a d g i r l s ’
basketball coach.
-ap p ro v e d
a
reso lu tio n auth o rizin g the
M orrow County Treasurer to
invest school district funds.
-received a request to
bring names for nominations to
the budget com m ittee to the
n ex t b o ard m eeting. F our
budget com m ittee positions
are open; budget com m ittee
positions are for three-year
terms and members may serve
multiple terms.
-p u t o f f d e c id in g
about flood and earthquake
c o v e ra g e
u n til
m o re
inform ation is received on
rates, d e d u c tib le s and the
am ount o f coverage needed,
or if coverage is needed at all.
-heard the next board
meeting is Monday, August 11,
at A C H at 7: 30 p.m.
Local farmers
help each other
with fire
Thursday, July 10, a
s m a ll f ir e s ta r te d n e a r
Lexington on the road side o f
Lee W agenblast’s property.
T h e f ir e , s ta r te d by an
unknown source, was quickly
put out and only burned about
a 20-foot area.
Then on Friday, due
to the hot weather conditions,
a boy who had com e to mow
the W agenblast’s yard, saw
sm oke com ing from the area
that had been burning the day
before. No one was home and
so he w ent up to M orrow
County Grain Growers to tell
them the fire had restarted.
Tom Pointer, local
farm ers and the Rural Fire
Department, came to help put
the fire out. Pointer took his
tractor and plowed around the
fire, to h elp keep it from
spreading. However, this time
the fire m anaged to bum up
along the hillside and cover a
40-acre area. A ccording to
Steve W agenblast, 40 acres
was nothing compared to what
it could have been had no one
spotted it and took immediate
action.
A f te r w a r d s , th e
farm ers took the chance to
visit and catch up w ith each
other and turn a bad situation
into something good.
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City puts water project on hold
continuedfrom page one
free up the $70,000 per year
set-aside. He said inflation and
increased costs to maintain the
water system could necessitate
the need for rate increases in
the future.
W olff w as adam ant about
the need to rethink the water
system and how it is paid for.
“ I have just become very gun-
shy o f the project,” he told the
council. “Talking with a cross-
section o f the com m unity I
have heard that they do not
w ant this size o f project and
they d o n ’t w ant to pay for it.
We erred w hen we approved
the project, he said o f the
council’s action.
W olff proposed that instead
o f th e $6 m illio n p ro je c t
requiring $4,750,000 in 30-
year debt, that the city should
instead look at paring back
the cost and adopting a “pay-
as-you-go” philosophy.
W olff also proposed the
tw o new w ells and the new
750,000-gallon water storage
tank be elim inated from the
p ro je c t. H e p ro p o se d the
$ 1 4 3 ,0 0 0 in new rev en u e
raised each year from the
recently approved w ater fee
increases be used every year
to pay for the project over a
10-13 year tim e period. He
said the city crew could do the
work by hiring seasonal help,
le a s in g e q u ip m e n t a n d
completing the jo b over a 10-
13 year tim e period. A t that
point he said, “The city would
not be in debt. I cannot do
this to the city. I cannot incur
this debt on the city,” W olff
reiterated.
C o u n c il m e m b e r Ju d y
B ushke agreed saying she
th o u g h t people w ould cut
b ack on w a te r usage and
revenue w ould probably go
down in the future, leaving the
city unable to pay its debt
w ithout once again raising
w ater rates.
C o u n c il m em b e r K ay
R obinson said she thought
people w ould m ove out o f
Heppner when the water rates
got so high people co u ld n ’t
m ak e th e p a y m e n ts . She
suggested maybe the city hold
an election to see if the voters
wanted the new debt.
M ayor Bob Jepsen said he
has been hearing the opposite
from people. “ I w ould be
tickled to death to double my
paym ents to get a new water
system in two years,” Jepsen
said. “T om ’s proposal is not
in the best interests o f the city.
The public says they w ant a
w ater system in a couple o f
years,” he added.
