Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner. Oregon Wednesday, August12,2009 - THREE
Letters to the Editor ~
A view from the hill
By Doris Brosnan
Willow Creek Terrace residents viewed their
garden with more critical eyes as last week began, for
a very good reason.
Since putting in the first seeds and plant starts
with the help of high school and adult volunteers, they
have added, watered and weeded, and watched and ap
preciated the progress of their productive patch. Their
tables have featured some complementary fresh veg
etables, with more to come. Before fall marks the end of
the growing season, they will have had radishes, peas,
onions, zucchini, carrots, pumpkin, squash, cantaloupe,
com, and potatoes from their garden plot.
But last week was Morrow County Fair week,
and interested residents viewed the produce with that in
mind, looking for those exceptional examples, the ones
that might produce fair ribbons rather than just satisfy
their palates at dinnertime. Their gardening efforts
paid off, as they placed in the top three spots with all
of their several produce entries and entries from their
flower gardens.
Last Thursday evening, thirteen of the sixteen
residents of Willow Creek Terrace went to the fair, to
enjoy the many displays, booths, and livestock, and
to search out and appreciate their ribbons. Included
in those were the ribbons won by residents who had
also entered and placed in the top three in the crafts
divisions. Mary Lou Wilson won a blue ribbon and the
“superintendent’s choice” ribbon with her crocheted
afghan. In the arts division, Virginia Wilkinson won
the “sweepstakes” ribbon with her superb painting of
a pheasant.
The residents were, indeed, pleased that the
break in the weather allowed their trip to the fair. Warm
weather is great, and the wading pool is soothing on hot
summer days, but venturing out and about is always a
refreshing change of pace.
Fortunately, the Terrace offers enough indoor
activities to keep the hot, hot days comfortably in
teresting, as the residents participate in the regularly
scheduled activity each day and look forward to the
zany add-ons that the creative staff comes up with.
June provided 11 special observances. July kept every
one guessing from day to day about how they might
celebrate such days that included “Creative Ice Cream
Day” (made their own ice cream with Gordon Craber’s
maker), Hawaiian Luau Day (great food and a hula, of
course?), Juggling Day (any attempts or competitions
have remained secret information), Puzzle Day (word
and number puzzles), Gummi Worm Day (“worms”
for dessert), Cowboy and Cow Appreciation Day (Lori
dressed as a cow and Manager Naims as a cowboy),
Walk on Stilts Day (no leaving of feet from the floor
allowed), and Woodie Wagon Day (one topic led to
another and all led down “Memory Lane”). Residents
understand if some readers have to ask what a “woodie”
was....
American flags flew throughout the month of
July, and residents and staff noted appreciation of their
resident veterans on Independence Day, when they also
celebrated with fireworks and root beer floats.
Two new neighbors had joined the Terrace
community in time for those July days. Alice Buckley
moved in on June 18, and Velma Wight soon followed,
on June 29. And now, Lois White has moved into an
apartment. Always interested in new points of view, the
residents have welcomed the three women and have
put the “Welcome” mat into service again this month,
hoping that the remaining apartment will soon become
home to a new neighbor. Manager George Naims
reminds readers that she always has time to show an
apartment and visit about the comforts and services
available at Willow Creek Terrace.
Rodeo Parade winners
announced
The 2009 Morrow County Rodeo Parade was
held on Saturday, August 8. The winners are:
Court & Royalty - 1949 Morrow County Rodeo
Court; Individual Horse & Rider - Lelia Workman; Com
mercial Floats - Bank of Eastern Oregon; and Community
Floats - Blue Mountain Community College.
Ribbon can be picked up at the Chamber office
on Mondays. For more information call 676-5536.
• Furniture Huge 5 fam ily Yard
•TV's
Sale Don't m iss it!
• Dishes
• Lots of Household and
Kitchen items
• Lawn furniture & toys
• Baby Cear
• Kids clothes, toys
bikes
•And much, much more
Lots of like new items!
320 E. Matlock Street, Heppner
No early sales_______
There’s Never Been a
Better Time to Refinance!
Don’t continue making payments at
yesterday’s higher interest rate.
Come see us today and save!
It* New Home Loans
ic* Refinance Your Home
4 * Home Equity Loans or Lines of Credit
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FOR LOCAL MORTGAGE
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ONES TO CALL!
Bank of
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Call M elissa L indsay
Mortgage Manager
Mortgage Division
676-9884
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www.beobank.com
Member FDIC
The Heppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor with the following criteria met: letters submined to the newspaper will need to
have the name o f 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 of Thanks” at a cost of $ 10.
