John Rietmann resigns as lone School Board
chair after relative appointed to board spot
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1
Bessie Wetzell Newspaper L ibrary
University ot Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
By April Sykes
In a surprise move
at the lone School Board
at th eir reg u lar m eeting
Monday night, board Chair
John Rietmann abruptly re
signed and left the meeting
after his sister-in-law, Lisa
Rietmann, was appointed to
the board.
In resigning, Riet
mann said that he did not
think that it would be appro
priate to have close relatives
lone School Board Chair John Rietmann sw ears in Lisa Kietmann
to board position. -Photo by April Sykes
VOL. 127
NO. 38
8 Pages
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
lone Education Foundation to hold
6th annual fundraising dinner
serving on the board. He said
that he believed it was okay
for cousins to serve together
(his cousin Gregg Rietmann
and he served together on
the board), but did not think
it best that closer relatives
served together, because o f
community perception.
The board appointed
Lisa Rietmann to fill the spot
vacated by previous board
Chair Joel Peterson who re
signed, as per district policy,
when his wife, Lea Mathieu,
was hired as a teacher by the
district.
John Rietmann ab
stained from voting for the
replacem ent board m em
ber.
The board said they
had considered four “excel
lent” candidates to replace
Peterson before naming Lisa
Rietm ann. Rietm ann had
served on the lone School
District budget committee
prior to her appointment.
Her appointment will leave
a vacancy in the budget
committee.
Joe McElligott took
over duties as board chair.
Also at the meeting,
the board gave an update on
the proposed S2.8 million
1SD bond levy. According to
a board release, if approved
at the N ovem ber general
election, the bond will add
classroom s and renovate
existing buildings. “ The
purpose o f the bond levy is
to reduce annual operating
costs and provide classroom
sp ace,” said the release.
“Renovations and upgrades
to our buildings through
this bond levy will lower
heating and cooling costs
as well as repair costs that
must be paid with general
fund money each operating
year.”
Bond expenditures
are outlined as follows:
-Add two new class
room s to the elem entary
school building. This will
provide individual class
rooms for every grade. All
teachers would have their
own classroom-$938,256.
- R e n o v a te h ig h
school and shop with new
roofs, energy efficient w in
dows, air-conditioning, and
lighting. Modernize science
rooms, bathrooms, and paint
interior and exterior of all
buildings-$ 1,324,829.
-Replace high school
gym floor-$ 181,188
-R e n o v a te sw im
ming pool to extend life-
$106,324
-M odernize class
room technology-$98,000
-Reduce sound prob
lem in elementary gym and
replace poor carpet in el-
ementary-$83,113
-R e p a ir and seal
parking lot and playground
blacktop-$36,985
-R eplace ro o f and
renovate bathroom in school
district house-$31,302
“ T h is m e a s u re
would cost property own
ers an estimated average of
$2.43 cents per $1,000 o f
assessed value for the first
year,” said the board release.
However, they said, "It may
drop to S 1.98 for the remain
ing life o f the bonds as new
windmills are added. The
bond would be retired in no
less than 16 years.” New
w indm ills will add more
assessed value to the lone
School D istrict, and thus
reduce overall tax rates.
“( >ne of two county-
wide school bonds was re
tired in 2006," continued the
release, “and it was costing
property owners $2.27 per
$1,000 o f assessed value.
The current county wide
sehool bond that we are pay
ing on is at the $.81 cents per
$1,000 of valuation and will
be retired in 2021.”
In other business at
the meeting, the board:
-heard a report from
S uperintendent/Principal
Karl Ostheller.
O stheller said that
student enrollment is up this
year with 176 students, in
cluding 13 foreign exchange
students, "an excellent start
for the year.” He said that
-C ontinued on Page THREE
Hardman Oyster Feed cancelled for 2008
The Hardman Com-
m unity C enter regrets to
announce that the annual
Hardman Oyster Feed has
been suspended for 2008.
Because o f the local
econom y and the cost o f
food, the Hardman Center
would not be able to prepare
the same high quality Oys-
ter Feed that our customers
have been accustomed to
enjoying
The Hardman Com-
munity C enter Board ap-
preciates all the help pro-
vided for the meal and the
custom ers that came out
every year,
T he C o m m u n ity
C enter Board hopes that
in the future they can once
again serve the surrounding
com m unities the famous
Hardman Community Oys-
ter Feed,
Reward offered in poaching of six deer near Heppner
Pictured are some of the entrepreneur class students with some items which will be auctioned off
The Humane Soci callous and irresponsible
on September 27 at the annual Education Foundation dinner. -ContributedPhoto
ety o f the United States and poaching is,” said Scott
The six th annual
lone E ducation F ounda
tion m eeting, dinner and
auctions will be Saturday,
September 27, at the lone
American Legion Hall. The
meeting will begin at 5:30
p.m. and will be followed
by a 6 p.m. social hour with
dinner to follow.
