Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 22,2009 - THREE
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Letters to the Editor ~
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Community members should attend town meetings
To the Editor and Lexington Community:
The following letter was presented to all members
of the town council by a community member. This letter
was not even addressed at the last council meeting.
To Mayor Yocom, Councilor Haskett, Councilor
Owens, Councilor Marquardt, and Councilor Lemmon,
After thinking about this since the last council
meeting I decided I would bring it to your attention.
You may wonder why the attitude o fa few people
that bother to come to the council meetings seem to be
negative all the time. It seems to me the reason could be
because some o f the council members act put-out when
any question comes up. It seems to me that we are talked
down to and the answer is almost always given as if you
were talking to teenagers that should not be questioning
your decisions. Also there is almost no discussion o f deci
sions to be made. It seems you have already' made your
decision before coming to the meeting.
Example: Last meeting when Dorothy (Edwards)
asked who the candidates fo r mayor were and how they
came to the decision to appoint Dwyla (Yocom) came
about, it was stated that she had been elected by the
people. This was not a true statement. I f you would re
search the minutes you would find that she was actually
appointed by Val Doherty at the June 12, 2007 council
meeting. You need to know that the information you give
at meetings is actually accurate.
The current council doesn’t have a clue as to what
is going on. They never question a bill or activity. They
don’t realize they are spending twice as much as they
are taking in. Most of the decisions are made by the city
recorder and maintenance man prior to the meeting (not
by the council). Now the maintenance man wants to put
the town in debt by building a $500,000 reservoir. If we
had another well it would be sufficient to meet the needs
of the community by pumping into the current reserv oir
and certainly a lot less expensive.
He is already talking about rationing water, but
let the reservoir run over and wasted between 200,000
and 300,000 gallons of w ater and washed out the county
road.
When community members (who do attend the
meeting) question a bill or activity, or ask why something
has been (or not been) done, they are ignored, ridiculed
or cursed and told they do not need to know what is hap
pening.
The city charter is not obeyed, nor are state regu
lations followed.
It’s high time the people of the town attend the
meetings and find out what is really going on before the
town ends up being bankrupt.
Bob Taylor
Lexington
A letter of response
Letter to the Editor:
Dear Willow Creek Valley community members;
1 am writing this letter in response to the one
published in last week’s Gazette by Mr. Arman Kluehe.
Mr. Kluehe waxes poetic about the abundance of the
scenery along the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway, and the
need to protect it from those monstrous 'industrial Wind
Facilities”.
However, Mr. Kluehe fails to mention that he has
lived in our community for only a very short time and that
this is actually a retirement location for him. He has no
real background in the struggle that our small communi
ties have faced just to survive, since the loss of one of our
major employers when the Kinzua Mill closed. He has
not gotten to know very many of us, or gotten involved
in the activities that support our communities and keep
them healthy and vibrant. If he had, he might realize that
many of us consider wind turbines to be welcome new
neighbors.
Mr. Kluehe may not realize that the Shep
herd’s Flat project by itself is anticipated to pay almost
$2,000,000 annually in payments in lieu of taxes in Mor
row County (the majority of the turbines will be located
in Gilliam County). He may also not realize that local
land owners will be receiving lease payments that will
increase the revenue being earned in our local commu
nities and therefore, increase the money being spent as
well. In addition, he may not realize that it is estimated
that every 100MW of wind plant capacity built will cre
ate approximately seven new jobs. Not just any jobs, by
the way, but very well paying jobs with benefits that will
require the people holding those jobs to be young and fit
enough to climb those 300 foot towers. These are family
wage jobs that will require family age employees. Did I
mention that the Shephard’s Flat Wind Farm is anticipated
to include up to 900 MW of wind turbine capacity.
Mr. Kluehe states that “The Blue Mountain
Scenic Byway was recognized as a scenic highway by
both the State of Oregon and Morrow County because it
has an abundance of varied scenery along with historical
sites and numerous recreational opportunities”. Funny,
I always thought it was designated because there were
federal highway funds available to help maintain roads
that were so designated. As far as 1 can see, it is a state
highway just like many other state highways. It just hap
pens to lead to the Blue Mountains. That doesn’t make
the Willow Creek Valley section of it such a special asset
that it must be protected as a Goal 5 resource.
Mr. Kluehe also fails to tell us that the Willow
Creek Valley itself is not in danger of having these “In
dustrial Wind Facilities” located in it. You see, the valley
is not good wind territory. It is the hills on either side of
the valley that will host the turbines. So, how far back
from the actual Scenic Byway would he have us protect it?
One mile? Two miles? Remember these towers are up to
300 feet tall with a 50 foot blade that sometimes extends
beyond the top of the tower. They can be seen from a great
distance. In fact, from my house just north of lone I can
see the wind farms on the Washington hills on the other
side of the Columbia River, the wind farms in Sherman
County and the wind farms at Condon and Arlington. So,
how far from the road should these w ind towers be located
in order to protect this precious resource?
