TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 23, 2003 The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow Letters to the Editor H eppner 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 on e num ber on all letters tor use by the G-Toffice. The G -T reserves the right to edit. The G -T is not responsible for accuracy of statements m ade in letters. (A ny letters expressing thanks will be placed in the classifieds under *C ard of Thanks ‘ at a cost of $ 7.) G A Z E T T E -T IM E S U.S.P.S. 240 -4 2 0 Morrow County’s Home-Owned W e e k ly N e w s p a p e r Pub lishe d w eekly and entered as periodical matter at the Post O ffice at Heppner, O re g o n under the A c t o f M a r c h 3, 1879 Perio dical postage paid at Heppner, O re ­ gon. O ffic e at 147 W W illo w Street T elep hone (5 4 1 ) 6 7 6 -9 2 2 8 Kax ( 5 4 1 1 6 7 6 - 9211. 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Cost for a display ad is $4 75 per column inch Cost tor classified ad is 504 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 PuMc/Legal Notices public/lega! notices deadline is M onday at 5 p m Dates for publi­ cation must be specified Affidavits must be required at the time of submission Affidavits require 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 Ad • Subm it a News Story • V iew Real Estate for Sale • City Council & Planning Minutes • Local Businesses • County Park • Willow Creek Park Reservations • Free Digital Postcards • Senior Housing • and more! Morrow County receives monies for bridge repair T he O reg o n Department ofTransportation released the distribution o f the $2 billion package authorized by the Oregon Transportation Investment Act o f2003. This la n d m ark tra n s p o rta tio n package is the largest road financing plan Oregon has seen in the past 20 years. “ T he O reg o n Transportation Investment Act o f 2003 is going to help jump start our economy,” said Rep. Smith. “The public projects that will be created as a result o f this bonding will go a long w ay to w a rd g e ttin g Oregonians back to work. I am proud to vote for this package.” Morrow County will receive $4,204 million for bridge repairs as part o f this project. The O reg o n Transportation Investment Act o f 2003 is also designed to create approxim ately 4750 fam ily-w age jo b s in road construction and maintenance sustained annually for the next 10 years. “This package isn’t ju st about fixing O regon’s 3 -*><«•■*»<«••»>«(••»><«■ •*» <«• & H 6 b ro k e n tr a n s p o rta tio n system," Rep. Smith stated. “It’s about getting Oregonians back to work. Our state needs to fix our roads and bridges, and we need to get our citizens working again.” DA’s Report R o b erta L y n n ette Brown pled guilty to Selling Alcohol without a Service Permit- as a violation. Brown had to pay $95 in fines. Jennifer Rene Jiminez pled guilty to Harassment, a Class-B misdemeanor. Jiminez w as se n te n c e d to 180 suspended days in jail, 20 hours o f community service, 12 months bench probation, com pletion o f a dom estic violence package w ith battery impact panel and payment o f $374 in fines and fees. Luanne Flanagan was convicted o f Theft-I, a Class- C felony. F lan a g an w as s e n te n c e d to tw o y ears supervised probation, 60 days in jail, 80 hours o f community service and payment o f $6521 in fees and restitution. <& ■ *» ;«• c«- ->» ««• •«: :<*• -»> ;«•© ^ Does your partner treat you roughly (grab, push, pinch, hit, call you names)? Does your partner blame you for how they feel or act? * English and Spanish Tuesdays, from 6-8 p.m. at the Dept, of Human Services 103 S.W. Klnkade Rd. Room #4, Boardman Confidentiality. Open to victims needing support. Leant more about domestic violence. ; soeflfT* zocts** Wed cl inq TaU GS S a r a G re e n u p & Tqqfi C a m p b e ll Wedding - Saturday, August 2 J e ssic a V i n W in k le & Jo se p h M c H a n e q Wedding - Saturdaq, August 9 Kim beelg Becker & B re n t G u n d e r so n Wedding - Saturdag, August 2 3 Ste p h an ie H aquew ood & S h a u n h i , I er Shower - Sundaq, August 2 4 Wedding - Saturdaq, September 2 0 217 North Klein • Heppner , To the Editor: A v ery se rio u s situation is taking place in this country and it will have a d e trim e n ta l im p act to communities like yours and mine and its residents as well as to the State o f Oregon. What I am talking about is the current A dm inistration in Washington DC’s mandate o f im p le m e n tin g A -7 6 / Competitive Sourcing on the Forest Service. If you are not familiar with A-76/Competitive S o u rin g , it in v o lv e s th e elimination o f Forest Service jobs in Oregon and turning over that w ork to private contractors. If you are wondering how is this going to cause detrimental impacts to the community and its residents, think about these key points. I f th e F o re st S e rv ic e employees (both permanent and seasonal) that live and work in your community or neighboring communities lose their jobs to contractors, you and your neighbors could lose the following items: Seasonal employment o p p o rtu n itie s fo r y o u r residents at their current wage will no longer exist. You will no longer have the revenue coming in from the b illin g o f F o rest S ervice employees for utilities such as water and sewer that they use in th e ir h o m es in y o u r community. The