Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current, September 10, 2008, Page FIVE, Image 5

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    Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, September 10,2008 - FIVE
~
Letters to the Editor ~
The \leppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor with the following
criteria met: letters submitted to the newspaper will need to have the name
of the sender along with a legible signature. We are also requesting that you
provide your address and a phone number where you can be reached. The
address and phone number will only be used for verification and will not be
printed in the newspaper. Letters may not be libelous. The GT reserves the
right to edit. The GT is not responsible for accuracy of statements made in
letters. Any letters expressing thanks will be placed in the classifieds under
“Card o f Thanks” at a cost of $ 10.
Local businesses and services
continue to be a value to MW BH
To the editor:
This letter is written to respond to a few statements
made in a previous letter to the editor regarding the resi­
dential treatment facility in Boardman named Columbia
River Ranch.
In the previous letter to the editor written by Mr.
Raymond Michaels (9/3/08), he infers that Columbia River
Ranch is owned by Morrow Wheeler Behavioral Health
(MWBH). Originally it was hoped that MWBH would be
able to own the facility, and as such have local control and
purchase locally. However, two Morrow County Com­
missioners voted against this and a new corporation took
over. Columbia River Ranch is owned by Columbia Care
Services, which has administrative offices in Grants Pass.
As such MWBH has no say or influence over where such
items as groceries or prescriptions are purchased, or where
patients go for their medical care. Initially medications
were purchased locally and Columbia River Community
Health Services saw the clients, but Columbia Care Ser­
vices decided to use different providers.
MWBH does provide the counseling services at
CRR. The services are locally based and we have clinicians
that reside in either Morrow or Umatilla County. The one
contracted provider at Columbia River Ranch is a psychia­
trist. Unfortunately there are no psychiatrists in Boardman
and the few who reside in Umatilla County do not have
time available. Therefore, telemedicine is utilized.
The facility that was proposed for Boardman, and
will now be located in south Morrow County, will be lo­
cally owned and operated by MWBH, and the $65,000
payroll would be for residential staff. The one contracted
provider for the proposed the facility is the psychiatrist
and this is not part of the quoted $65,000. MWBH is com­
mitted to purchasing locally and using local services. My
staff and I have enjoyed working with Ray at the Board-
man pharmacy over the past 12 years. I have found Ray
to be courteous and professional and am appreciative o f
that. Utilizing local businesses and services has something
that has always been and will continue to be a value to
MWBH.
Kimberly Lindsay
Community Counseling Solutions
(formerly Morrow Wheeler Behavioral Health)
Lexington
Read this book regardless of
political affiliation
To the editor:
1 just recently read a very interesting and thought
provoking book and encourage everyone, regardless o f
political affiliation to do so, before you cast your vote for
president this fall.
“The Case Against Barack Obama” which was
written by a political reporter for National Review Online
David Freddoso, can be purchased at either Bi-Mart or Wal
West Nile Virus detected in rural Irrigon
The West Nile Virus
has been detected in mosqui­
toes collected on September
2, 2008 from traps in east
and southwest rural Irrigon
M orrow C ounty officials
reported. Oregon State Uni­
versity Animal Diagnostic
Laboratory in Corvallis con­
firmed the positive mosquito
pools, said Greg Barron,
Manager o f North Morrow
Vector Control District.
B arron ex p lain ed
that North Morrow Vector
Control District routinely
sets up to 20 adult mosquito
traps baited with dry ice
twice a week in the Irrigon
and Boardman areas. The
mosquitoes caught are then
counted, identified accord­
ing to species, pooled into
groups o f 50 and sent onto
the OSU Animal Diagnostic
Laboratory in Corvallis for
testing.
West Nile Virus was
previously detected on Sep­
tember 5, 2007 in mosquito
traps in south rural Irrigon.
The September 2, mosquito
traps are the first to be con­
firmed as West Nile Virus
positive since last year.
To date in 2008, four
humans, one bird and 16
mosquito pools have tested
positive to the virus through­
out Oregon. Eight out o f 36
counties in Oregon are now'
reporting infection either by
human or animal with West
Nile Virus in 2008.
