Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 26, 2010)
Health district approved for USDA loan to purchase CT scan; district sees $53 thousand monthly gain Library By April Sykes M orrow C ounty Health District Chief Fi nancial Officer Nicole Ma honey told the board, at their Monday night meeting in Heppner, that the district has been approved for a USDA Rural Development loan for the purchase of a CT scanner for Pioneer Eugene, OK HEPPNER imes VOL. 129 NO. 22 12 Pages Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Osmin set to retire from BEO A fte r 26 y e a rs She married Al Osmin and w orking with the Bank transferred to Pendleton First National Bank of Eastern Oregon, where she worked Donna Osmin is set for a y ear. The to retire on May 28. couple then moved B o r n in back H ep p n er Klamath Falls, Os where she worked min spent most of half-time for four her childhood years years. Osmin then in Merrill and grad took up working uated from high Donna from home, keep school in Madras. Osmin ing books for dif She attended Ore gon Institute of Technology ferent businesses in town. in Klamath Falls and later She later went back to work graduated from Northwest full-time at Bank of Eastern Business College in Port Oregon. When Osmin be land. In 1966 O sm in gan working at Bank o f went to work at the Fed Eastern Oregon, she started eral Reserve Bank in Port in proofing and worked her land for two years. She way up through payroll and then moved to Heppner accounts payable to human and worked at First Na- resources until she began tional Bank for two years, working part-time. For the last few years she has been working in purchasing and statements. “The bank has been a wonderful place to work for the last 26 years,” said Osmin. “I will miss all my co-workers a lot.” D o n n a an d Al have two sons, Jess and his wife Staci of Heppner and Rick and his wife Amy of Hermiston. She is look ing forward to spending more time with her seven grandkids: Emma, Shayna, Kael, Tanna, Alex, Ellie and Owen. After retiring Os min plans on spending more time with her mom, Velma (Granny) Felt who is at the Willow Creek Terrace, wor- kin on her yard and garden, and traveling. Morrow County budget down from previous year; cost of personal services up By April Sykes The Morrow Coun ty Court will meet on June 2 to at the Port of Morrow offices in Boardm an to discuss a $26 million-plus budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year. The upcom ing year’s budget is down around a half a million over the previous year’s budget. Last y e a r’s budget was $27,031,816. This year’s is $26,543,623. M orrow C ounty Finance director Fred Carl son told the Gazette-Times that the reduction is pri marily due to a reduction in grant monies, such as CSEPP funding that the county receives. He said the county will receive less in CSEPP funds as the CSEPP program is being phased out. The budget details a drop in the county’s CSEPP resources from $4,991,765 to $4,306,000. Total personal ser vices are up $224,546 from $7,439,181 in 2009-10 to $7,663,727. Personal ser vices costs in the general fund are up over $93 thou sand to $5,018,947 from $4,925,603 last year. Carl son said that county person al services costs are based on three union contracts-a general employee contract and a road employee con tract, both o f which are seeing three percent raises for the coming year, and a sheriff’s department em ployee contract, which is currently in negotiations. He said that the county’s contribution to the employees' pension fund is also going up based on the value of investments. For example, when interest rates go down, the value of the county’s investments goes down and the county has to pay more into the pension fund. Carlson said that the county has is own retirement plan and does not go through PERS. He said that for the last several years, the county’s invest ments have been better than PERS, however, the county is required to maintain a retirement plan as good or better than PERS. Total m a te ria ls and supplies is down from $11,949,340 in ’09-10 to $11,864,892 in the upcom ing budget. Total taxes to be levied is up slightly from $5,528,748 for the current year to $5,542,629 An issue of concern for local communities is that the county’s needs and issues ftind was not funded for the upcoming year. In previous years the county has opened up