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Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
VOL. 129
NO. 116 8 Pages
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
County OHV park usage on the rise
By David Sykes
Since its opening in
2003, the Morrow County
Off' Highway Vehicle Park
35 miles from Heppner on
Highway 207, has seen a
steady increase in visitors
and usage, chair of the Mor
row County Parks Board
Betty Gray told the Hepp
ner Chamber of Commerce
last week.
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Boardman interchange bridge
deck repair scheduled for June
The Oregon De
partm ent o f T ransporta
tion has installed signs
along Interstate 84 near
the Boardman interchange
announcing bridge work in
June that will include clos
ing the Main Street Bridge
in downtown Boardman.
The o v e rp a ss
bridge is scheduled to be
closed for up to four weeks,
starting around the first of
June to facilitate a bridge
deck resurfacing project.
Pedestrian access will be
maintained during the clo
sure and the freeway ramps
will remain open. Motor
ists needing to cross from
one side o f the structure
to the other will need to
detour to the 1-84 Exit 165
interchange. The closure is
needed to ensure the project
is completed as quickly as
possible and to facilitate
curing of the micro silica
concrete used for bridge
deck resurfacing.
“The bridge was
built in 1965 and the deck is
in poor condition with dam
aged section and exposed
rebar in some areas,” said
ODOT Project Leader Tim
Rynearson. “The work is
needed now before more
extensive repairs are re
quired, which could lead to
greater impacts and longer,
more costly delays.”
ODOT has been
working with the City of
Boardman and held a public
meeting regarding the proj
ect in February. Members of
the public who gave input
favored the work taking
place during the month of
June, compared to the later
summer months when free
way traffic can be busier.
“ODOT is aware
there will be inconvenienc
es to Boardman citizens
and the travelling public,”
Rynearson said. “Our goal
is to get the work done as
quickly as possible and
minimize the impacts.”
The bridge project
is expected to be under con
tract in May. Additional up
dates will be issued prior to
the scheduled June bridge
closure.
Project inform a
tion is available by contact
ing Rynearson by phone at
(541) 963-1364, or by email
at Timothy.w.rynearson@
odot.state.or.us.
Second annual lone Hall of Fame
induction ceremony to be held
The second annual
lone Hall of Fame induc
tion ceremony and Hall of
Fame Dinner will be held
Saturday, October 2, at the
Legion Hall in lone. Area
of nomination will include
State Champions, All State,
Academic, Citizenship, and
outstanding Civic achieve-
ments.
This is the second
year of the lone Hall of
Fame. Last year 52 mem
bers were inducted into the
lone Community School
Golf team swinging through season Hall of Fame. This year the
nominees will be from 1922
to 1970.
This is to honor
outstanding individuals
who, through their excep
tional achievements, have
brought honor to them
selves, lone High School,
and the lone Community.
The committee will accept
these nominations until May
3. Nomination forms can be
found on the lone Commu
nity School website under
Booster Club. Nomination
forms can be submitted to
Jeri McElligott, president
of the lone Booster Club
or Betty Gray, lone Hall of
Fame Committee.
Further inform a
tion will be announced
in the future. For more
information contact Jeri
McElligott at 541-422-7257
HHS golf team member Joe Armato hits the golf ball while
or
Ryan Rudolf at 541-422-
supporters of the HHS Golf Scramble keep a close eye on him.
7131.
- Photo by Sandy Matthews
Merkley to hold Morrow County town hall
Oregon’s Senator
Jeff Merkley will hold a
town hall meeting at the
Port of Morrow in Board-
man on Saturday, May 1,
at 1:30 p.m.
He w ill u p d ate
constituents on his work
in W ashington, DC and
answer their questions and
invite their suggestions
about how to tackle the
challenges facing Oregon
and America.
“ A dvocating for
O regonians is my num
ber one responsibility,”
Merkley said. “I invite all
residents of Morrow, Uma
tilla and Baker Counties
to meet me and discuss
what we need to do to get
Oregon working again and
strengthen America.”
In 2008, Merkley
pledged to hold town halls
in each o f O regon’s 36
counties every year. He
upheld his pledge in 2009
and is quickly advancing it
in 2010. Morrow. Umatilla,
and Baker Counties will be
his twentieth, twenty-first
and twenty-second town
halls of the year.
Gray said usage
went from 4726 visitors
in 2003 to 33,798 in 2009.
She also pointed out that
this year’s usage will prob
ably set a new record with
visitors already numbering
21,942.
Revenue is also up
with the park taking in
$63,646 between March
and Dec. 2009. Gray also
released figures for the
county’s two other parks,
with Anson Wright taking
in $16,533 and Cutsforth
Parking grossing $26,532.
“We had a good year at all
the parks last year,” Gray
said.
G ray said many
people around the state and
from other areas are already
booking stays for this year.
“Hunters like to have the
same campground, and we
have a big clientele from
the Tri-Cities,” she said.
There are also visitors from
Canada.
Gray said the pond
at Cutsforth Park has been
fixed and restored. It had
washed out but was now
ready for fishing. There is
also a new restroom and two
new cabins at Cutsforth, as
well as a new sidewalk,
fencing and new cam p
sites.
The OHV Park has
three ponds, Anson Wright
has a pond and she said all
the parks are being stocked
with fish.
The county keeps
getting grants to improve
the OHV Park, and Gray
said they have so far re
ceived over $6 million in
grants. Most of the match
ing money from the county
has come in the form of in
kind services such as use
o f equipment and labor.
She said there were quite
a few volunteers w ho help
upgrade and keep the 8,000
acre park looking and oper
ating well. She said one of
the reasons the county gets
so much grant money is that
Morrow County is the only
county in the state that does
not have a state park.
