Vanpooling to begin in September
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Bessie W et/ell Newspaper Library
University o f Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
Starting in Septem
ber, Morrow County resi
dents will see a vanpool
commuting from Heppner
to B oardm an. The H ep
p n er C h am b er o f C o m
merce (contracted by Wil
low' Creek Valley Economic
D evelopm ent G roup) has
been working to get some
vanpools organized to assist
the residents in south Mor
row County w ho work in the
north Morrow and Umatilla
county areas to use the van-
pool option and save the
wear and tear and expense
on their own vehicles and
share the ride.
VPSI will be deliv
ering the seven-passenger
van on Friday. The first
vanpool will begin on Sep
tember 2. The cost for riders
is $198 per month plus the
cost o f gas.
The chamber w ill be
putting vanpools together
to help local residents w ith
their work commute. To add
your name to the vanpool
list or for more information
call the Chamber office at
676-5536.
Victor Spencer of VPSI, Inc. shows one of the vans that the
company provides for vanpooling. Vanpooling w ill begin in
Morrow County on Tuesday, September 2. -Photo by David
Sykes
Health district board approves
sending levy to voters this fall
VOL. 127
NO. 35
10 Pages
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Morrow County Sheriff’s Office investigates fires
On August 19 at 9:06
p.m., Deputy Jon Lehman
was advised that Gilliam
County was experiencing
multiple fires that appeared
to have been set by person or
persons unknown. As Dep
uty Lehman was patrolling
west on 1-84 toward Gilliam
County, he was dispatched
to a report of a person whose
vehicle was stuck on a dirt
road just off Tower Road
near Boardman. This person
was also reporting that there
was a fire at the location and
he was worried that the fire
was getting closer.
Deputy Lehman ar
rived to find a vehicle stuck
in the soft sand. The vehicle
operator was identified as
Joshua Lee Kent, 21 years
o f age, from Irrigon. Sub
sequent investigation by
Deputy Lehman on scene
resulted in the arrest o f Kent
for DUII.
Kent was transport
ed to Boardman Police De
partment where Sgt. Randy
Studebaker o f the Gilliam
County Sheriff’s Office and
Deputy Lehman interviewed
Kent about the fires. These
interviews culminated in the
additional charges o f Crimi
nal M ischief II, Criminal
Trespass II, Reckless En
dangering and Arson II.
During the investi
gation, an additional suspect
was identified that had fled
the scene prior to Deputy
Lehman arriving. This per
son was identified as Jona
than M ichael Parrish, 22
years o f age, out o f Irrigon.
P arrish was located and
interviewed by Sgt. Stude
baker and Deputy Lehman.
These interviews resulted
in the arrest of Parrish for
Arson II, Criminal Mischief
II, Criminal Trespass II, and
Reckless Endangering.
Both o f these men
w ere lodged at U m atilla
County Jail. Gilliam County
will also be charging both
men with crimes that oc
curred in Gilliam County.
Additional investigation is
ongoing. The fire in Morrow
County was approximately
five acres in size and was
extinguished by Boardman
Fire Department.
This investigation
is still in progress and more
details may be available in
the next few days.
Algae advisory lifted for Willow Creek Reservoir
The algae advisory
issued in July for Willow
Creek Reservoir has been
lifted, the U.S. Army Corps
o f Engineers announced.
Recent water sam
pling confirms reduced lev
els of a species o f blue-green
algae that can produce toxins
harmful to humans and ani
mals. State guidelines rec
ommend waiting two weeks
after algal cell counts fall
below state-specified levels
before lifting advisories re
lated to algae blooms.
The Oregon Depart
ment o f Human Services
advises people who recre
ate in Oregon reservoirs to
alw ays be alert for signs
o f algal bloom s. People
and their pets should avoid
A fisherman enjoys a day of fishing at the W illow Creek Reser
voir. -Photo by David Sykes
w ater contact if there are
visible clumps o f algae in
the water.
For local inform a
tion, contact The Dalles,
John Day, W illow Creek
Project at (541) 506-7802.
For health information, con-
tact D eanna C o n n ers at
DHS, (971)673-0444.
Additional informa
tion on blue-green algae can
be found on the DHS Web
site at http://oregon.gov/
DHS/ph/envtox/maadviso-
ries.shtml.
The Heppner Gazette-Times will be
closed on Monday, September 1, in
observance of the Labor Day holiday.
Deadline for all news and ads will be
Friday, August 29, at 5 p.m.
By April Sykes
and CFO Nicole Mahoney
Facing a $33,82 1 have worked to obtain a
loss for July, a $72,725 different status (swing bed)
roofing bill and other costs for the district which will
involved in the general op ensure that long-term care
eration o f the hospital in costs are met. The renova
Heppner and clinics in Hep tion allows for private and
pner and Irrigon, the Mor semi-private rooms. Vander
row County Health District Does said that completion
Board, at their regular meet of the project is geared for
ing Monday night, approved mid-November.
a resolution to put a five-
In other business the
year local option tax before board:
the voters.
