Could Heppner have the largest shamrock?
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Bessie Wet/ell Newspaper l ibrar)
l niversit) o f Oregon
I imene. OR 97403
C o u ld H e p p n e r’s
Main Street shamrock be
the largest in the w orld?
Public works director Brian
Hannon said he had heard
we might have a shot at it,
and was going to measure
the shamrock and see if it
could get it in the Guinness
Book o f World Records.
“I haven’t measured
it yet,” Harmon told the city
council at its monthly meet
ing Monday night. “ If fact
every time 1 paint it I get
outside the lines a little bit Students from Heppner High School's senior class painted the shamrock in the middle of town
for the annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration this past March. -Photo by Autumn Morgan
and it gets bigger,” Harmon measure at least 20 feet wide shamrock,
said. The shamrock needs to to claim the title o f largest
Residential Treatment Facility
could break ground soon
C o n stru ctio n o f a
new eight-bed, 6,200 square
foot secure mental health
facility in Heppner could
begin in the next couple
o f m onths, The H eppner
Gazette-Times has learned.
According to reports, fund
ing for the facility is ready to
go, the site has been secured,
the contractor chosen, and
now the developer is just
waiting on the surveyor to
finish his work.
Location of the facil
ity will be above Rock Street
in Heppner. The facility has
been in the planning stages
since last summer.
Developers say the
facility w ill give an econom
ic boost to the area providing
20 to 24 full time positions
paying $30,000 to $65,000
in wages. The annual operat
ing budget would be around
$960.000 and construction
costs o f the facility would
be $ 1.2 million. In addition,
most supplies for the facility
w ould be purchased locally,
including food, medications,
transportation and general
supplies.
The facility is ex
pected to be finished in
September or O ctober of
2009.
Morrow County School District receives audit
VOL. 128
NO. 2
8 Pages
Wednesday, January 14,2009
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Council discusses sidewalk tables
Kay Robinson is surrounded by members of the Heppner Fire Department before Monday night’s
council meeting. Robinson, who is going off the council after 19 years (including a two year stint as
mayor) was honored for her care and dedication to the Heppner Fire Department all those years.
She said in a previous interview that her single biggest accomplishment was helping procure new
fire trucks for the department. -Photo by David Sykes
By David Sykes
The H eppner City
C ou n cil ta lk e d M onday
night about businesses plac
ing chairs and tables on the
sidewalks for customers to
eat at, and in the latest re
quest, smoke at.
Because o f a recently
enacted state law smoking is
no longer allowed in public
buildings including restau
rants and taverns, so Nancy
G ochnauer o f B ucknum 's
Tavern has approached the
city about allowing tables
outside for eating and smok
ing.
Smoking is not al
lowed within 10 feet of the
front of a public building, so
the council said the tables
would most likely have to
be put in the back o f the
tavern since there would
not be enough room on the
front sidewalk. The council
also discussed regulation
o f sidewalk tables and that
one business, Murray Drugs
already has tables out on the
sidewalk.
M o rro w C o u n ty
Sheriff Deputy Randy Ray-
bum said if the tables were
located in the back o f the
tavern, there would need to
be regulation so that people
did not take drinks outside
while smoking.
City attorney Anne
Spicer said if the council is
going to regulate tables on
city sidewalks for one busi
ness, they would have to do
it for all businesses.
G o c h n a u e r a ls o
ask ed the city if so cial
gambling is allowed in lo
cal businesses. Spicer said
the council would need to
“ look at” the city’s social
gambling ordinance before
making a decision. She said
social gambling is allowed
at the Elks Club because it is
a charitable organization.
In o th er b u sin ess
at M onday's meeting the
council heard that the St.
Patrick’s Senior Center re
modeling is “moving right
along.” According to Judy
Buschke o f the housing au
thority the apartments “were
beautiful” and the $750,000
remodeling project is ahead
o f schedule.
C ascade M anage
ment, a professional man
agement company, will take
over m anagem ent o f the
apartments when the proj
ect is completed. There are
currently five vacancies at
the center, but seven people
interested in m oving in,
Buschke added.
It w as a ls o a n
nounced at the meeting that
the city had purchased a
4X4. The vehicle would be
used in part so volunteers
could continue to plow city
sidewalks during the winter.
The city has a list o f vol
unteers that have said they
would be able to operate
the vehicle. “The volunteers
will have to be certified,”
M ayor Les Paustian said.