funding re quests for special projects or organizations within the county. This year, the county will not award needs and issues grants. The fund comes from garbage tippage fees (Finley Buttes License fees). While the tippage license fee income amount has stayed fairly consistent over the past three years, from $760,000 in 2008-09 to $906,000 in 2009-10 to $861,500 in 2010-11, the amount of unappropriated reserve in the license fee fund has been spent down. In 2008-09, the amount of unappropriated reserve to start off the 2009-10 year was $892,986. This year Carlson says that only $117,500 is expected to be available to start off 2010 - 11 . Total resources for the Finley Buttes fund, except for property taxes were $2,079,901 in ’08-’09; $1,552,000 in ’09-10; and $1,113,100 in 10-11. Other budget infor mation is as follows: According to bud get documents, the amount for total personal services (salaries, wages, etc.) ex penditures by department are as follows: -County Court- $ 3 0 7 , 4 8 5 , up f r o m $283,868; -Accounting- $ 2 2 7 , 0 8 2 , up f r o m $206,277; -A ssesso r/T a x C ollector-$450,1 58, up from $433,649; -Treasurer- $ 8 8 , 3 0 3 , d o w n from $89,779; -County Clerk- $ 2 0 9 , 5 0 3 , up f r o m $197,290; -Veterans'Servic e s ^ 16 ,6 15, down from $20,090; -Board of Prop erty Tax Appeal-$l,463, up from $ 1,406; -Tax Admi n i s - trator-$87,526, up from $83,437; -Justice Court- $ I 6 6 . 4 0 5 , up f r o m $162,183; -D istrict Attor- n ey -$ 2 0 1, 0 19, up from -See BUDGET/Page SEVEN Memorial Hospital. Colum the high school, but was treadmill procedure, four bia Basin Electric Co-op running out of time before colonoscopy procedures, served as the applicant and school ends, so plans to two endoscopy procedures, intermediary in the loan schedule programs during 30 respiratory therapy pro process. the next school year. She cedures; Pioneer Memorial According to Ma commented that although it Clinic had 504 patient vis honey, USDA will loan 80 was very graphic, she was its, 23 new patients, 50 seen percent of the $450,000 very excited about work by a nurse and 11 no-shows; required toward purchase shop she had attended. “I Irrigon Medical Clinic had and installation of the scan think it was a life changing 180 patient visits, 14 new ner, with the district re day,” she said. patients, 24 seen by a nurse sponsible for contributing In other business, and 15 no-shows; Home the other 20 percent, up to the board: Health had 141 patient $90,000. Mahoney said that - a p p r o v e d t he visits; pharmacy had 2118 the district had planned to 2010-11 budget; drug doses for $56,024 apply for Morrow County -received the fol in drug revenue; Heppner tippage fund m onies to lowing report for the month Ambulance had 20 total go tow ard the d istrict’s of April: page-outs and 16 transports required 20 percent, but - Pioneer Memorial for $19,845 in revenue; since those tippage monies ^Hospital had nine admis Boardman Ambulance had were no longer available, sions, one admission for 28 page-outs with 20 trans the district will need to the swing nursing facility, ports for $44,873 in rev find other sources. She said nine admitted for observa enue; Irrigon Ambulance that a previous scanner bid tion; 451 total outpatients, had 31 page-outs with 20 of $420,458 may have to 46 total emergency room transports for $$20,320 be updated, since it was encounters, 1,673 lab tests, in revenue; there was one provided a while ago. The 99 x-ray procedures, 18 CT flight. cost also included funds for scans, 19 EKG tests, one modification of the room to house the new scanner, H istorical play to be held in June preparation for installa tion and removing the old scanner. The te rm s of $360,000 USDA loan are five years at zero percent. Mahoney also re ported that the district had a $53 thousand gain for April. The district had $580,818 in gross patient revenue with $78,024 in revenue deductions, $95,521 in tax revenue and $28,010 in other operating revenue Pictured is the Palace Hotel that was located in Heppner in for $626,325 in total op the 1800s. -Contributed Photo “All roads lead to the Palace!” This was true, erating revenue. On the expense side, the district according to the advertisement in the Heppner Gazette had $583,685 in total oper Times in 1891, and with a small modification, it will be ating expenses, a $42,639 true on June 12, when “all roads