FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 23,2008
Heppner based organization asked to take
run Grant County mental health agency
Editor’s Note: The
following story ran in the
July 16, 2008 edition o f the
Blue Mountain Eagle and
was written by Scotta Cal-
lister.
Grant County is ask
ing Heppner-based organiza
tion to operate the county’s
mental health, counseling
and d isa b ilitie s services
department.
The County Court
last week gave County Judge
Mark Webb the go-ahead to
pursue an agreement with
the Community Counseling
Solutions (CCS), formerly
Morrow-Wheeler Behavior
al Health, to provide “stop
gap” services as details for
a longer-term arrangement
are worked out.
The court wants the
non-profit to step in to man
age the Grant County Center
for Human Development as
it copes with staff changes
and other challenges.
Webb said the Coun
ty Court will still be the
mental health authority for
the county, but that the new
arrangement would put di
rect management and ser
vices “in more appropriate
hands” than those o f the
County Court.
Combining the ad
ministration of mental health
programs is becoming more
common as counties grap
ple with tight budgets, and
the state encourages such
consolidation for cost ef
ficiency, Webb said.
G rant C ounty has
been considering other w ays
to operate its mental health
and counseling department
for about a year. Adding
urgency to the move are
some key staff vacancies
as the county begins a new
fiscal year.
D irector Bill Har
rin g to n ’s tenure with the
GCCHD ended at the end of
June, after the court decided
not to renew a waiver for
his position because he did
not hold the master's degree
required for the job. Har
rington had been providing
crisis counseling and other
services for the Center under
a waiver from the state.
The Center also has
lost another counselor, Max
ine Day, who left to become
the Grant County Extension
4-H agent.
CCS is one of three
agencies the County Court
has looked to as possible
m anagers o f the m ental
health and substance abuse
department.
The Court has been
talking informally with CCS
for about a year. Other agen
cies considered as possibili
ties for management roles
were the mental health pro
grams in Harney County and
Wallowa County.
Each has a success
ful program, noted Webb,
and could handle interim
management of Grant Coun
ty ’s program.
However, commis
sioners weren’t certain that
Harney or Wallowa would
take on the C enter long
term.
Webb and the com
missioners also cited con
cerns about the distance
from Wallowa County, and
the fact that Harney already
is looking at adding Lake
C o u n ty ’s program to its
responsibilities.
“To my mind, CCS
is the best option,” Webb
said.
The goal, em pha
sized Commissioner Boyd
Britton, is better service for
the citizens.
Webb said he e x
pects CCS to use both its
director, Kimberly Lindsay,
and an on-site manager to
run the GCCHD.
He said CCS has
been clear that no county
jobs would be lost in the
transition, although some
responsibilities may be re
shuffled.
He said his under
standing from talks with
CCS is “they don’t let peo
ple go.”
C enter em ployees
likely would become em
ployees o f CCS under a
long-term c o n tra ct. The
county already is hiring to
fill vacancies at the Center,
and Webb said he expects
CCS to be involved in that
process.
The Court said they
appreciated Lindsay and
CCS for their commitment
to helping a Grant County
explores its alternatives for
mental health services.
Opportunity Online Grants help public libraries
improve quality of free computer access
The Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation announced
today $8.1 million in grants
to help public libraries in 11
states improve and sustain
free, quality access to com
puters. These Opportunity
Online grants specifically
will help upgrade computer
hardware in public libraries
serving communities with
high concentrations o f pov
erty that are at risk of having
outdated technology.
Millions o f Ameri
cans use computers at their
public libraries to improve
their education, find eco
nomic opportunities, access
e-govemment services, and
contribute to their communi
ties. Unfortunately, many li
braries do not have adequate
funding to maintain qual
ity technology serv ices and
meet community demand.
This is the second
o f three rounds o f Oppor
tunity Online grants. More
than 800 library branches in
Alaska, Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hamp
shire, New Jersey, N orth
C arolina, Oregon, Rhode
Island, Virginia, and Wash
ington state are eligible in
SS® tnr®w
(£@oooDûÿ
this round. Libraries must
p ro v id e local m atch in g
funds to receive the grants.
The required local commit
ment nationwide is expected
to total $4.1 million.