Paustian said he was going
to approach the Heppner
Chamber o f Commerce to
help pay for the 4X4 since
it is used to plow in front
o f businesses. The city paid
$6,135 for the all terrain
vehicle.
The co u n cil also
sold some city property
with a sealed bid. A vehicle
was sold to Alex Rystedt
for $500. There were a total
o f four bids. A Boom truck
was sold to terry Corbin
for $200, his was the only
bid. A roller was also sold
to Corbin for $10 with one
bid. A 200 gal water tank,
trailer and trash pump did
not receive any bids.
The council granted
a request to use the city park
for a M arick and Fanger
family reunion on July 18
and 19, 2009. There would
be 50 to 75 people in at
tendance, Margaret Fanger
o f Spokane said, in making
the request.
By April Sykes
The Morrow County
School D istrict accepted
th eir annual au d it, co n
ducted by Oster Professional
Group, Certified Public Ac
countants, John Day and
Burns, at their regular meet-
ing in H eppner M onday
night.
O ster’s report indi
cated that the district’s net
assets decreased by $1.2
m illion for 2008 due to
several causes: a decrease
in property tax revenues by
about $1.9 million; a de
crease in revenue from mis
cellaneous sources by about
$.4 million; an increase in
state, local and special pro
grams by approximately $.9
million; and an increase by
$ 1.5 million in expenditures
for instruction and support
services.
The district showed
$18,340,850 in total reve
nues, including over $4 mil
lion in taxes and over $12
million from state sources.
The district had over $18
m illion in ex p en d itu res,
including over $11 million
for instruction and nearly
$7 million in support ser
vices, such as instructional
staff, general adm inistra
tion, school administration,
business services and cen
tral support services. The
d is tric t's av ailab le fund
balance as o f June 30 was
$1,926,853.
In other business at
the meeting the board:
-heard a report from
Barb Moore, teachers and
volunteers about the HE
ROES reading program at
Heppner Elementary School.
The group was commended
for their work in encourag
ing reading in elementary
school students. Heppner
High School teacher Jean-
nie Collins, representing the
“Adopt a Teacher” organiza
tion, presented the program
with a check for $6,000 to
help ensure the program's
continuation. The group has
also sustained the program
through num erous fund
raising activities.
-approved a request
from the H eppner High
School basketball coach and
students to attend a basket
ball camp/toumament in San
Diego next December. Sup
porters have raised nearly
all funds required through
fund raisers.
-learned from Bur
rows that attendance is down
by around 30 students, but
upon research, learned that
an attendance drop for this
time o f year is consistent
with the district's historical
records.
-learned that R iv
erside High School was a
haven for around 20 people
who w ere left hom eless
after a fire sw ept their apart
ment in B oardm an. The
district has an agreement
with Red Cross to provide
their facilities in the event
o f emergency.
-heard a proclama
tion designating January
"School Board Recognition
Month.” The district gave
their appreciation to the vol
unteer board and presented
each board member a gift.
-ad o p ted p o licies
concerning head lice, staff
ethics and gifts and solici
tations.
-learned from Bur
rows that the district is in
compliance with state stan
dards for elem entary and
secondary schools.
-received the fol
lowing attendance report as
of January 5: A.C. Houghton
Elementary. Irrigon-344 stu
dents; Heppner Elementary
School-190; Heppner High
School-232; Irrigon Ele
mentary School-121; Irrigon
High School-316; River
side High School, Board-
man-380; Sam Boardman
E lem en tary -3 0 9 ; W indy
River Elementary, Board-
man-224; Morrow Educa
tion Center-Morrow County
School District-77; Morrow
Education Center-Umatilla
School D istrict-28; total
2221 .
-received the fol
lowing announcements: end
of the semester-January 15;
Martin Luther King holiday-
January 19; board w ork
session, district office. 5
p.m.,-January 29; next board
m eeting. R iverside High
School, Boardman, 7 p.m.,
February 9.
2009 Chamber board members installed
The 2009 Heppner C hamber of Commerce Board of Directors w as introduced last Thursday at the
annual chamber luncheon. Left to right are Alvin Liu, Darcee Mitchell. Tom Mafera. Dave Stone.
President Jeff Bailey, Anne Murray. Nancy Snider and Lisanne C urrin. Bailey will be serving his
second year as president. Photo by David Sykes
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