One other thing that Mr. Kluehe fails to mention
is what other kinds of development would be restricted
in an area designated as a Goal 5 Resource. I researched
and found that the Department of Land Conservation and
Development rules for Goal 5 Resources require various
levels of protection depending on w hich type of resource
you are dealing with. For historic sites, open spaces or
scenic views, for example, a local government gets to de
termine which resources it will designate as “significant”
within its geographical territory. It then must conduct an
ESEE (economic, social, environment and energy) study
of the impacts caused by the restriction of conflicting uses
in the designated area. It will then determine what kind of
protections to put in place for the area. It appears that Mr.
Kluehe’s request is mostly for a scenic designation and
that in order to protect that type of resource you would
have to prohibit just about any type of development in the
designated area. The repercussions of such a designation
could go well beyond Mr. Kluehe’s feared “Industrial
Wind Facilities”. That had better be some view to justify
so much negative economic and social impact on our local
communities, not to mention the impact on the potential
production of renewable energy in our state.
By the way, I would bet that Mr. Kluehe did not
realize that energy resources can also be Goal 5 resources.
In fact the DLCD rules state that
“For purposes of this rule,
(a) "Energy Source” includes naturally occurring
locations, accumulations, or deposits of one or more of
the following resources used for the generation of energy:
natural gas, surface water (ie: dam sites), geothermal,
solar, and wind areas. Energy sources applied for or ap
proved through the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council
(EFSC) or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC) shall be deemed significant energy sources for
purposes of Goal 5.
(b) “Protect,” for energy sources means to adopt
plan and land use regulations for a significant energy
source that limit new conflicting uses within the impact
area of the site and authorize the present or future devel
opment or use of the energy source at the site.”
It appears the Mr. Kluehe and others who want the
Blue Mountain Scenic Byway to be designated as a Goal
5 Resource have not realized that the reason the Planning
Commission is not interested is because that designation
would be in conflict with a Goal 5 resource that they are
already required to protect. The proponents of this desig
nation have also failed to consider the substantial nega
tive economic impacts that restricting wind development
would create for our communities and local land owners.
In addition, they have not told us how large of an area
should be protected or why the resource that they care so
much about deserves this level of protection.
I applaud the Planning Commission for not
pursuing this and welcome the increased w ind resource
development. I would like to see a lot more w ind turbines
a lot closer to my house. So, by all means, contact the
Morrow County Planning Commission. Let’s just make
sure they get both sides of the story.
Lisa Rietmann
lone
“W here There’s Smoke, There’s Fire!”
Program to be held at Heppner library
“ Where T here’s
Smoke, There’s Fire!” is
a special program about
the history o f firefight
ing and the use of fire by
today’s municipal, forest
and volunteer firefighters,
including those in Eastern
Oregon. The program will
be held on Friday, July 31,
at 7 p.m. at the Heppner
library, 444 N. Main St.
Kathleen Almquist,
curator of the Eastern Or
egon Fire Museum in La
G rande, w ill p resen t a
power point program and
will bring items from the
museum, to be followed
by a question and answer
period.
“Firefighters be
long to the most respected
profession in A m erica,”
Almquist said. “My pro
gram is given as painless
learning about the element
of fire, which both terrifies
and fascinates us. Profes
sional firefighting was a
way of life in ancient Rome
and remains a process of
intrigue to this day.”
The firefig h tin g
program is one in the A
Sense of Place series of pro
grams in the arts, sciences
and humanities given this
year in the region through
funding from the Institute
o f Museum and Library
Services (IM LS) to Li
braries of Eastern Oregon
(LEO).
The program in
Heppner is sponsored by
the Oregon Trail Library
District.
For further infor
mation about the program
please co n tact M arsha
Richmond, library district
director at 541 -481 -3365 or
Lyn Craig, LEO director at
541-763-2355.
IMLS is the prima-
I
ry source of federal support
for the nation’s 122,000
libraries and 17,500 muse
ums. The Institute’s mission
is to create strong libraries
and museums that connect
people to information and
ideas.
IMLS works at the
national level and in coor
dination w ith state and local
organizations to sustain her
itage, culture, and knowl
edge; enhance learning and
innovation; and support
professional development.
To learn more, visit www
imls.gov.
Van Cleave completes
master’s degree
The Colorado State tratropical Cyclone Comma
University Depart
Heads,” and was
ment of Atmospher
given a strong PhD
ic Science has an
recom m endation
nounced that Darren
by his thesis com
Van Cleave has com
mittee.
pleted a master’s de
V a n
gree in atmospheric
Cleave is a 2003
science.
graduate of Hep
pner High School,
On July 7 Darren Van
Cleave
Van Cleave success
and a 2007 gradu
fully defended his
ate of the Univer
thesis entitled “Relating sity of Utah. He is the son of
Snowfall Patterns of the Tim and Myma Van Cleave
Central and Eastern U.S. of Pendleton, formerly of
to Infrared Imagery of Ex- Heppner.
