lone School’s new gym floor
severely damaged in storm
I nisersity o t O regon
By April Sykes
i ugene. OR 97403
VOL. 128
NO. 32
The lone School
Board toured the school’s
water damaged gym floor at
the board’s regular meeting
Monday evening.
The gym floor was
brand new. but the gym roof
10 Pages
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Heppner mayor presents
certificates of recognition
Top Photo: The front of the extensive terracing was matched to original 1903 basalt rock walls
around the Morrow County Courthouse adjacent to the state highway project. The Commission
thanked the representatives for “creating an attractive environment" in the community.
Bottom Photo: Bill Parker of Deschutes Concrete, Joe Main of Knife River Construction and
Tom Hudner of ODOT receive Certificates of Recognition presented by Heppner Mayor Les
Paustian (L to R) from the city’s Beautification/Parks Commission for terrace work that is
part of the Highway 74/Court Street project. Contributed Photos
West Nile Virus Public Health
Emergency declared in Morrow County
O n W e d n esd a y ,
A ugust 12, the M orrow
County Court declared a
W est N ile V irus P ublic
Heath Emergency in Mor
row County.
The matter o f de
claring a West Nile Pub
lic Health Em ergency in
M orrow County was de
rived from the fact that 78
m osquito pools and two
birds have tested positive to
West Nile Virus in Morrow
County.
At this time there is
an estimated on average of
9.05 mosquitoes per 1,000
m osquitoes infected with
West Nile Virus in Morrow
County.
T his d e c la ra tio n
is the only m eans o f be
ing able to perform adult
m osquito control on the
Umatilla National Wildlife
Refuge.
Despite all efforts
to eradicate the virus it re
mains a threat and further
means of reducing and min
imizing the risk o f infec
tion are needed by ground
and aerial applications o f
pesticides in urban, rural.
State and Federal Wildlife
Refuge Lands.
Even with the an
nual option levy, N orth
M orrow V ector C ontrol
District may see funds ex
hausted prior to the summer
mosquito seasons end.
C itizens o f M or
row County need to pro
tect them selves and their
families against West Nile
Virus by maintaining tight
fitting screens on doors
and windows, wear long
sleeved sh irts and long
pants and other protective
clothing when venturing
outside after dark, eliminate
all standing water that can
support mosquito breeding,
avoid playing and working
outside at dusk and dawn
when mosquitoes are most
active and use repellant
preferably one that contains
DEET, Picardin or oil of
lemon eucalyptus.
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was also in the process o f
being replaced when a tarp
came o ff during a storm
that blew in the first week
of August, causing sev ere
water damage to the floor.
Capital improvement proj
ect manager David McKay
said that floor samples in
dicated significant readings
of moisture in the wood and
under the vapor barrier.
McKay said insur
ance w ill cover replace
ment or repair to the floor.
Installation o f a new floor
is estimated to cost around
$81,000 and partial replace
m ent is estim ated to be
around $41,000. He recom
mended installing a power
vent system if the board
opts to have a new floor
installed, which he recom
mended. He said he hoped
the insurance adjuster could
be on site on Wednesday
and anticipated that it could
be up to 30 days for new
flooring to be installed,
w hich could im pact the
volleyball program.
If a new floor is
installed, board members
are considering making the
court regulation size, which
w ould m ean in cre asin g
the court by one foot on
each side and could entail
m oving the bleachers or
possibly removing one seat
o f the bleachers. Installa
tion of new bleachers was
considered, but, said board
m em ber Anne Morter, “ 1
think we would get our
selves into a jam if we
gave it (installation of new
bleachers) a higher priority
than the community told us
we should.”
New scoreboards
for the gym have been or
dered and will be on line
by basketball season, said
McKay.
T he b o a rd a ls o
to u re d th e e le m e n ta ry
bu ild in g w hich has had
new carpet installed and
viewed the new lighting in
the cafeteria and gym. The
lighting is use sensitive,
meaning that if movement
is not detected in the room,
the lights will not come on,
which is expected to save
energy costs. Superinten
dent Karl Ostheller said he
believed that the system
has an override. M orter
questioned the stability of
the gym lights, mentioning
that they looked as if they
were hanging on fishing
w ire, but McKay countered,
saying, “We do all o f our
gyms that way.”
M cKay said that
the heating and ventilating
system is scheduled for
completion for the start of
school, on budget and on
time. "The kids will have
air conditioning,” he said.
The board also toured the
science rooms at the high
school, but noted that those
classrooms will not be com
pleted by the start o f school
and will have framed, but
boarded up windows since
w indow in s ta lla tio n is
planned for the first two
weeks in September.