The d in n e r m enu
will consist o f prime rib,
crab, shrim p w ith all o f
the trimmings, dessert and
beverages.
Tickets are a v a il
able at the Bank o f Eastern
O regon in lone. T ickets
may be reserved by calling
422-7435. The cost is $25
for adults, $10 for children
7-12, and free for children
six and under.
An auction will fol
low the din n er and will
include lone School memo
rabilia, as well as item s
from the lone School shop
and entrepreneur classes.
The lone middle school and
high school classes have
worked as partners with the
lone Education foundation
to promote shop education.
The students build and do
nate a number o f projects
throughout the school year,
which the Education Foun
dation will auction off dur
ing the annual fundraiser. In
return the Education Foun
dation offers grants to the
lone shop program, which
helps prov ide funding for
these projects.
Items built by stu
dents for the auction in
clude: a bird feeder by Jose
Mejorada and Cristo Ruiz;
a rocking horse by Jordan
Peterson; bear end tables
by Shadow Kendrick and
Cassie Arbogast; bird baths
by Adam Collins and Chris
tine Raible; a coat rack and
napkin hold er by M arry
Rietmann; bear and moose
signs by Emily Holland and
Jaqueline Juarez; a wooden
rustic bench by Kirk Hague-
wood; a chest by Makenna
Ramos; a bed frame by Kip
Krebs; and a bear and moose
picture by Shannon M et
calfe and Alisha Taylor.
There will also be
items donated by communi
ty members and businesses,
such as golf packages, a spa
package by Adrienne Sw an-
son o f Ooh-La-La Salon in
Pendleton, and a quilt sewn
out o f lone School jerseys,
as well as a w ine package by
Sandra (Carlson) Richard
son o f Wheatridge Winery,
an overnight package from
The Woolery House Bed and
Breakfast in lone.
The highlight o f the
auction will be the oppor
tunity to experience riding
an ocean barge with three
o f your friends as she is
launched into the Willamette
River. T his p ack ag e in
cludes a traditional maritime
launching cerem ony and
a celebration reception to
follow.
This year the lone
Education Foundation din
ner and auction is the prima
ry source o f income for the
Tier I grant for the school
to hire a new' English and
Language Arts teacher.
The dues collected
every y ear are used for
the Tier II grants that fund
many school activities such
as: Camp 5, theme oriented
enhanced learning classes,
OMSI field trips, and biol
ogy and crop science field
trips. As well as books and
materials for special classes
in reading and math, map
ping software for GPS units
and supplies for the school,
shop and entrepreneur class
es.
Enjoy a fun evening
and help support the lone
School. For more informa
tion call (541) 422-7435.
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
The HSUS Wildlife Land
Trust are offering a $2,500
reward for information lead
ing to the arrest and convic
tion o f the person or people
responsible for illegally kill
ing six deer near Heppner in
late August.
According to pub
lished media reports, Or-
egorT State Police troopers
were investigating the il
legal killing o f five deer,
including one whitetail doe
and four mule deer does,
w hen they d isco v ered a
sixth deer. The deer were
killed between Aug. 20 and
Sept. 1 and found along
Balm Fork Road and Sand
Hollow Road in the Heppner
area. According to officials,
all six deer appear to have
been killed in the same man
ner, during evening hours
on private property. The
Oregon State Police Fish
and Wildlife Division is ask
ing for help from the public
to track down the person or
people responsible.
“This case is another
disturbing example of how
Beckstead. Oregon state di
rector for The HSUS. "This
is a crime that all too often
goes unpunished, and The
Humane Society o f the Unit
ed States applauds Oregon
State Police for their strong
and committed enforcement
o f anti-poaching laws.”
Anyone with infor
mation about this case is
asked to call Trooper Mayer
at (541)561-7581 or the TIP
hotline at 1-800-452-7888.
VanArsdale shoots first buck
Kylie VanArsdale, 16, shot her first buck with a bow this year.
-Contributed Photo
The Heppner Gazette-Times wants to see pictures of your tropin
animals from this hunting season Stop by to have your picture
taken, drop o ff photos, or email them to editorfa rapidserve net