Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 2010)
HeppnerGazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon FFA starts off year with competitions and donations Wednesday, September 15,2010 -S E V E N Boardman rest areas under new management Oregon Travel Information Council takes over Top Left Photo: Brett Harrison makes his way through the obstacle course at the State FFA Tractor Driving Contest in Salem. To compete in this contest, contestants had to have won first or second at the district contest. Justin Yocom was first at the Blue Mountain District CDE and Brett placed second. While at the state contest, the competitors had to compete in a variety of areas from an obstacle course to attachment of an implement, a written test and a pallet maneuvering activity. Brett placed seventh overall at the state contest. Bottom Left Photo: Justin Yocom competes at the State FFA Tractor Driving Contest at State Fair in Salem on Sunday, August 29. Right Photo: Drew Johnson and Dennis Newman delivered a 1984 Honda 4-wheeler to the HHS Ag Department this past week. Janet Greenup of the Morrow Soil and Water Conser vation District arranged to have it donated to the program. -Contributed Photos Oregon Scenic Bikeways program forwards eight applications for comm ission approval Editor s Note: The follow ing article was written by Terry Richard o f The Or egonian. It was published at www.oregonlive.com on Tuesday , September 14. Eight locally pro posed scenic bikeways have been approved in concept by the Oregon Scenic Bike way Committee, which for wards the recommendation to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission for approval. This is the first such proposals for designation as state scenic bikeways. The existing Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway did not use the local proposal method; instead, it used bike profes sionals to design it in order to establish a template for future applications. The com m ittee’s action was the first major step for eight recreation routes to join the previously established Willamette Val ley route as the nation’s first state-designated scenic bikeways. P roponents now must submit management plans that include maps, sign locations and market ing proposals to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Com mission for approval o f formal designation. One of the recom mended routes crosses the Cascade Mountains; an other forms a second Wil lamette Valley bikeway. Others are east of the Cascades. The bikeways are; -McKenzie Pass, a 40-mile linear route follow ing Oregon 242 over McK enzie Pass between Sisters and McKenzie Bridge. -D o re n a L ake Loop, a 23-mile loop par tially following an off-road path and back roads be tween Cottage Grove and Dorena Reservoir at the southern end o f the Wil lamette Valley. -Camp Sherman, a network of 5, 17 and 21- mile loops passing through Camp Sherman near Sis ters. - S is te r s - S m it h Rock, a 44-mile linear route between Sisters and Smith Rock State Park. -T w in B rid g e s Loop, a 32-mile loop ride on back roads betw een Bend and Tumalo. -Old West, a 199- mile loop connecting John Day, Prairie City, Dayville and Kimberly. -G ra n d T our, a 130-mile, figure-eight route linking La Grande, Union and Baker City. -Blue M o untain Century, a 108-mile loop connecting Heppner and Ukiah. The existing Wil lamette Valley Scenic Bike way is a 132-mile route between Champoeg State Heritage Area and Armit- age County Park north of Eugene. Maps and descrip tions of the bikeway, which serves as a model for Or- egons scenic bikeway pro gram, are online at www.or- egonscenicbikeways.org. The proposed des ignations for the Oregon Scenic Bikeway Commit tee’s consideration came from local nominators. “The committee is looking for the best of the best bicycle rides in all of Oregon,” said Alexandra Phillips, OPRD’s state bicy cle recreation coordinator. M MUNIR i M u ar 0« |M • MICROBREWS & mw m f TASTN G •CLASSIC CAR SHOW «LIVE MUSIC •THE SHADES...CLASS1C POP & ROCK •BRADY GOSS...THE PIANO MAN SATURDAY, O T M f l H l i TIME: fcOOPM to 7:90PM PLACE: HARDMAN MARNA PARK % TICKETS: $2000 ^ 91 and older Tickets Include: 2 FREE TASTES, MUSIC, & DUTCH OVEN SAMPLE PLATTER Hoited By: Boardman Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis Club of Boardman A Tickets: 541- 481-3014 Please B. ing Your Lawn Chairs! \ ® E s ta b lis h e d in 2008, the program is a partnership between Cycle Oregon, Travel Oregon, the Oregon Department of Transportation and OPRD. T he p r o g r a m ’s step-by-step designation process is explained in an Oregon Scenic Bikeway handbook now online at w ww .oregonscenicbike- ways.org. The Oregon Scenic Bikeway Committee will accept route nominations again January 1 through March 1,2011. The adviso ry committee is composed of 11 members representing bicycle advocacy organiza tions, local governments and state agencies involved in bicycling recreation or transportation. On January 1 o f this year, Don Hubert of Hermiston started a new job. He became the supervi sor for the Boardman rest areas. And he had a new boss: the Oregon Travel Information Council, which took over seven Oregon rest stops this year that had previously been managed by the Oregon Department of Transportation. “I knew it would be a big opportunity to help visitors, and a big challenge,” Hubert said. In the last six months, he has discovered just how big that challenge will be. In a whirlwind of the last eight months, he has overseen not only new management with a new direction, but also a terrifying roll-over traffic accident at the east-bound rest area off of Interstate 84. H ubert took im mediate action after see ing the accident, notifying em ergency services and rescue crews, and helping the injured passengers. An 11 -year-old boy suffered a broken leg and was easily removed from the vehicle. His injured father needed to be extracted by emergency personnel and both were transported to emergency care. The accident occurred at 8:40 am. By 10:30 the accident was cleared and operations were back to normal. “Helping motor ists comes in many forms,” Hubert said. “Sometimes, w e’re giving them traf fic directions. Sometimes we’re pulling them out of wrecked cars.” The new manage ment of the rest stops is a result of a 2009 change made by the Oregon legisla ture. It transferred authority over seven o f the state’s 32 freeway rest areas from ODOT to the Oregon Travel Information Council (TIC) and two of these