C ouncil m em ber Tim Van
Cleave said he was still unsure
and “not ready to ju m p into
this (refusing the loans and
cutting back the scope o f the
project).
C ity M a n g e r J e rry
Breazeale said the city should
understand that it w ould not
save any debt money unless it
is able to cut the project by
m ore than $ 1,250,000. That
is the am ount o f grant money
in the $6 m illion project that
must be cut before any savings
would show up on the project.
The rest o f the $4,750,000 is
a one percent interest loan to
be paid back over 30 years.
B r e a z e a le s a id th a t
a lth o u g h h e c o u ld n o t
gu aran tee that w ater rates
w o u ld n o t h a v e to be
increased in the future, he did
say that initially the $ 143,000
r a is e d th ro u g h r e c e n tly
enacted w ater fee increases
w ould not be enough to pay
the $203,000 annual payment
on the debt. He said a reserve
fund o f $70,000 set aside for
water repairs could be used to
supplement the $ 143,000 and
make the annual payment.
W o lff said the $70,000
m ight not be available on a
yearly basis. He also said that
the $ 143,000 figure is based
on the past history o f w ater
usage in the city. The am ount
o f water used may not remain
th e s a m e , a n d th a t w ith
increased rates people m ight
cut b ack on w a te r u sag e,
w hich w ould result in low er
revenue coming in to the city.
B reazeale said if the city
does aw ay with the storage
tank and makes other changes
to the new w ater system plan
it could impact the availability
o f grant and loan funds. He
pointed out that there are also
health issues involved. “If we
eliminate the reservoir that is a
critical part o f the system .
Funding cam e to us in part
because o f health issues.” He
said the city w ater system is
very complicated and if correct
w a te r p r e s s u r e is n o t
maintained and there is leakage
in the pipes it could cause
health problem s for residents
o f the city. He said if the city
crew s w ere to do the project
over W olff’s proposed 10-13
y e a r tim e span, the g ran t
m oney for the project m ight
“go away”.
The current $6 million water
up-grade plan calls for outside
contractors to do the work
and be done in tw o years.
W olff said contractors usually
put in about 30 percent profit
on projects, and that if the city
crew s w ere to do the project
local contractors m ight get
some o f the work. “We might
be able to keep som e o f that
money at home,” W olff said.
City attorney Bill Kuhn said
if the city does the work itself
th e re w o u ld p ro b a b ly be
increased administrative costs
tacked on to the project.
W olff’s m otion asked the
council to:
1. R e s c in d o u r p rio r
approval for the city to
re c e iv e an d sp e n d
R U S a n d O re g o n
lo a n s , g r a n ts a n d
m o n ie s fo r th e
implementation o f our
w ater system m aster
plan,
2. That the city manager
be instructed to return
any borrow ed funds,
o r g r a n t m o n ie s
c o n tin g e n t
on
borrow ed funds that
the city has received
or will receive, for the
water project.
3. T hat w e delete the
p ro p o s e d
w a te r
r e s e r v o ir • a n d th e
proposed water wells,
from our water system
project.
4. That we proceed with
th e w a te r s y s te m
m aster plan program
(as am ended), using
b u d g e te d re v e n u e
raised annually, using
n ew ,
le a s e d
equipm ent and city
e m p lo y e e s
to
complete the work.
5. T h a t n o d e b t be
taken-on for the water
project. We will pay-
as-we-go.
The council did not pass the
motion, however, it did decide
to put the project on hold while
city staff study the feasibility o f
adopting Wolff’s plan.
Death Notice
Charles A. “Bud”
Lundell
C h a rle s A. “ B u d ”
Lundell, 88, o f Heppner, died
S u n d a y , J u ly 13, a t h is
re s id e n c e at St. P a tric k ’s
Senior Center, in Heppner.
A graveside service
will be held Saturday, July 19,
at the Valby C em etery, in
lone.
A com plete obituary
will appear in next w e e k ’s
Gazette-Times.
Sw eeney M ortuary,
H e p p n e r, is in c h a rg e o f
arrangements.
»