$3 million Heppner sidewalk and street upgrades put on hold
Funding bill to go on ballot for state-wide approval
By David Sykes
Bessie Wetzel I Newspaper Library
l ’ niversity of ( fregon
Eugene. OR ‘>7403
VOL 128
NO. 50
8 Pages
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
A $3 million w ind
fall from the State of Ore
gon to fund seven street and
sidew alk projects in the city
of Heppner has been put on
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
lone students hold winter clothing drive
hold pending the outcome
of a petition drive putting
the expenditure on the bal
lot for voter approval, the
Heppner City Council was
told Monday night.
City Manager Dave
DeMayo said opponents of
the State of Oregon Trans
portation Bill SB 2001 that
authorized the Heppner
expenditure as part of many
other state-wide funding
projects, have collected
signatures to put a repeal
of the bill on the ballot for
voter approval next year.
The city received
the unexpected money in
May when state Represen
tative Greg Smith, R-Hepp-
ner, contacted DeMayo near
the end o f the legislative
session about money that
had become available after
another city had turned it
down. Heppner came up
w ith projects in the 1 llh hour
and was awarded funds for
the follow ing projects:
1. A rebuild of Bar-
ratt Blvd, including a com
plete reconstruction from
the sub grade up, including
curbs, gutters, and a drain
age system and sidewalks
($1.48 million)
2. Completion of
Riverside Ave. consisting of
installing curbs and gutters,
installing sidewalk along
the south east side and com
pleting the installation of
the storm drainage system
(cost: $512,000).
3. Replacement and
repair o f “Lover’s Lane”
pedestrian bridge crossing
Willow Creek behind the
Bowling Alley, including
replacement of superstruc
ture and sidewalk approach
es (cost: $149,570).
4. H eppner E le
mentary School sidewalk renovation including repair and
replace of existing retaining wall and replacement of the
sidewalk and replacing 300 ft of safety rail ($119,220).
5. Install sidewalks to and from Heppner High
School starting at the junction of Gale and Water Streets
up Water Street to Willow View Drive at the High School
and then to the Junction of Spruce and Morgan Streets,
about 3,300 feet, and then on to the intersection of Morgan
Street and Riverside, another 1,100 feet ($477,760).
6. New sidew alks on Hager, Cow ins and Gilmore
streets, approximately 4,000 feet. ($100,000).
7. Stabilize an alleyway hill slope failure on Hill
Street ($100,000).
A list of other government entities that were
scheduled to receive funding and will now have to wait
included:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(<l)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h )
(i)
(j)
(k )
(L)
B a k e r C o u n t y ....................................... $ 4.5 m illio n
G r a n t C o u n t y ....................................... $ 1.1 m illio n
H a r n e y C o u n t y .................................... $ 4.1 m illio n
M a l h e u r C o u n t y ...................................$ 5.H m illio n
U n i o n C o u n t y ....................................... $ 1.3 m illio n
U m a t i l l a C o u n t y ..................................$ 2.5 m il lio n
City o f N yssa........................................ $
1 m il lio n
C i t y o f l l e p p n e r .................................. $
3 m illio n
C i t y o f M i l t o n - F r e e w a t e r ...............$
3 m illio n
C i t y o f O n t a r i c ...................................... $ 1.2 m il lio n
P o r t o f U m a t i l l a ..................................$ 4.5 m illio n
P o r t o f M o r r o w .................................. $10.7 m illio n
The funding was part of HB 2001, approved at
the tail end of the 2009 state legislature. The funding was
part of a larger 37-page transportation bill that the petition
aims to put on the ballot in front of voters for approval.
Until such time it is approved the funding and projects
are being put on hold, DeMayo said.
A check of the Oregon Secretary of State’s w eb
site show s chief petitioners on the petition drive to place
the repeal on the ballot are: Gary George, State Senator
and hazelnut farmer from New berg. State Senator Mary-
linn Shannon of Brooks, and Don Mcintire, President of
the Taxpayer Association of Oregon.