included the two Rest Areas just west of Boardman. TIC is developing a plan that, in addition to management, encourages local regions to promote area tourist attractions and focus on economic devel opment. “We’re hoping to establish a national model,” says Cheryl Gribskov, Ex ecutive Director of TIC. “We want these areas to be vibrant and able to tap into what our local communi ties and economies have to offer.” The prime concern, however, is the safety of the motoring public. That com mitment was made clear through quick response to that rollover accident, and it has reinforced the im portance of the now daily presence of on-site staff. The quasi-public Travel Information Coun cil has 30 employees and works closely with the Or egon Department of Trans portation (ODOT) and the state’s tourism industry. Living Proof live simulcast with Beth Moore to be held at HES Women from all over the world will gather together on September 18 to hear from author and Bible teacher Beth Moore at Life Way Women’s “liv ing Proof’ Live Simulcast event. The Women’s Min istries o f our community are hosting this dynamic event and are inviting all women in the community to join at Heppner Elementary School. Doors will open at 8 a.m. for coffee and rolls and the event will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. Lunch will be provided for all who attend. Beth Moore, whose books and studies, includ ing Breaking Free and Es ther: It’s Tough Being a Woman, have been read by millions around the world, and is known for her ability to apply biblical scripture to everyday life. Acclaimed worship leader Travis Cot trell and his Praise Team will join Moore for the event. T h is s im u lc a s t event to be held at Heppner Elementary School is free. For more information call 541-676-5656. Morrow County Court weekly meetings held The Morrow Coun ty Court met on September 1 in Heppner with Judge Tallman and Commission ers Grieb and Rea in at tendance. Following is a summary of the meeting provided by Leann Rea. The court reviewed and approved the minutes from the August 25th meet ing. The c o u rt re viewed and approved the account payables, payroll, a final payroll check and fair open class premium in the net total amount of $316,091.82. Road Report W illo w C r e e k R oad - The crew com pleted crack sealing all 20.5 miles of Willow Creek road from Hwy 207 to Cutsforth Park on August 26. Blake Ranch Road - The crew continues with tree and brush removal along the Blake Ranch road. They have also extended two four foot culverts and placed some gabion baskets near the junction with Willow Creek Road this will allow the straightening of the road through that section. Rock crusher - The crusher crew has continued with crush ing rock at the OHV pit. Miscellaneous - This week the crew has been hauling gravel to some of the gravel roads that have developed alkali blowouts during the wheat harvest. The roads that have been worked on so far are as follows: Alpine Lane, Doherty Road, Kemp Lane, Beach Lane, Immi grant Lane, Baker Lane, Dave Rietmann Road, Cecil Road, Zinter Road, and the Smith Road. On the eve ning of August 26,h there was a report o f blowing dust on Baseline Lane near lone with poor visibility. After arriving on the scene, it was decided to close the road from the Lexington Grange Road to the Jordan Grade Road from approxi mately 7 to 11 p.m. Permits - Permit #160 between the County and Adam McCabe for an approach to M c Cabe Lane was reviewed and approved. Permit #161 between the County and Michael Aippersbach & As sociates to improve the ap proach on Gooseberry Road was reviewed and approved. Permit #OHA between the county and Columbia Ba sin Electric to relocate an overhead line on Dee Cox Road was reviewed and approved. Award Request for Qualification - The court reviewed and on the recom m endation o f Mr. O’Brien awarded the RFQ for Logging Services to Pine Creek Logging Inc. They will be doing some logging in the County’s Parks when safety issues need to be addressed. Sheriff’s Report The S h e riff re ported that there has been an increase in harassment cases involving internet sites. The Sheriff stated that the department is currently looking for candidates for the Sheriff’s Reserves. Fair Board Update Rod Taylor, Fair Board chair provided a report on the fair and dis cussed areas where im provements were needed. The court review ed the new amendments to the By- Laws and made a recom mendation for one change. The final draft will be ap proved at a later date. The court conduct ed the following business: Signed a plat partition to dedicate a portion of Hal- vorsen Lane for the road easement. Various correspon dences and upcoming meet ing notices were reviewed and discussed. If you would like to be placed on the list to receive County minutes, please contact Karen Wolff at (541)676-5620. The Morrow Coun ty Court met on September 8 in Irrigon with Judge Tallman and Commission ers Grieb and Rea in at tendance. Following is a summary of the meeting provided by Leann Rea. The court reviewed and approved the account payables in the total net amount o f $168,625.61. The court then reviewed and approved a purchasing pre-authorization in the amount of $5,550.08 for the Public Health Department for a backup generator for the refrigeration unit in the Heppner office to protect the vaccine supplies. The court conduct ed the following business items: Reviewed informa tion regarding the Sage Grouse and decided to sign a letter of support for the letter prepared and signed by Harney County’s Judge Steven Grasty. The court will prepare a letter re garding the Sage-Grouse Conservation Strategy and submit it to the Oregon De partment of Fish and Wild life Commission befor« the comment period closes in December. The court conduct ed the following business: The court reviewed a re quest from District Attor ney Justin Nelson regarding the purchase of a cell phone for the deputy district at torney. After some discus sion it was decided that the county would pay $50 towards the purchase of a cell phone and would pay up to $75 per month for a data plan phone. The court authorized the purchase from Dark Horse Leather Goods 20 stitched leather coaster sets and 75 plain stamped leather coaster sets imprinted with the court house. Various correspon dences and upcoming meet ing notices were reviewed and discussed. If you would like to be placed on the list to receive county minutes, please contact Karen Wolff at (541)676-5620.