Welcome to Willow Creek Valley...now LEAVE!
To the editor of the Heppner Gazette-Times:
As a relatively new family that moved into the
lone - Willow Creek Valley we feel like we are living part
of an old western movie. The new folks show up and are
instantly branded as “outsiders” by those who control the
valley. Gossip and rumors abound about the new people
who purchased property outside of town. The man “waxes
poetic” they say and purchased property as “a retirement
location for him” and has a need to protect the scenery
from “monstrous Industrial Wind Facilities”. Because we
ask questions or don’t do the things someone thinks you
should be doing to be a good community member (over
involvement in the community affairs) they are ready to
stretch your neck. It’s pretty apparent that certain people
want to control the valley.
What does it take to be a community member in
this valley? We pay property taxes that include funds for
the school and other important services. We bank locally,
shop at the lone store, buy gas in the valley, purchase
parts, propane and other items from MCGG, attend church
in Heppner and often attend local events. When we first
moved here we got involved in a search for a missing
boy. Just recently one of our neighbors grazed some of
his cows on our property. Obviously we missed the visit
from the Welcome Wagon that must have included the
rules to live by for the Willow Creek Valley.
Since the Blue Mountain Scenic byway was
established long before industrial wind development
even came to Morrow County shouldn’t the county have
considered protecting the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway
that Hwy 74 runs through? The technical point here is that
the valley includes the river bottom to the top, everything
you can see from the road. If one would read the original
article I submitted carefully, I never proposed a ban on
wind turbines just protection of the BMSB valley views.
The scenic aspect should have had some preference be
cause it was established long before the wind resource
was ever utilized in this county. There is nothing like the
scenic and historic view of the Oregon Trail on Hwy 74
near Cecil being marred by an Industrial Wind Facility
close by. Great job Morrow County Planning Commis
sion and staff!
If you want to dig up dirt just follow the money
trail. When it comes to industrial wind development it’s
all about money. The corporations who develop the wind
power in this area are from New York, Delaware, Texas,
California and even foreign countries. This reminds me
of the salsa commercial on TV where cowboys in Texas
discover their salsa is made in New York City and they
say, “get the rope”. However only those who don’t want
the county overrun with run amok industrial wind devel
opment and want to see some restraint on building wind
facilities until a policy can be put in place that protects
all interests, “get the rope”. These foreign corporations
are the ones dictating the future of your valley and not the
locals as they would like you to believe. Wind contracts
often stipulate that the property owners who have wind
development not say anything negative about wind power
and are encouraged to support wind power in any way
possible. Just attend a public meeting regarding Industrial
Wind Development and see the line drawn in the sand.
This is a polarizing issue. You can instantly become
Public Enemy Number 1 by sharing your concerns about
rampant industrial development, health and noise issues
and pointing out the not so green aspect of green power.
People with common sense are suddenly greenwashed
when money is offered and formerly staunch anti-greenies
are praising the merits of green power for America, how
it saves fossil fuel and how some will need to sacrifice to
save America from the plight of Global Warming, which
they didn’t even believe. The problem is that chicken
(Industrial Wind Facility owner) only donates the egg to
make the farmers meal; it’s the pigs (non wind property
owners) that have to make the sacrifice.
Consider this, we live in a desert region and have
areas nearby that are designated as critical for ground wa
ter resources. A recent amendment to an Industrial Wind
Facility in this county included drilling two new wells to
suck almost 70 MILLION gallons of ground water out for
construction purposes in which the majority of this water
will be used to water roads for dust control. Doesn’t this
seem to be an excessive waste of water especially when
it could affect the water you drink and even your liveli
hood? If not this wind facility, then what about the water
used at the next Industrial Wind Facility or the one after
that? Potentially there will be a Industrial Wind Facility
built near you in the future, what resources will they rob
from you? Your water? Your view? Your peace of mind?
Your health? Your property values? What are you will
ing to sacrifice for the Industrial Wind Facility property
owner? What future restrictions are you willing to bear
for these facilities? Did you know that the majority of
our groundwater is only recharged from snowpack in the
Blue Mountains? How many bad winters coupled with
excessive waste of groundwater will it take before we
have a water crisis on our hands?