in the Willow Creek Val gain from operations and ley will lead to our reproduction of the Palace Hotel.” So an $11,005 non-operating report Sharon Harrison and Doris Brosnan, producers of gain for the $53, 645 gain the Dinner-at-the-Cemetery Players’ historical plays. “The Palace” takes place in the dining room, the for the month. C E O M i c h a e l lobby, and the bar of the establishment. “Because of the Blauer told the board that bar scenes, though they are mild,” report the producers, the district has received "this year’s play would probably be stamped ‘PG’ by a $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 from Paci fi c rating committee. But the bar is where some of the his Source insurance company tory took place.” This year’s production will enact some of the and $2,500 from Provi dence which will go toward 27-year history of Heppner’s fine hotel meant to rival ac establishing a community commodations in any other American city. Bringing these outreach program. Blauer “mostly comedic” glimpses to the stage: the players’ vet-, said that Andrea Fletcher eran actors Bill Kuhn, Lea Mathieu, Janet Greenup, Larry has been working to orga Lutcher, Steve Rhea, Marty Brannon, Nancy Gochnauer, Keith Price, Brian Kollman, Tim Dickenson, Cara Osmin, nize the program. Blauer also said Dan Van Schoiack, Joe Lindsay, Zecharia Hintz, and Kane that he is making progress Sweeney; and newcomers Larry Palmer, Ron Bowman, in seeking a company to Sheridan Tamasky, Brooke Sweeney, Daye Stone, Gerry provide electronic records Condon, Dean Antonucci, Gary Propheter, Cam Sweeney, for the district. He said Jason Hanna, and Tresslyn McCurry. The dulcet tones of that he had been in contact Jack Meligan will provide historical narration. Enhancing this year’s event will be crosses with two companies that provide that service and placed in the Heppner Cemetery to mark the gravesites Shawn Cutsforth, the dis of many figures depicted in the play. The producers, trict’s information systems with assistance from friends and Mr. Rice, the sexton, manager, is also working expect to locate over forty sites to designate. “We hope the weather is pleasant during the ‘Celebrate Heppner’ toward that goal. Director of Nursing weekend, so people will decide to stroll the cemetery Services Molly Rhea told and visit the resting places of these individuals who once the board that she had at strolled the streets of Heppner,” explains Harrison. Many tended a nurse’s workshop of the family names represented or mentioned in “The on trauma that resulted from Palace” and found in the cemetery remain familiar to lack of use of helmets and some of the town’s citizenry: Hughes, Kilkenny, Walker, seatbelts. Rhea said that the Carty, French, Cason, Matlock. Morrow, Gilliam, Jones, program was geared to be Anderson, Rhea, Dougherty, Huston, Slocum. The white taken into the schools and crosses will be in place by Friday, June 11, and remain she had already scheduled until after Sunday, June 13. Seating in “the dining room of the Palace Hotel” two programs on seatbelt and helmet safety at Hep is limited to 120. The $10 tickets for the dessert-theatre pner Elementary School are on sale at Murray Drugs, Bank of Eastern Oregon, before the end of the school Community Bank, and Heppner TV. Questions about the year. She said she hoped production may be addressed to Harrison, 541-989-8496, to schedule a program at or Brosnan, 541-676-5382. Gazette-Times to publish “Congratulations Seniors” pages The Heppner Ga zette-Times will be publish ing its annual “Congratula tions Seniors” pages in the June 2 edition. Anyone who would like to have their name added to the pages should contact the Gazette- Times at 541-676-9228 or send an email to megan@ rapidserve.net. The cost is $ 10 . The deadline to in clude your name is May 28 by 5 p.m. Gazetto-Times closed on Memorial Day The Heppner Gazette-Times w ill be closed on Monday, May 31, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. Deadlines for the June 2 edition will be Friday, May 28, at 5 p.m. AT MCGG GREEN FEED & SEED IN HEPPNER: Jackson & Perkins Roses 7 \c>moNm9 ~ m off N O W IN S T O C K Color bowls & Planters |We w ill 1)0 closed M onday 11civ(* ¿i happy M e m o ria l l>ay Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed & Seed 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 89 -8 2 2 1 (MCGG m ain office)