Opportunity Online
grants are designed to help
public libraries like the Es
sex Public Library secure
sustained local funding for
c o m p u te r re p la c e m e n ts
and upgrades. Because 80
percent o f public library
funding comes from local
sources, the grants require
p articipatin g libraries to
secure a local match, pref
erably in the form o f a local
government commitment, to
demonstrate they can sustain
investments in technology
into the future. Librarians
participating in the program
are required to attend a pro
fessional development con
ference to help them build
the skills and confidence
they need to raise aw are
ness about the value of their
libraries and increase local
support.
Heppner Public Li
brary is on the list o f eligi
bility for Opportunity On
line Hardware Grants.
CUSTOM
FULL
COLOR
\B A N N E R S
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• H ig h Q u a lity 13 O z. G lo s s y
V in y l B a n n e r M a te ria l
A ll V in y l B a nn ers A re W a te rp ro o f
• D o u b le H e m s O n A ll F o u r S id es
R e a d y-To -H a n g G ro m m e ts P laced
• P re m iu m D ig ita l P rin tin g
Heppner Gazette-Times
188 West Willow • 676-9228
Intermediary organi
zations will administer and
manage the grants in each
state. The round-two O p
portunity Online grants were
awarded to the following or
ganizations: Bibliographical
Center for Research (BCR),
NELINET, PALINET, the
Southeastern Library Net
work (SOLINET), and the
Library o f V irginia. The
foundation, in partnership
with its intermediaries, has
contacted all libraries eli
gible for the grants.
To date, the foun
dation has invested $325
million in grants and other
support to install and sustain
computers in libraries and
train thousands o f library
staff in all 50 states and
U.S. territories. Opportunity
Online hardware grants are
expected to be the last grants
given by the foundation to
fund computer upgrades in
U.S. public libraries with
vulnerable technology, but
the foundation continues
to support libraries through
investments in Internet con
nectivity, research, training,
and advocacy.
Murray family wins July Yard of the Month
John and Ann Murray
By Kay Proctor
John and Ann Mur
ray received recognition
from the Heppner Garden
Club for July’s Yard o f the
Month.
The Murray’s family
orientated home is located
at 275 Rock Street, an ap
propriate name for the steep,
rocky residential neighbor
hood. B lasting had to be
done to pour foundations
when Kinzua built the house
in the 1970’s for their mill
managers. The surrounding
seven acres were originally
left natural for low main
tenance; trees were added
along the drivew ay only.
B eginning in 1988 when
John and Ann purchased
their hom e, the M urrays
began adding terraces to
increase usable, outdoor
living space.
To the south side of
their home is a wooden deck
with a view o f the city. Next
to the deck, is a terraced
play area with a lawn. John
and ‘the boys’ have been
the lawn mowers and weed-
pullers over the years. The
boys are John and A n n ’s
sons; Luke, Sean, Ian and
Kevin who have one sister,
Laurie.
A t the p ro p e rty ’s
entrance, a basketball pad
for the kids was added that
needed high-sided walls to
hold back the hillside. Also
set up in this area are bow
hunting targets.
The w est sid e o f
their yard has a sunny, ter
raced area for John’s large
v eg etab le gard en . G ood
topsoil was brought in one
loader bucket at a time due
to lim ited access up the
slope. While a fence keeps
the family dogs, Bella and
Penny, out o f the garden,
a w alkw ay tak es hum an
visitors to the plot filled
with a variety o f vegetables,
including ‘K err’s Pink’ and
‘Marris Piper’, which are,
respectively, an Irish and a
Scottish variety o f potatoes.
John uses straw to mulch be
tween rows holding in mois
ture and lim iting w eeds.
After the growing season,
the straw is rototilled in to
benefit the soil.
This year for the first
time, John started some of
his own vegetable from seed
including tomatoes and egg
plants and hopes to someday
have a sm all, perm anent
greenhouse to continue to
do so.
In the vegetable gar
den, a clever watering sys
tem designed by John uses
a mainline, poly-drip line
and varying heights of risers
zip-tied to moveable stakes.
Sprinklers in the center are
360 degrees for complete
coverage while sprinklers on
the perimeter are 180 degree
to prevent over spray. The
entire system is removable
when need be.
That is only part o f
the extensive drip line sys
tem that John designed and
installed to conserve water,
yet enable the Murrays to
surround their home with
greenery. There are a total
o f 12 stations and a few
sprinkler heads are used, but
most irrigation is out of the
line ...the system uses over
2 ,0 0 0 ’ o f drip line. Each
spring, an entire day is spent
repairing and preparing the
system for use.