"We really have a
lot going. We’re trying to
get as much done as pos
sible,” said McKay. He said
that cafeteria tables have
been ordered, but added that
they had been upgraded to
a product that has a 15-year
warranty, rather than the
five-year warranty. He said
that the new tables will hold
up better under the expected
w ear and tear.
He also touched on
the "significant challenges”
that they have encountered
on the high school roof.
“We’ve had our challenges,
but we do have a good roof
contractor.” One change
order on the m etal ro o f
amounted to an additional
$10,800. McKay said that
they had to have engineers
look at the roof. “ It was
unforeseen, an unfortunate
thing, but part of the chal
lenges,” he said.
McKay said that the
capital improvement proj
ect is still w ithin the budget,
with some increases, but
also som e reductions in
estimates. “We still haven’t
touched the contingency,”
said M cKay. C o nstruc
tion costs were originally
budgeted at $2,012,162
compared to a revised bud
get o f $2,107,046. Soft
costs, such as a d m in is
trative and miscellaneous
items, were originally bud
geted at $787,478, com
pared to a revised budget of
$750,995. The total project
cost was originally budget
ed at $2,799,640 compared
to $2 ,8 5 8 ,0 4 1 re v ise d .
R evenue w as orig in ally
$2,839,342, but has been
revised at $2,968,225.
Also at the meeting
board chair Joe McElligott
swore in Morter as a newly
elected board member.
Ostheller said that
he anticipates around 171
students to enter school at
lone this fall with 10 stu
dents new to the district,
not including two foreign
exchange students. He said
some o f the new students
are from Boardman and one
is from Arlington.
In other business,
the board:
- l e a r n e d fro m
C h ie f F inancial O fficer
Beth O'Hanlon that the dis
trict has received $28,000
from a federal stim ulus
package and will receive
an additional $28,000 next
year. The board plans to
rehire an instructional aide
who that was "riffed” due
to budget constraints with
the monies received. How
ever, said O ’Hanlon, the
district is required to seek
reim bursem ent from the
federal government for the
expense and it is not certain
how soon the monies will
be repaid to the district.
-h e a r d th e f o l
lowing administrative and
building and maintenance
reports from Ostheller:
"■staff in -serv ice
begins on August 25 and
elem entary teachers will
be getting training on Sax
on Math with Hermiston
teachers, w hile middle/high
school teachers will learn
about the software that goes
with the interactive "white
boards”.
*the d istric t re
ceived $5,000 from the
Willow Creek Park District
towards pool upkeep and
maintenance.
"“school starts Au
gust 31 for students.
"■construction proj
ects are continuing. The
new carpet is down in the
elem entary building and
they are awaiting the base
backboard, which w ill com
plete this phase. Drilling
has started ahead of sched
ule on the north end of the
building. Roofing, HVAC
and gym lights are all in
process.
*the lawn is look
ing better and the district
is currently mowing twice
a week. “With the fertilizer
added this last week, we
may have to start mowing
three times a week instead,”
he said.
-approved hiring
Joe Peterson as the m id
dle school head football
coach.
-heard information
on the Alternative Learning
Delivery Program, which
would enable students to
take classes and teachers
to teach classes that may
not be available current
ly through the traditional
classroom.
-heard the follow
ing announcements: board
training and retreat, Thurs
day, August 27; September
board m eeting, Monday,
S e p te m b e r 21; O regon
School Board Association
annual conference, Novem
ber 13-15, Portland.
-held an executive
session to discuss disci
pline of a public employ ee,
to discuss exempt public
records and to evaluate the
perform ance o f a public
employee.
Wanted fugitive apprehended
A ccording to the
Morrow County Sheriff’s
Office, deputies from the
M.C.S.O. and the Umatilla-
Morrow County Parole and
Probation arrested a fugi
tive from justice at a remote
cabin the Blue Mountains
southeast o f Heppner on
August 12.
M ic h a e l D e a n
Lynch, 50, o f Heppner was
arrested w ithout incident on
a felony warrant for proba
tion violation. Lynch had
been wanted for violating
his probation for second de
gree burglary and had been
evading local authorities for
several months.
Lynch was lodged
at the Umatilla County Jail
on charges of probation vio
lation, criminal trespass in
the first degree, and posses
sion of less than an ounce of
marijuana.
Start/End times for Heppner and lone Schools
Schools in Morrow County will start back on August 31 for the 2009-2010
school year.
Heppner Elementary School students will begin the school day at 7:55 a m.
K-2nd graders will get out a 2:45 p.m. and 3rd-6lh graders will get out at 3:15.
Heppner High School students will begin their day at 7:55 a.m. and will get
out at 3:30 p.m.
lone Community School students will begin their day at 8 a.m. and will get
out at 3:30 p.m.
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