Nichols joins Morrow County Health District
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Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
University of Oregon
Eugene. ÒR 97403
VOL. 127
NO. 31
8 Pages
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
By Autumn Morgan
Russel Nichols says
he has always wanted to live
and work in Heppner. Now
he does as a new doctor with
the Morrow County Health
District.
Dr. Nichols was bom
in Portland and raised in the
Gresham area. He received
his degrees from Oregon
State University and Oregon
Health Sciences University.
Nichols completed his resi
dency training in Spokane.
For the last year Dr.
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Fair & Rodeo Princess Torri
strives to be like her mom
By Autumn Morgan
Torri Lovgren wants
to be like her mother. Step
number one involves being
a Morrow County Fair and
Rodeo princess. Step num
ber one can now be checked
off that list as Torri has been
named a princess for the
2008 Morrow County Fair
and Rodeo Court.
Torri was born in
Pendleton and raised in Hep
pner. She is the daughter of
Pat and Bobbette Lovgren.
Bobbette was on the Mor
row County Fair and Rodeo
Court as a pennant bearer for
two years and a princess for
one year.
Torri has enjoyed
her reign as a princess. She
has attended many parades
and luncheons. Her favorite
event so far has been the
Elgin Stampede, but she is
especially looking forward
to the Morrow County Fair
and Rodeo events.
“ I t ’s a lot o f fun
meeting new people," said
Torri. “It’s fun advertising
the fair and rodeo.” Torri
attended a fashion show
in B oardm an. She e sp e
cially remembers attending
the Morrow County Grain
Growers election o f new of
ficers, the first event where
the court was announced.
Torri is riding a horse
named Bob that she is bor
rowing from a neighbor. She
is planning on buying him.
“Bob has a little bit o f an at
titude,” said Torri. “But he is
still sweet.” Torri originally
planned to ride her horse
Roper. But plans had to be
changed when Roper pulled
a muscle and could not be
ridden.
The fair and rodeo
court has a few different
outfits that they wear. Torri's
favorite is a black pair o f
pants and a red shirt.
Torri, who will be
a junior at Heppner High
School next school year,
plans on attending Eastern
N ichols has been
has been filling in playing golf and is planning
working in em er
w hen n e e d e d in on joining the Willow Creek
gency in c en tral
Heppner for the last Country’ Club.
O re g o n . B e fo re
nine years.
Nichols and his wife,
th a t, he w o rk ed
Dr. N ic h Toni, have three children:
for seven years in
ols says he enjoys H unter, seven, M adelyn,
his ow n practice in
the outdoors, espe live, and Trevor, three. They
John Day. “ 1 have
cially hunting and are also ex p ec tin g th eir
alw ays wanted to
fish in g . N ic h o ls fourth child in August.
come to Heppner,”
said his first deer
He s p e c ia liz e s in
said Nichols. “ 1 like Russel Nichols
h unting trip was fam ily m edicine but also
the community. It’s
when he was one enjoys sports medicine.
just what 1 expected.” He month old. He also enjoys
County Court says no to health district loan request
By April Sykes
The Morrow County
Court, at their regular meet
ing July 23, did not approve
a construction loan for the
Morrow County Health Dis
trict to remodel the hospital.
O f the county ju d g e and
tw o county com m issio n
ers, Judge Terry Tallman,
Boardman, abstained from
voting on “advice o f coun
sel” because o f a conflict of
interest—his wife works for
the health district; Commis
sioner Ken Grieb, Heppner,
made a motion to approve
the request, but the motion
died for lack o f second from
the o th er com m issioner,
John Wenholz, lrrigon.
The health district
had asked for $ 250,000
from the county equity fund
to remodel the hospital to
accom m odate long-term
sw in g bed p a tie n ts and
thereby retain five to seven
jobs. According to the loan
application, the health dis
trict proposed to finance the
$925,000 hospital renova
tion with a $540,000 bank
loan, $73,885 in donations
and grants, $61,115 from the
health district, the $250,000
equity loan from the equity
fund. The loan request had
earlier received 4-1 approval
from the equity fund's bank
ing committee, said Vander
Does.
According to Wen
holz, the equity fund was
created in 1993 when Or
egon Veterans Department
land in north Morrow Coun
ty was sold to RDO (Of-
futt) and then subsequently
purchased by the N ature
Conservancy. Wenholz said
that at that time $500,000
was set up as a loan fund
for gap financing. The fund
has since grow n to over
$600,000. He said that the
loan asking cap, original
ly $50,000, was raised to
$90,000 and then only last
week eliminated.