In other business at Monday’s council meeting
the council heard from Brad Baird of Anderson Perry
and Associates, the engineering firm from La Grande that
does much of the city’s infrastructure engineering work.
Baird talked about an upcoming wastewater treatment
facility improvement plan his firm will be working on.
The $25,000 study will identify where its sewer system
needs work, and where it will need expansion. There are
currently 690 connections in the city, and with a popu
lation increase of about .5 percent predicted the study
will address how the system will take care of them, both
through improvements and expansion.
-See CITY COUNCIL Page SEVEN
H1N1 vaccine now available for all
By David Sykes
The lone High School Chapter of the National Honor Society held a w inter clothing drive to
collect donations for the Neighborhood Center. Over 100 items were collected. Pictured are
the members of the lone National Honor Society. -Contributed Photo
Town and Country Awards event to be held Jan. 14
The Heppner Chamber of Commerce Town and Country Community Aw ards
event, sponsored by CenturyLink, will be held in the Pavilion at the Morrow County
Fairgrounds on Thursday, January 14, at 6 p.m. Catering w ill be provided by “Pudding
on the Ritz”.
Tickets will be $20 and will be available for sale on Monday, January 4.
County schools to close for the holidays
Morrow County Schools and the lone School District will be closed Decem
ber 21 through January 3 for the Christmas holiday. Slhool will resume on Monday,
January 4.
School board split over Measures 66 & 67
By April Sykes
A Morrow County
School Board resolution
supporting two O regon
state tax increase measures
failed Monday night in a
tie vote.
Three board mem
bers, Bill Kuhn, Dan Dal-
toso and Thad Killingbeck,
voted for the resolution
which supported State Bal
lot Measures 66 and 67. A
“yes” vote on the measures
would support the $733
million tax increase enacted
by the state legislature in
July. The m easures will
come before the voters on
the January 26 ballot.
B oard m em bers
Craig Miles, Pat McNamee
and Chair Barney Lindsay
voted against the resolu
tion. Board member Berto
Hernandez was not present
at the meeting.
A “yes” vote on
Ballot Measure 66 would
raise taxes on incom es
above $250,000 for house
holds and $125,000 for
individuals. This measure
also elim inates incom e
taxes on the first $2,400
of unemployment benefits
received in 2009. This mea
sure, if approved, would
raise approximately $472
million currently budgeted
for education, health care,
public safety and other
services.
A “ no” v o te on
Ballot Measure 66 would
not increase taxes. It would
not include a tax exemption
for the first $2,400 of unem
ployment benefits received
in 2009 and would leave
education, health care, pub
lic safety and other services
under-funded by approxi
mately $472 million.
A “yes” vote on
Measure 67 would raise
the corporate minimum
tax from $10 to $150 for
most businesses and w ould
increase taxes for corpora
tions w ith over $500,000 in
Oregon revenues. It would
also increase the tax rate
som e co rp o ratio n s pay
on profits; and increase
some business filing fees.
It would increase filing fees
by $50 for Oregon business
and $225 for out o f state
businesses. The measure
would raise $255 million
to fund current budgets
for education, health care,
public safety and other
services.
A “no vote on Mea
sure 67 would retain a $10
corporate minimum income
tax rather than raise it to
$150 and would not raise
corporate profits taxes. It
would leave current edu
cation. health care, public
safety and other services
budgets under-funded by
around $255 million.