small businesses in your community will np lo n g er h av e the rev en u e coming in from the purchases o f goods and services by Forest Service employees. Contractors are not going to provide long-term revenue for yo u r c o m m u n ity ’s sm all businesses. T he sc h o o l and churches in your community will suffer due to reduced numbers o f students enrolled and ch u rc h a tte n d a n c e . Contractors are not going to provide revenue and support because they are not going to bring their families to your community. S pecial ch aritab le events that take place in your community will suffer due to re d u c e d a tte n d a n c e and participation from Forest Service employees in your community. Your community will lose the assistance the Forest Service employees provide both on and off the job during times o f emergency. This will im p act such se rv ic e s as emergency medical assistance, search and rescue assistance, fire assistance, and assistance to S tate and C ounty law enforcement. There is a chance that the Forest S ervice office located in your community or neighboring community could be closed, if enough Forest Service employee jobs are eliminated that work at that office. I f F o re st S e rv ic e employees loose their jobs to contractors, contractors are not going to provide long-term revenue and support that Forest Service em ployees provide for your community. Contractors are not g o ing to buy hom es and property and probably very limited amounts o f goods and services in your community, so you have a lost o f revenue for your community supported/ provided utilities. As you can see A-76/ Competitive Sourcing is wrong and bad for the communities like yours, bad for the Forest S erv ice, and bad for the country. I hope you will join with me in the fight to eliminate A-76/Competitive Sourcing by contacting your Senators and Representatives and tell them this m andate by the Administration is wrong. (s) Theresa H. Weaver N a tio n a l F e d e ra tio n o f Federal Employees President, Local 271 Umatilla National Forest We need to support growth If so, you may want to attend Domestic Violence Services’ Women’s Support Group, - Morrow County. ^ Muntuj'j Drug A-76/Competitive Sourcing bad for for your schools and churches community Ua Country Rose 676-9158 233 N. Vain • Heppner Serving Heppner. Lexington t lone 676-9426 | To the Editor: H eppner cu rren tly has a re a s o n a b ly v ia b le downtown business district which contributes greatly to the livability o f South Morrow. It is unique among small rural towns, many o f which have rundown building standing vacant. H eppner’s fortunate state is due to the volunteer e ffo rts o f co m m u n ity members, coupled with small b u s in e s s e s th a t hav e consistently upgraded their sto re s. H o w ev er, m any citizens do not realize the necessity for growth to merely maintain what we now enjoy. Costs for all business constantly escalate; utilities, p e rs o n n e l, ta x e s, m erchandise, rem odeling, government mandates, etc., etc. To meet the constant need for more capital your small businesses must have growth from somewhere. I f w e w a it fo r manufacturing jobs to come here we have much to lose. We n eed to c o n tin u e encouraging tourism as we are currently doing and to actively encourage more retirees. The ones that are already here have co n trib u ted v astly to the community. However, continued g ro w th depends on in fra s tru c tu re an d no in fra s tru c tu re is m o re important than an adequate w ater system for years to com e. Towns that do not adequately address this type o f problem practice deliberate d o w n siz in g of th e ir communities. And with any fu rth e r d o w n siz in g th e business district could vanish. The cost o f fixing the water system for growth will not get any better in the future. I cannot envision anyone leaving the area due to a slight rise in water prices. I can, h o w ev er, e n v isio n them leaving if we have no health care system or any business district. Currently, people have been m oving here, purchasing one o f our own h o m e s, but w o rk in g elsew here. A really good community attracts people. People from lone as well as Heppner work in the banks, stores, offices, etc., in H eppner. P lease support g ro w th fo r H ep p n er to continue to make this a reality, (s) Meg Murray lone MCHD to meet A re g u la r b o ard m e e tin g o f th e M orrow County Health District will be held Monday, July 28, at 7 p.m., at the lone City Hall. O n the ag e n d a is election o f officers, the CEO report (trauma designation/ CAH), and the June financials. Covering ER with Mid-levels By Molly Rhea Open up any newspaper, turn on any news report, health care dollars are becoming scarcer and scarcer. The federal government is cutting back wherever they can and the state o f Oregon’s budget is in shambles. The $64,000 question - will the Morrow County Health District (MCHD) be able to hold on through these uncertain financial times? According to CEO, Victor Vander Does, and the Board o f Directors, the answer is a cautious “Yes”, but this survival will only be accomplished by modifying specific services and revenue or tax support. Which brings me to the subject assigned. At the June 30 Board o f Directors meeting, it was decided to drop Pioneer Memorial