Dead bird surveil­
lance has been ongoing in
the district. People that no­
tice sick or dead birds such
as crows, magpies, jays and
robins should contact the
vector control district so that
they can be picked up for
testing, Barron said.
M ost p eo p le w ho
become infected with West
Nile Virus do not become
sick. Som e may develop
mild flu-like symptoms such
as fever, headache, body
ach es, and o c ca sio n ally
swollen lymph glands or a
rash. In rare cases West Nile
may cause encephalitis, or
inflammation o f the brain.
Individuals with severe or
unusual headaches should
seek medical care as soon
as possible.
There have been no
hum an, avian or equine
cases o f West Nile Virus
reported in Morrow County
this year. Last year the cen­
ters for D isease C ontrol
and Prevention reported 27
confirmed human cases in
Oregon and 3,630 cases in
the United States with 124
fatalities.
The s ta ff here at
North Morrow Vector Con­
trol District will increase
surveillance and control
measures in the area o f the
positive mosquito pools.
“The risk o f West
Nile Virus is low but we do
encourage people to take
appropriate precautions to
protect themselves against
mosquito bites,” said Shel­
ley Wight, o f the Morrow
County Health Department.
Shelley offered the follow­
ing suggestions to reduce
the risk o f exposure to West
Nile Virus:
-Eliminate all sourc­
es o f standing w ater that
can be a breeding ground
for biting mosquitoes such
as watering troughs, bird-
baths, clogged gutters and
old tires.
-Avoid outdoor ac­
tivities at dusk and dawn
when mosquitoes are most
active.
-Wear long-sleeved
shirts and long pants when
in mosquito infested areas.
-Use m osquito re­
pellents containing DEET,
Oil o f Lemon Eucalyptus
and Picardin making sure to
follow the directions on the
container.
-Make sure all screen
doors and windows are in
good repair and fit tightly.
Local officials and
h ealth care p ro v id ers in
Morrow County have been
notified of the virus detec­
tion.
The State o f Oregon
has set up a West Nile Vi­
rus Hotline at 1(800) 702-
INFO. Additional informa­
tion on West Nile Virus is
on the Web at: U.S. Centers
for D isease C ontrol and
Prevention http://ww w.cdc.
gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/;
Oregon Department o f Hu­
man Services http://oregon.
gov/DHS/ph/acd/diseases/
w nile/survey.shtm l; M or­
row County Health Depart­
ment http://w w w .oregon/
gov/DIIS/ph/lhd/county di-
rectories/Morrow.pdf; and
Morrow County http://mor-
rowcountyoregon.com/.
Morrow County students lead pack of
area schools reaching benchmarks
-Continuedfrom Page ONE
at the Morrow Education
C enter was up, and gave
credit to its administrator for
streamlining the enrollment
process there. Burrow s also
reported on the positive start
to the new school year. (Ac­
cording to figures released
by the respective schools
Monday, Heppner Elemen­
tary School has 183 students
this year, down from 192
last year; H eppner High
School has 238 students this
year, including 23 exchange
students, up from 228 at the
end o f last year; lone Com­
m unity Schools has 175
students this year, including
nine exchange students, up
from 150 students at the end
o f last year.)
-heard a report from
technology students who
attended a Technology Stu­
dent Association field trip to
Orlando and the Epcot Cen­
ter. HHS technology teacher
Dave Fowler took his son
and two other students. They
were the only three students
from Oregon who attended
the ev en t out o f around
5,000 total attendees.
-ap p ro v ed a state
and fe d e rally m andated
policy to provide a “ Mother
Friendly Workplace” to al­
low for breast feeding and
expressing breast milk at the
work place.
-ap p ro v ed a state
and fe d e rally m an d ated
policy to allow for military
family leave.
-approved the cur­
rent board goals for another
term.
-approved setting
up a committee on account­
ability.