Miles said that he
could not vote in support
o f the measures because
he did not believe busi
nesses should be penalized
in a time of recession. He
said that if businesses are
required to pay additional
taxes, businesses will cut
back and jobs will be lost,
exactly what is not needed
in this economy. Miles said
that approving the measures
would not only put a bur
den on small businesses in
Morrow County, many of
which are mom and pop
operations, but on family
farms as well. “The same
people who make more
than $ 150,000 are the same
people w ho run these busi
nesses,” he said. He said
a strong economy will, in
the long run, increase the
amount of money available
to fund education. He said
that private industry has lost
some 116,000 jobs, while
the government sector has
gained. “The fact is the state
budget was raised by nine
percent before it was raised
by 20 percent.” “I don't
believe the governm ent
creates wealth." Miles said
that he believed the vote
for or against the measures
goes along party lines, with
Democrats agreeing with
the measures and Repub
licans disagreeing w ith the
measures.
-See SCHOOL DISTRICT/
Pane SEVEN
»
I
lar clinics now and receive
it. She said the regular flu
vaccine is also available
and can be received at the
same time.
The B o ard m an
Clinic at 101 Boardman
Ave. is open 9 a.m. to 12:30
p.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m. on
Monday and Tuesday. The
clinic in Heppner at 120 S.
Main is open Thursday’s
from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon
and 1 to 4:30 p.m.
The HIN 1 (swine
flu) vaccine is now avail
able for every one, the Mor
row County Health Depart
ment announced Monday.
“Everyone can get it now,”
MC Public Health Director
Sheree Smith told the Hep
pner Gazette.
Smith said enough
vaccine had arrived in the
county that all who want
the vaccine can go to regu
Smith also said they
would be going back to the
schools to give second dos
ages to certain age groups.
The Health Department
will also be going to the
Senior Center on meal site
days to give the vaccine.
Smith added that health
officials are expecting at
second wave of H1N1 to
come through in the spring
of 2010.
Area pastors invited to
submit Christmas messages
The Heppner Gazette-Times invites area pastors to submit Christmas mes
sages to be published in the December 23 edition. The deadline is Friday, December
18, at 5 p.m.
Messages can be dropped off at the Gazette office, emailed to editor(u rapid-
serve.net, or faxed to 676-9211.
Celebrate Heppner Christmas
Event to be held December 17
The Chamber Raf
fle Baskets are currently on
display in the window at
Heppner TV. Raffle tickets
are available for sale at
one for $1 and six for $5
and can be purchased at
Community Bank, Heppner
Chamber and Heppner TV
through Thursday, Decem
ber 17. The winner of each
basket will be drawn dur
ing the Celebrate Heppner
Christmas Event at the Elks
Lodge on December 17.
The Elks will be
serving lasagna, green salad
and garlic bread. The cost
for dinner will be $9 for
adults and $5 for children
12 and under. Those who
purchase a dinner will be
given a $10 Rewards Card
for each meal, up to $50 for
a family.
Rewards cards can
be entered for drawings
for prizes from 7:30-9:30
p.m. upstairs in the Elks
Lodge. Penny raffle board
will also be available for
an opportunity to win an
XBOX 360 Elite or RCA
7” Dual Screen M obile
DVD System. At this time
the community w ill be able
to meet this year's foreign
exchange students.
Santa will be avail
able to take pictures (S5 per
picture) from 6-7:30 p.m.
Musical entertainment will
by provided by exchange
student Viktoria Bosch
from 6:15-7:15 p.m.
The drawing for
prizes will begin at 7:30
p.m. There will be numer
ous prizes in each category.
Some examples of the prizes
are: cherry cheesecake, gift
certificates ($10 category);
bow ling parties, winter
sports passes, gift certifi
cates ($20 category ); and
Hamley's gift card, leather
coat ($50 category).
GREEN FEED & SEED IN HEPPNER:
Montana Silver Jewelry 25% OFF
^ S I I V U H S M I T I IS
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Christmas All Wrangler 13 MWZ Cowboy Cut Jeans $19.99
Trees now in!
All other Wrangler Apparel 19% Off
M orrow County Grain Growers Green Feed A S eed
2 4 2 W . L in d e n W ay, H e p p n e r • 6 7 6 -9 4 2 2 • 9 8 9 -8 2 2 1 (MCGG main office)
f