HHS stage transforms
into “Wonderland”
Members of the Heppner High School Drama Club rehearse
a scene from “Wonderland.” Performance dates are April
28 and 29 at 7 p.m. and April 30 at 8 p.m. in the HHS cafe-
torium. Photo by Autumn Morgan
Health district board approves nearly
$9 .million proposed 2010-11 budget
By April Sykes
The Morrow Coun
ty Health District Board, at
their Monday night meeting
in Lexington,
a p p ro v e d a p ro p o s e d
$8,885,206 budget for the
district for the 2010-11 fis
cal year.
T he b u d g et in
cludes over $5 million in
anticipated revenue from
Pioneer Memorial Hospi
tal, $888,751 in Pioneer
Memorial Clinic revenue,
$471,661 in Home Health
and Hospice revenue and
$383,786 from the Irrigon
Clinic. A nticipated rev
enue for the Boardman
Ambulance service comes
in at $217,89land revenue
from the Irrigon Ambulance
service at $383,786. Tax
revenue was estimated at
$1,136,804.
MCHD Chief
Financial Officer Nicole
M ahoney said that next
year’s budget includes a
four-percent rate increase
district-wide, except for the
swing bed facility, which is
tied to Medicare rates.
Projected expendi
tures include $4,791,191 for
PMH; $902,761 for PMC;
$601,521 for Home Health
and Hospice; $302,501 for
the Irrigon Clinic; $262,145
for the Boardman Ambu
lance and $125,061 for the
Irrigon Ambulance.
The proposed ex
penditures also include
$859,571 in revenue de
ductions and bad debt;
$590,000 in capital pur
chases; $149,890 in long
term debt principal reduc
tion and $80,000 in capital
lease principal reduction.
Out of the $590,000
in proposed capital pur
chases, the district plans
to purchase a lab analyzer
at $13,000, a car as per a
scheduled replacement at
$16,000, a black flow de
vice on the main water line
into the hospital at $6,000,
a remodel of the PMC re
ception and lab area at
$30,000, concrete steps and
ramp at PMC for $25,000,
architectural services for
“phase 1” of the proposed
Irrigon Clinic expansion
at $50,000-all with cash
on hand; and a CT scanner
replacement at $590,000
to be purchased w ith loans,
grants and cash.
This y ear’s bud
get is $439,570 over last
year’s adopted budget with
$8,445,636 in resources,
including over $1 million
in tax revenue.
At the m eeting,
CEO Michael Blauer in
troduced Darryl Denison,
new physician’s assistant at
the Irrigon Medical Clinic.
“I’m thrilled to be there,”
said Denison. “I’ve wanted
to be there about two years.
It’s a dream come true.” Dr.
Kenneth Wenberg had been
the provider at the clinic.
The bo ard d is
cussed a proposed remodel
of the Irrigon Clinic and
Blauer stressed the impor
tance of having a stable pro
vider at the clinic. Blauer
and the board concurred
that community involve
ment is crucial in working
toward that goal of improv
ing the clinic.
In other business at
the meeting, the board:
- l e a r n e d from
board Chair Larry Mills that
the district will not receive
monies from the county's
needs and issues fund. Mills
said that the monies, re
ceived from tippage fees,
are “just not there”. He
said that the reduction in
funds is due to a reduction
in garbage. He said that the
economy and conservation
result in fewer garbage fees.
“The big thing is the lack of
construction,” added board
member LeAnn Rea, who
is also a Morrow County
Commissioner.
-discussed fixing
the basement at the admin
istrator’s home, which is
owned by the district. The
flooring in the basement
is mainly concrete, said
Blauer.
-approved creden-
tialing for Dr. Roger Blair,
a radiologist, and Dr. Larry
Adams, a pathologist, who
have consulting privileges
with the district.
-approved the dis
trict’s mission statement,
which includes the district’s
mission, vision, values and
strategic goals.
-approved surplus-
ing several unused items.
-received the fol
lowing financial report; The
district received $599,512
in gross patient revenue for
March w ith $ 142,085 in rev
enue deductions, $95,521 in
tax revenue and $15,493
in other revenue for $568,
441 in total operating rev
enue, with $596,202 in total
operating expenses and a
$ 10,700 non-operating gain
for a $17,060 loss for the
month and a $1,188 aver
age monthly year-to-date
gain. Mahoney said that
gross revenue was up for
the month, however a very
high contractual adjustment
to Medicare, in the amount
of $55,000, resulted in a
loss for the month.
-received the fol
lowing report: Pioneer Me
morial Hospital had 10
admissions in March, four
swing bed admissions, 13
admitted for observation,
479 outpatients, 76 emer
gency room encounters,
1743 lab tests, 149 x-ray
procedures, 25 CT scans,
26 EKG tests, two tread
mill procedures, three en
doscopy procedures, 116
respiratory therapy proce
dures; Pioneer Memorial
Clinic had 523 patient visits
with 46 new patients, 51
seen by a nurse and nine
no-shows; Irrigon Medi
cal Clinic had 183 patient
visits w ith 25 new patients.
36 seen by a nurse and 15
no-shows; Heppner Ambu
lance had 20 page-outs with
17 transports for $23,948 in
revenue. Boardman Ambu
lance had 34 page-outs w ith
13 transports for $15,653
in revenue, Irrigon Ambu
lance had 20 page-outs with
11 transports for $ 11,802 in
revenue; Home Health had
93 patient visits; Hospice
had one admission ; phar
macy had 1,540 drug doses
for $58,939 in revenue.
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