-accepted the fol­
lowing resignations/retire-
ments: Robin Huxoll, Riv­
erside High School secre­
tary; Cindy Velasquez, RHS
English language learner ed
assistant; Teresa Mounts,
retiring as o f January 1,
2009, from her ed assistant
position at Sam Boardman
Elementary.
-approved employ­
ment for Cheryl Costello,
from RHS department secre­
tary to RHS head secretary,
replacing Robin Huxoll.
-approved the fol­
lowing extra duty contracts:
Josh Coiner, Heppner Junior
High head football coach;
Kyle Carpenter, Riverside
Junior High assistant foot­
ball coach; William Pullen,
RHS Talented and Gifted
program coordinator; Jan-
nie Allen and Pam Dowdy,
Heppner Elementary TAG
joint coordinators.
-heard the following
an n o u n cem en ts: O regon
School Board Association
fall regional meeting, Blue
Mountain Community Col­
lege, Oct. 6, 6 p.m.; next
board meeting, Sam Board-
man Elementary, Oct. 13,
7 p.m.
candidat^*"rea^open ^oure^es as t0 pres'^eni*a* Local woman wants farmer’s market in Heppner
Luella Taylor
Lexington
-Continuedfrom Page ONE be rem odeled first. Then
In other police busi­
ness
Bowles
said he had
lone Football
2008 Mustang
been trying to solve the
Schedule
Football Schedule break-in at Bucknum’s Tav­
ern last week, which saw an
Sept. 12 - at McKenzie, 7 Sept. 12 - at White Salm­
undisclosed amount o f mon­
p.m.
on, 7 p.m.
ey stolen after a dead bolt
Sept. 19 - Touchet in lone, Sept. 19 - Elgin at home,
was jimmied between 1 a.m.
6 p.m.
7 p.m.
and 4:40 a.m. the morning
Sept. 26 - at Condon, 7
Sept. 26 - at Stanfield, 7
o f Thursday, August 28, but
p.m.
p.m.
w
asn’t having much luck.
Oct. 3 - South Wasco in
Oct. 3 - Union at home, 7
The Bucknum’s one is “still
Maupin, 7 p.m.
p.m.
out there,” he said. “Some­
Oct. 10-A rlington in
Oct. 10 - at Pilot Rock, 7
one knows something, but
lone, 7 p.m.
p.m.
Oct. 17 - Dufur in lone, 7
Oct. 17 - Irrigon at Irrigon, they haven’t said anything
yet.” He urged anyone with
p.m.
7 p.m.
Oct. 24 - Weston McEwen information about the crime
Oct. 24 - at Echo, 7 p.m.
to please contact him.
Oct. 31 - at Nixyaawii, 2
at home, 7 p.m.
He also reported that
Oct. 31 - at Enterprise, 7
the department has been is­
suing tickets for not using
2008 Mustang Volleyball Schedule seat belts, and also cracking
Sept. 11 - Ione/Riverside at home at 5 p.m. (A/B teams). down on people making “J”
turns in Fleppner.
Sept. 12 - Yakima Tourney in Yakima at 9 a.m. (A
St. Pat’s Apart­
team).
Sept. 13 - Heppner JV Tournament in Heppner at 9 a.m. ments to be renovated
The council was in­
(JV team).
formed
that the bids on the
Sept. 15 - Arlington in Arlington at 5 p.m. (JV team).
renovation
of the Heppner
Sept. 16 - Umatilla at home at 5 p.m. (A/B teams).
St. Patrick's Senior Apart­
Sept. 18 - Union at Union at 5 p.m. (A/B teams).
ments had been opened and
Sept. 20 - 4-Way Tournament in Stanfield at noon (A
awarded
to W.C. Construc­
team).
tion,
Inc.
o f Elgin.
Sept. 23 - Condon at Condon at 5 p.m. (A/B teams).
Their low bid was for
Sept. 25 - Irrigon at Irrigon at 5 p.m. (A/B teams).
$599,998 and work should
Sept. 27 - Enterprise at home at noon (A/B teams).
start “soon” city manager
Oct. 2 - Stanfield at home at 5 p.m. (A/B teams).