Since the fund’s ori
gin in 1993, however, only
one loan has been made
from the fund— to Morrow
Development for $50,000 to
leverage a $500,000 USDA
loan. Another loan, $90,000
to Miller Manufacturing in
Heppner is currently pend
ing until some "h u rd les”
can be resolved, said Tall
man and Wenholz. Wenholz
told the Gazette-Times that
they “may not have done a
good enough job in getting
the info out” about the loan
fund.
Wenholz said that he
did not second the motion
approving the loan to the
health district because he
believes the health district
"has other means o f financ
ing” and objected to using
h alf the fund m onies for
only one loan. “ I would like
to see several small busi
nesses have the opportunity
to use this money, especially
with the way the economy
is slowing. If we loaned out
half the money, pretty soon
the loan money is gone,”
he said. "We are trying to
stim u late sm all business
through grow th in our com
munity.”
“ I ’m not negative
about this, but I believe
this money needs to go to
small businesses. I have a
problem with $250,000 of
this fund going out in one
chunk,” Wenholz reiterated,
stressing that "this isn't a
“political issue.” W'enholz
was defeated in his bid for
another term as com m is
sio n er by Leann Rea o f
Boardman.
Tallm an said that
Wenholz "did leave the door
open to reconsider the issue
in the fall.”
Wenholz and his son
Jeff, speaking with the Ga
zette-Times Monday, sug
gested an alternative loan
source for the health dis
trict through a rural utilities
loan program and Columbia
Basin Electric Co-op. Jeff
Wenholz, a member of the
U m atilla E lectric C o-op
Board, said that the Umatilla
Electric Co-op approved a
$300,000 zero-interest loan
to Good Shepherd Commu
nity Hospital in Hermiston
through REDLG, a USDA
rural economic development
loan program.
Hospital remodeling
should be finished by fall
Bv David Sykes
Construction at the
Pioneer Memorial Hospi
tal in H eppner should be
wrapped up by October, the
Morrow County Health Dis
trict Board o f Directors was
told Monday night.
The remodeling has
made it so noisy in parts of
the hospital some staff have
been forced to change of
fices. Administrator Victor
Vander Does told the board
the remodeling was going
pretty good so far w ith only
a few problems. He said the
contractor has been easy to
work with and most prob
lems are being worked out.
The project will enable the
health district to better ac
commodate long term care
patients.
The clinic is also set
for rem odeling with new
exam room s, new equip
ment and upgraded office
space.
In other business the
board discussed their disap
pointment with the Morrow
County Court not approving
their loan application from
the county equity fund (see
related story in this week’s
G azette). The board was
disappointed in that it will
cost the health district over
$50,000 more in interest.
The district will find other
sources o f funds but will
have to pay a higher inter
est rate.
The board also dis
cussed the upcoming vote
to extend a tax levy for the
health district. An action
committee to work on pas
sage o f the levy has been
formed and so far David
Sykes and B arbara Hays
o f Heppner have agreed to
serve on the committee. The
election will be held N o
vember 4 with ballots to be
mailed out in mid-October.
O ther business in
cluded a report that the
d istrict w ill hire Palm er
Roofing to fix the hospital
roof for $62,725.
The board also dis
cussed an upcoming effort
by the city o f Boardman to
establish an urban renewal
district. If passed the board
was told each county-wide
taxing district would lose a
percentage of its tax income.
The health district's portion
would be $6,535 per year for
22 years.
The board also
passed a resolution to bor
row $790,000 from the Bank
o f Eastern Oregon for 15
years at 4.5 percent interest
The loan includes an original
$540,000 and the $250,000
it did not receive from the
county equity fund.
M eeting to be held for proposed treatm ent facility
Top photo is Princess Torri Lovgren. Bottom photo is Torri with
her sister. Manna.
O regon U n iv ersity after
high school. She wants to
pursue a degree in agricul-
ture education to become
an ag teacher. She would
also like to play college
basketball.
Torri plans to be rop-
ing at rodeos next year. She
also is planning to apply to
be the queen of the Morrow
C ounty F air and Rodeo
Court,
A meeting is set for the community to hear about the secure treatment facility
proposed for Heppner today, Wednesday, July 30, at 6:30 p.m. at St. Patrick's Senior
Center.
Presenters w ill be Tim Mahoney, manager o f the Umatilla Treatment Facility;
Kimberly Lindsay, director o f Community Counseling Solutions, formerly
Morrow-Wheeler Behavioral Health; and Rod E. Estes, development specialist with
Lifeways. A question and answer session will be held after the presentations.
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