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
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Color bowls &
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|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)