Morrow County Court
weekly meeting held
The Morrow Coun
ty Court met on July 15 in
Boardman with Judge Tail-
man, Commissioner Grieb
and Commissioner Rea in
attendance. Following is a
summary of those meeting
provided by Leann Rea.
T he c o u rt a p
proved the minutes of July
8, 2009.
The court reviewed
and approved Accounts
Payable, Retirement Taxes
and an add-on for a total of
$169,991.21.
The undersheriff
provided the court with a
tour of the new Emergency
Command Truck.
The July 15,h Road
report follows: The crew
has finished Myers Lane
and moved to Depot Lane
to complete the shoulder
work. Road grading - The
crew has been grading roads
on Penland Lake Road,
Board Creek and the low
er end of Dee Cox Road.
P aterson F erry Road -
Replaced guard rail that
had been damaged. Cattle
G uards - Repair work and
replacement to cattle guards
on Road Canyon Road,
Sunflower Flat Road and
Dee Cox Road. The crew
is replacing guards on the
rock crusher and review ing
compliance regulations and
safety practices before be
ginning work at the Clarks
Canyon rock pit. The crew
will be using some of the re
claim materials to do some
repair work on Bunker Hill
Road. The court heard that
the entire road crew will be
attending an all day safety
training program.
The court heard an
update report from Michael
Strong, UMCDF Site Proj
ect Manager and Robert
D ikem an, Project G en
eral Manager, regarding
the project status, start-up
challenges and the closure
planning for the Umatilla
Army Depot.
The county Plan
n in g D ire c to r, C a rla
M cLane, reported: That
there is an informational
meeting regarding wind
towers and transmission
lines July 31st in The Dalles
and that she will be attend
ing. Stated that the county
needs an MOU with PGE,
this would allow the county
to receive reimbursement
for expenses related to the
proposed gas generating
plant at Carty. The court ap
proved the director to pro
ceed with changes that need
to be made to the Morrow
County Zoning Ordinance:
Article 1 needs clarification
for the definition of parcel
and adding a definition for
a tax lot. Article 2 needs to
have the addition of the four
new zones that have been
created. Article 4 needs
to be reworked as to how
hardship variance exten
sions are handled. There
are also changes that need
to be made to Articles 5,
6, 8 and 9. It appears there
is no shortage of work that
needs to be completed. The
court heard a request for the
replacement of the copy
machine located in the plan
ning office. This machine is
also used by the Sheriff’s
Department, Justice Court,
Juvenile Court, CSSEP and
the County Court when
they meet in Irrigon. The
court later authorized the
purchase of a new colored
copier.
The court conduct
ed the following business:
Received a report from the
Comm unity Counseling
Solutions Director, Kim
berly Lindsay, that their
budget from the state had
not been cut as severely
as anticipated. The court
then decided to rescind the
motion of April 27, 2009,
which allowed the wavier
of rent payments for a one
year period and continue
with the original rental
agreement; Reviewed and
signed a number of con
tracts related to the fair, a
contract re boating issues,
a contract re mapping tax
lots for a remapping project
in the Irrigon area, two Inter
Governmental Agreements
between Morrow County
and Oregon Commission
on Children and Families,
signed a letter of support
for the Port of Newport
in its effort to secure the
Home Port for the NOAA
Pacific Marine Operations
Center; reviewed informa
tion regarding the detec
tion of West Nile Virus in
mosquitoes in the area of
south Irrigon. Learned that
the North Morrow Vector
Control District w ill step up
spraying in the area and are
asking residence to be on
the look-out for conditions
that allow standing water,
also requested that residents
report dead birds, such as
Crows, Magpies, Jays and
Robins. There have been
no human, equine or avian
cases of West Nile Virus
reported in the county this
year.
FFA canned drive continues
“We have been busy fundraising and collecting
cans this summer to help w ith expenses for our trip to na
tional FFA convention!” said Jarreid Miller, the chapter's
assistant treasurer.
Miller's sister. Josie has applied for her American
FFA Degree, and will hopefully walk across the stage at
convention to receive it. This is the first America degree
application from the latest Heppner FFA Chapter.
The FFA canned drive will continue through
August, and if you have recyclable (pop, water or barley
hops) containers, please drop them (preferably in a bag) in
the trailer located by the HHS Metals Shop, or call Zech
Hintz (676-5985) to arrange a pick-up of bagged cans.
Senior Center Menu
United Methodist Church members w ill be serv
ing lunch on Wednesday, July 29. The menu will include
salmon croquettes, scalloped potatoes, mixed veggies,
fruit juice, and apple crunch.