-learned that the re
The b o ard v o ted modeling costs may rise to
unanimously to ask the vot $920,000-$950,000 by the
ers to continue a .39 cent per time the whole project is
thousand o f assessed valua completed with the inclusion
tion property tax before the o f several items that had to
voters. The previous local be purchased separately and
option tax expired this year a change order for heating
and the district is no longer and air conditioning in the
operating w ith additional tax downstairs section o f the
monies. The district will use hospital, which is currently
the tax revenue, if approved w ithout air conditioning
by voters, to maintain and and is “heated poorly,” said
improve the present level Vander Does. The nursing
o f services. Health District director’s office is located
CEO Victor Vander Does downstairs, as well as of
said that the tax request was fices for Home Health and
due to increased supply and Hospice.
-approved purchase
labor costs, the need for full
tim e em ergency services o f security system compo
and am bulance staff and nents that were not included
increased unpaid care pro in the remodeling bid for
vided by the district. He said $15,649. The key-pad sys
that the permanent tax rate tem will ensure that long
was insufficient to continue term care residents will be
to fund district operations at secure and that the facility
will also prevent unauthor
the current level.
The tax,ifapproved ized persons from entering
by voters, w ill generate the facility.
-approved purchase
$357,800 per year through
2013 and $381,200 through o f a c a u te riz in g a tta c h
2014, according to infor ment for the new colonos
mation received from Mor copy equipment at a cost
row County Assessor Greg o f $11,250. Vander Does
Sweek. The levy is same as said that the equipm ent
the one approved by voters has been set up and he an
ticipates being able to offer
in 2004
Also at the meeting, colonoscopies very shortly.
Vander Does took the board He said that Dr. R ussel
on a tour of the hospital ren Nichols, a physician new to
ovation currently underway. the district, w ill conduct the
He said that the majority of procedures.
-heard a report from
the wiring and plum bing
Vander
Does that the county
has been com pleted with
insulation scheduled to start court rejected a request from
Wednesday. The renovation the health district to bor
will allow the hospital to row funds from the county
once again offer long-term equity fund. A motion to ap
patient care, similar to the prove the request by Com
nursing home the hospital missioner Ken Grieb died
had previously. The dis for lack of a second by Com-
trict was forced to close m issioner John Wenholz.
the nursing home because County Judge Terry Tall man
M edicare and M edicaid abstained from voting be
payments were not enough cause his wife is employed
to cover costs and the hos- by the health district.
pital w as losing money.
-heard a request from
Since then, Vander Does Vander Does for funds from
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the hospital Foundation that
had previously been ear
marked. Board Chair Larry
Mills said that the founda
tion had agreed to donate
$20,000 for remodeling o f
the long term care w ing and
another $20,000 for remod
eling of Pioneer Memorial
Clinic and will transfer the
funds to the district.
-approved an addi
tional $10,000 for reroofing
the hospital. The project was
initially bid at $62,725, but
when the roofing company
realized that the workers
had to be paid the prevail
ing wage because the dis
trict is a government entity,
they requested an additional
$13,000. The roofing com
pany, Palmer Roofing, sub
sequently agreed to do the
project for an additional
$10,000 rath er than the
$ 13,000. “ 1 don’t know what
else to do,” said Vander
Does. “ 1 can’t get anyone
else to bid.” “As much as
I hate to, I think w e’d bet
ter bite the bullet and do it,
instead of piece-mealing it,”
said Mills.
-heard that the dis
trict had $566,702 in gross
patient revenue for July
w ith a $33,83 1 loss for the
month.
-received the follow
ing report: Pioneer Memo
rial Clinic had 440 patient
visits with 31 new patients,
46 seen by a nurse and 15
no shows; Irrigon Clinic
had 184 patient visits w ith
26 new patients, 49 seen
by a nurse and seven no
show s; Heppner Ambulance
had 15 page-outs with 14
transports for $19,682 in
revenue; Boardman Ambu
lance had 32 page-outs w ith
16 transports for$ 16,608 in
revenue; Irrigon Ambulance
had 21 page-outs with 15
tran sp o rts for$ 14,607 in
revenue: Pioneer M em o
rial Hospital had six ad
missions, nine admissions
for observation, 481 total
outpatients, 58 emergency
room encounters, 1735 lab
tests, 94 x-ray procedures,
40 CT scans, 25 EKG tests,
two treadmill procedures,
20 respiratory therapy pro
cedures, 206 Home Health
visits, four Hospice admis-
sions and 1844 drug doses
for $104,920 in drug rev
enue.
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