Hospital’s (PMH) Trauma IV certification. Why would we want to drop our Trauma designation? Because, according to Vander Does, this will save the district as much as $ 150,000 a year. How could we save that much money by just by dropping our Trauma designation? First, a few explanations of terms. In 1985, the Oregon Trauma System (OTS) was developed to enhance the training of emergency room personnel and facilitate transfers for victims o f trauma. PMH has been a Level IV provider within the OTS since the late 1980s. To be considered as a member o f the OTS, the hospital must pass a certification survey, one o f the regulations for certification is that a physician is immediately available to the emergency room (ER) at all times. The designation “Physician” does not include Mid-Level Providers, meaning Physician Assistants, such as Sheridan Tamasky, P.A., or Nurse Practitioners, which was former Heppner clinician, Wendy Haack’s, title, are not able to provide emergency room coverage without a physician being immediately available. To comply with the OTS regulations, when one o f our PAs or NPs are “on-call” for the emergency room, PMH has had to have a physician in town and available. And if you require a physician to be in town, then you must pay them for complying with this requirement. So, how will the discontinuation o f this designation affect the quality o f the emergency health care available to the citizens o f southern Morrow County? “ We will continue to care for victims o f trauma the same way we are now,” states Tammy Henderson, PMH director of nursing. “When a trauma victim is brought to our ER, we stabilize and transport.” Now let’s try to wade through some o f the more recent uncertainty and misconceptions. The emergency room at PMH will continue to be staffed by highly qualified providers. Dr.’s Datta and (Ed) Berretta will continue to cover the ER most weekdays, with the on-call duties being shared by the physicians and the m id-level providers, the PAs and NPs, on the weekends. Additionally, the RNs that work at PMH are required to maintain their certification in Trauma Nursing, as well as being certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, which is advanced training in caring for victims o f heart attack or stroke. This involved training mirrors that o f nurses working in urban emergency rooms. “When someone presents at our backdoor with an emergency, not only are they quickly assessed by a RN,” Henderson assures. “They can start receiving appropriate treatment almost immediately.” CHAMBER CHATTER By Claudia Hughes, Exec. Dir Have you noticed the w hiff o f baking pies drifting through Willow Creek Valley windows o f late? These delicious pies will again be up for auction at the second annual Chamber Pie Auction during “Celebrate Historic Heppner” this Friday, July 25. The pie auction was the brainchild o f Chamber Board member Brenda Sherrell. Sherrell Insurance Agency is the event sponsor with assistance from John Gochnauer o f John’s Other Place. Proceeds go tow ard Cham ber projects, such as Christmas Lighting, Town and Country, marketing, etc. Chamber member Artisan Village is preparing forth^ Quilt Show on Sunday, July 27, at the City Park from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Check with Bonnie Wenberg for more information. The weatherman is predicting cooler weather Friday. When you’ve dunked someone in the dunk tank, shopped the sidewalk sales and enjoyed the “Go Music Group” on Main Street, head for the City Park at 5 p.m. with family, friends and lawn chairs to enjoy the barbecue served by Chamber members and sponsored by the Bank o f Eastern Oregon. Entertainment will follow with the Pie auction and Music In The Park. It’s another Heppner Happening, one that enables most locals to sit and enjoy instead o f volunteering until they’re exhausted. Now in this terrific community o f volunteers, that is rare. In another month, school will be back in session. If you’re looking for a way to spend quality time, consider the SMART program. SMART stands for “Start Making A Reader Today”. Chamber members were introduced to the program during a recent luncheon. This is an opportunity to spend one hour per week reading to or listening to a student read. Businesses and individuals are encouraged to participate. The rewards and results are life lasting. Interested persons may contact Tracy Bunch. Good readers have no limits. A trip to the library and the world is at one’s fingertips. Fair and Rodeo is just around the comer. Stop by the Chamber or call for a parade application. The theme this year is” Morrow County, True to the Red, White and Blue.” Thought for the week: “A community is like the pieces o f a quilt, a unique collage coming together to make a masterpiece." Births ~ at Good Shepherd Medical Cinthya Elizabeth Center in Hermiston, to Jamie Diaz- a daughter, Cinthya Raelynn and Troy Michael Stewart, o f Irrigon. Elizabeth, was bom July 4, Christopher James 2003, at G ood S hepherd T ib o n i, Jr.- a son, Medical Center in Hermiston, Christopher James, Jr., was to Oflia Zavalza and Armando bom July 10,2003, at Good Diaz Perez, o f Boardman. Shepherd Medical Center in C layton Jam e s Hermiston, to Marilyn Ann and Stewart- a son, C lay to n Christopher James Tiboni, o f James, was bom July 7,2003, Heppner.