Bogart said.
Oct. 4 - 4-Way Tournament in Enterprise at noon (A
W.C. Construction
team).
is the same company that
Oct. 4 - Heppner B/C Tournament at home at noon (JV
built the new Hamley’s in
team).
Oct. 9 - Pilot Rock in Pilot Rock at 5 p.m. (A/B teams). Pendleton and the Board-
man City Hall.
Oct. 11 - Elgin at home at 11 a.m. (A/B teams).
There are currently
Oct. 16 - Weston Me at home at 5 p.m. (A/B teams).
three empty apartments at
Oct. 18 - 4-Way Tournament at home at noon, (A/B
the center and those will
teams).
Oct. 21 - Stanfield in Stanfield at 5 p.m. (A/B teams).
the other residents will be
m oved into those a p a rt­
ments while theirs are being
remodeled.
There were a total
o f four bids with the oth­
ers being $645,338 from
Michael A. Becker, GC of
La Grande, Colamette Con­
struction Co o f Sherwood at
$635,773, and McCormack
Construction o f Pendleton
at $675,000. B ogart was
pleased as the bids came
in low er than ex p ected .
“They’re hungry out there,”
he said at one point.
The construction is
expected to take six to eight
months at two weeks per
apartment. It was also an­
nounced that M ayor Les
Paustian will be the city’s
representative on the job site
to keep an eye on the remod­
eling work. There could be
up to 20 people at one time
in Heppner to work on the
project and that the sidewalk
in front o f the apartments
will be blocked off and the
parking lot in back fenced
off as a construction stag­
ing area.
Mental fa cility
looking for site
property w ithin the city
limits above Rock Street
that the facility is interested
in, however, Bogart said
Lifeways has not settled on
the area and is “still looking
at other properties.”
In o th er b usiness
Bogart said numerous trees
have been trim m ed and
three Spruces removed at
the city park. He said the
stumps would most likely
be ground down.
ATV ordinance
dumped
The council voted
to throw out an ordinance
allowing All Terrance Vehi­
cles (ATVs) to be driven on
city streets. The vote in ef­
fect bans the popular ATVs
from now being driven on
the streets.
The issue came up
when a local resident was
ticketed by the state police
for driving on city streets
with an ATV. The resident
thought it was legal and in
fact the city had an ordi­
nance allowing the ATVs,
but only if there was signs
posted around tow n. No
signs had ever been posted
so ap p aren tly the ATVs
were not legal. Throwing
out the ordinance effectively
ends the controversy and
keeps the vehicles off o f city
streets.
B o g a rt to ld th e
council he has met with
Kyle Robinson and Life-
ways, the developer o f the
eig h t-b ed secure m ental
Proposed Tippage
facility looking to locate in projects
Heppner, about the citing o f
T h e c o u n c il r e ­
the facility.
viewed the proposed city
R o b in s o n o w n s
projects for the Needs &
Issues funding for 2008.
Needs and Issues divides
up the $500,000 in “tip-
page” money received by
the county from the Finley
Buttes landfill. The county
m akes the m oney a v a il­
able for grants to county
governments and other or­
ganizations for projects and
purchases. The following is
a list of the proposed city
issues being considered.
They are not listed in order
o f priority, which will be
done later before turning in
the requests.
-Flow meter at sewer
plant- $15,000
-Water Street storm
drainage - $40,000
-Well #5 fencing -
$3.000
-Sidewalk match or
trust fund - $ 10.000
-TV city sewer line
- $ 12,000
-Reservoir fencing
(four) - $20,000
-Hager Park picnic
shelter/restrooms - $25,000
-Sperry St. bridge
matching funds - $82,000
-New Court St. sew ­
er line - $83,000
-F e n c e at t e n n i s
courts - $5,000
-Willow Street foot
bridge (lover’s bridge) repair
or replacement - $25,000
-Water master meter
at reservoir # 1 - $ 15,000
-Fire d e p a r t m e n t
turnouts - $3,000.