Look carefully at the expense of building an
industrial wind facility and you will find that most, if
not all, of the parts are currently made overseas in China
and other foreign countries, shipped by barge to the US
then trucked piece by piece to the construction site. Add
the massive cost of construction and fuel used and you
will discover that there is nothing green about Industrial
Wind Facilities at all. In fact the government even has to
subsidize the cost of the electricity it produces because
it is far more expensive than hydro, coal and nuclear to
produce. Ask yourself this, if the government has to give
huge tax breaks in order for wind corporations to invest
and then also has to subsidize the final product produced
(green energy) then are they really worth having? This will
cost all of us taxpayers in the long run. Common sense
says no but greed throws common sense out the window
and says show me the money.
Regarding the green energy jobs, these facilities
will produce almost all of the jobs created by government
mechanisms destroyed 2.2 permanent jobs elsewhere. In
this case who’s future job are the wind developers putting
on the line with green power? Your neighbor, your friend
or maybe you! Additionally these Industrial Wind Facili
ties will cost all the citizens of the county with higher
overall electric prices due to the higher cost of these
facilities to produce power. With higher overall electric
prices, those citizens of the county on fixed incomes and
lower pay scales will be the first ones to suffer but in the
end we will all pay for these wind developments.
How much of that green energy is destined to
hit your meter in the near future? How about zero, zilch,
nada.. .yes none of it. One of the largest Industrial Wind
Facilities soon to be built in the county will be sending
its power for the next 20 years to Southern California
Edison to power air conditioners in California. Yep, you
probably didn’t know that. This goes for the majority of
the wind power generated in Oregon to date. So you pay
the price with diminished views, property values, health
and noise issues and increased energy rates and get none
of the benefits from any of the green power generated
from these facilities. Please ask Morrow County if any
of the projected $2 million dollars of annual payments
from the Industrial Wind Facilities, in lieu of their paying
property taxes, will lower your property taxes one cent.
I think not.
The negative aspects in the long term will out
weigh any short term economic benefits the Industrial
Wind Facilities will offer you. The only real benefactors
are the County, the Industrial Wind Facility owners who
will sell their electricity to the highest bidders out of state,
and the property owners who host the wind facilities.
Local construction companies and services will benefit
temporarily from this work but when the facility is built,
its jobs are over. If like previously built wind facilities, the
majority of the union scale jobs will be given to people
from out of state, which again will benefit the valley
economy temporarily as no one will purchase a home
here for a temporary construction job.
Let me clarify that I have no desire retire in the
midst of an Industrial Wind Facility. Living in Morrow
County in the future will be akin to having a condo on
the Portland International Airport main runway. I want to
retire where I can enjoy a peaceful country view, I want
to enjoy the solitude of the evening and enjoy neighbors
that care about the impacts that their choices have on me
and my choices on theirs. This is something that money
can’t buy today. If one wants to see thousands of red
blinking lights at night, hear a constant industrial roar
and experience conflict with neighbors then just move to
a bigger city. I came here to enjoy peace, solitude, good
neighbors and life away from the industrial development
of the big city. I was totally aware of the current farming
practices in the county, dust, herbicide spraying etc. and
the odor of Bovine #9 that drifts our way when the wind
blows in a certain direction and I am alright with that. But
when is having 100’s of 40 story Industrial Wind Turbines
considered a farming practice? You don’t cultivate the
soil, water and then wait for a harvest of wind. 1 can’t
come and buy wind from you for my own use. So let’s
just drop the farming part of it because it has nothing to
do with farming and call it what it really is, an Industrial
Wind Facility.
There are a lot of great people in this community
and some of them even have a different vision of this
community and the Willow Creek Valley. A recent letter
submitted to the Gazette by Kerry Rietmann testifies to
this. 1 believe there are many more citizens out there that
would like to take a stand on this issue but they may be
afraid to make their opinion known lest they be ostracized
by the community or possibly even lose their job for
making their opinions known. 1 suggest we change the
current lone motto of “Growing with Pride” to “Opinions
not Welcome”, which seems to be more fitting.
Get the facts about Industrial Wind Development
at www.wind-watch.org.
Arman Kluehe
lone
Lexington Town Council in violation
To the editor:
I just received a letter signed by the Lexington
Town Council asking residents for their opinions. The
council did not discuss this letter during council meeting
and therefore they are in violation of the open meetings
law. The town has been reported to the State of Oregon
<;i
-?»r
YOUR
over violations of election laws, budget laws and open
meeting laws. I would suggest that we tell our elected
council members in Lexington to follow the law.
Marcia Kemp
Lexington
OiYLIM’____
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