The d rip line has
kept the num erous trees
growing that John planted
after using a pickaxe to
break through rocks and
backfilled with soil brought
in. In addition to a tree row
o f evergreens along a prop
erty border, there are 25
fruit trees. Fruit produced
is used for jams, drying or
eaten fresh.
A terraced bed grows
strawberries. Blackberries
are grown near their down
town business,
Murray Drugs,
w here John and Ann are
fulltime pharmacists. Future
plans at home are to cover
their deck with a canopy
o f grapevines. Eventually,
John would like to add a few
more retaining walls.
A nn’s favorite place
in the yard is by the front
door where a rocky slope
was terraced and then plant
ed with colorful perennials.
She said her best gardening
advice is to “ m arry a(n)
(O SU ) M aster G ardener”
like John is. Ann credits her
husband with all the outdoor
planning and states that she
is “proud o f John” for all
the work he does outside
in addition to his responsi
bilities at work, keeping up
w ith their kids and activities
in the community. She and
John are both natives o f
South Morrow County.
John believes that
gardening is “good for a
p e rso n ” and en co u rag es
others to garden; it’s easy to
do and growing even small
amounts is enjoyable. He
hopes to see others enter
their gardening results in
the Morrow County Fair as a
way to be involved. To help
make gardening available to
others, John is active with
the local community garden
that provides free plots to
city residents.
He also states that
he was inspired by his older
brother, Mark, who together
with his wife has planted
and maintained a showplace
at their Prairie City home.
John also credits Ida Farra,
a member o f the Heppner
Garden Club and friend to
many, for her gardening sup
port and serving as an inspi
ration to him and others.
With their dedica
tion to family, home and
community, in many ways
John and Ann Murray are
already inspiring others.
Yard o f the Month
recognition is co-sponsored
by H ep p n er TV, M CGG
G reen Feed, the C ity o f
Heppner and the Heppner
Garden Club.
Articles wanted for annual fair edition
The annual Morrow County Fair is fast approaching. Once again this year the
Heppner Gazette-Times will be putting together a special fair edition. Anyone interested
in writing any fair related articles are asked to turn in those articles by Friday, July 25.
Articles can be dropped o f at the Heppner Gazette-Times or emailed to editor@rapid-
serve.net.
Marriages
Morrow County
Clerk Bobbi Childers has
released the following re
port o f m arriage licenses
issued:
-July 18: Ramon Je
sus Guel, 23, Molalla, and
Melissa Renae Arden, 21,
Hermiston.
Blood drive to be held at Sr. Center
A Heppner community blood drive will be held
Thursday, August 7, from l-6 p.m. at the St. Patrick’s
Senior Center. To make an appointment to donate, call
800-787-9691.
Senior Center Menu
Christian Life Center church members will be serv
ing lunch on Wednesday, July 30. The menu will include
meat loaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, peas and carrots,
hot rolls and cake.
BEO FINANCIAL SERVICES
Russ Murfitt
Financial Advisor
*
*
*
*
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*
IRA’s
Life Insurance
Long Term Care
Pension Rollovers
Retirement Planning
Long Term Financial Needs
Securities related products and services made available through
BEO Financial Services are offered by Royal Alliance Associates, Inc.,
an independent registered broker-dealer, member FINRA, SIPC, not affiliated
with Bank of Fastern Oregon, its affiliates, divisions, or subsidiaries.
Advisory services offered through Pearson Financial (¿roup,
a registered investment advisor.
Not a Deposit of Bank of Fastern Oregon.
Not FDI( Insured.
Not Insured by any Federal Government Agency.
Not Guaranteed by Bank of Fastern Oregon.
May Go Down in Value.
Home Office: 279 IN. Main St., Heppner, O R 97836 * 54I-676-9I27
em ail: rmurtitt a ro>ttlaa.com
For an appointment in your area, call Bank of Fastern Oregon.
Wedding Tables
S h a r o n R o b in so n a n d R yan M iller
Shower - July 2Ó, 2 0 0 8
Wedding - Aug. 2, 2 0 0 8
Joe a n d K a th le e n (G re en u p ) A lb itr e
Wedding and Reception - Aug. 2, 2 0 0 8
Jill S o r e y a n d C o rey M iller
Wedding - Oct. 18, 2 0 0 8
^ MlU/UUJ’J DjttUJ
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