Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 10, 2011)
SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, August 10,2011 City presents first “Golden Shamrock Award” Heppner Mayor Les Paustian (left) presents John Edmund- son with the first Golden Shamrock Award. - Photo by David Sykes By David Sykes The city of Heppner presented John Edmundson of Heppner with the first ever “Golden Shamrock Award” at the city council meeting Monday night. Heppner M ayor Les Paustian said Edmund son received the award for “exemplary service to the City of Heppner.” The award stated the following: “John’s tireless and persistent involvement in a multitude of projects and activities, over the years have benefited the citizens in ways of which the aver age citizen is unaware. We are all indebted to him for his key involvement in pro curing the City map display, maintaining the Welcome to Heppner signs, oversee ing the semiannual litter cleanup throughout the city (recognized by SOLV), and his involvement in the city’s Strategic plan. He has served on the Oregon State Parks board, the Morrow County Commission on Women and Children, and the Tourism committee on the Heppner Cham ber of Commerce. He has been active at the Willow Creek Country Club and the Heppner Lion’s Club. The list could go on. You have earned our admiration and gratitude for your selfless service to the citizens of Heppner.” In explaining the purpose of the establish ment of the award, City Manager Dave DeMayo told the council: “This award recognizes those individuals who have ren dered exemplary service to the citizens of Heppner. It is to be presented by the mayor in a public forum. This will allow more in dividuals to be recognized than is possible under the ‘Man/Woman of the Year’ or the ‘Business o f the Year,’ etc. at the Chamber of Commerce awards banquet. It is meant to bestow honor and, therefore, should not be awarded without due consideration.” A V iew from the H ill By Doris Brosnan August in Morrow County is viewed as a BIG agricultural month: Wheat harvest. Morrow County Fair. Garden production at its peak. Residents at Wil low Creek Terrace under stand the importance of these activities, and are and will be reaping benefits from at least two situations, as well as enjoying some other August events. Most of the resi dents will journey out to the Morrow County Fair on opening day, Wednesday, August 17. They may try to outfox the heat by attending the fair late in the day, but they will still be some of the first visitors to view their own and other participants’ entries. Though no one plans to enter his or her pet, everyone might enjoy the pet show. And the pedal- power tractor pull is sure to entertain. The small-animal conformation and show manship competition might bring back some memories and serve as a catalyst for Thursday conversations on the Hill. Alvina Pad- berg, previously from lone, moved into Willow Creek Terrace on July 26, so she will be the newcomer in this group’s day at the fair. Whether any of the Terrace’s produce wins a prize at the fair, the resi dents will continue to enjoy it as much as usual, as it complements their menus and adds to the winter pro visions in the freezer. Last week, Carson and Conor Brosnan came to pick the rest of the beets and were delighted and astounded by the “golden beets” that were “humungous!” These yellow-orange species— new to the boys and many residents—will grace the tables as “brown sugar- glazed golden beets,” as well as other delectable side dishes. Bud Batty checks the garden each morning, so he can report that the com, tomatoes and squash, of course, will be ready for eating later, and the pump kins and watermelons look promising! For gardeners who have a yearly ongoing battle with the deer population, Terrace manager George Nairns and staff have a sure-fire deer deterrent, ap plied twice weekly. Naims will share the information with anyone who wishes to inquire (541-676-0004). Gardeners may also plan to join residents on the Hill on the morning of August 17 (check with Naims for the actual time), as they celebrate the “Old-Time Gardening Tip for the Day.” Much useful information will be readily available, and visitors will be encour aged to share their helpful hints also. Other special days from the national calendar of special days in August have included Raspberry- Pie Day (raspberry cream pie, l51), Smile Week (smil ing = part o f morning exercises, l 5t-7th), Sign ing of the Declaration of Independence (2nd; how many signers can the reader name?), the birth of Ameri can Bandstand (which sent shivers through the hearts of some of the parents of teens in 1957), Root-Beer- Float Day (a favorite on the 6th), and Friendship Day and Sisters Day on the 7th. Smokey the Bear’s Birth day was celebrated on the 9,h and the birth of S’mores on the 10th (how sweet it is!). Elvis is celebrated all of this week, and some residents do still recognize him as one of the great est singers in America’s recent history. On the 13d’, lefthanders will receive the honor due them for be ing “people in their right minds,” and on the 15th, residents will be invited to celebrate Relaxation Day (easy assignment?), maybe with the day’s designated dessert, Lemon Meringue. A National Ice-Cream Day, Hawaii’s admission to the US, Poet’s Day, Be-an- Angel Day, Peach-Pie Day, National Dog Day, and a few other special days will continue the month’s h W tractions. On August 8, five residents traveled to the Music in the Parks program in Irrigon. They enjoyed their previous attendance so much that taking in another musical presentation on the Columbia River was a definite attraction. In-hom e e n te r tainment and celebrations through the past month and the beginning of August have included a favorite: birthday events. In July, four residents chose the lunch menus and their fa vorite desserts to share as they marked another year on the calendar: Velma Felt turned 87 on July 3. Alice Buckley was 99 on the 12dl and announced that she is planning to celebrate her 100th. Meg Murray turned a mere 85 when she shared that day with Alice. On July 30, another Velma, Velma Wight, celebrated with family and neighbors as she turned 94. August 3 was a special day for Ginger Wilkinson because she cel ebrated her 90th birthday. The Willow Creek Terrace residents view these birthday celebrations as truly worthy of recognition, and not because the desserts are special. They are happy for their neighbors who are counting 2011 as a year of growth and friendships and are looking forward to the next year! CITY COUNCIL -Continued from PAGE ONE with residents of Hager St. across from Hager Park on the evening of July 27. The meeting was to “inform them of our intent as to how the park would be devel oped and a time frame when they will see this unfold,” DeMayo said. “Everyone seemed satisfied,” he told the coun cil, adding that three con cerns were raised. “First, they wanted a 9 p.m. curfew enforced; secondly, they wanted parking for the park to be restricted to the park area and not allowed on the side of the residences and, finally, they were very eager to see a new sidewalk along Hager Street if we can afford it,” DeMayo told the council. The council also heard a report from the city housing authority, which handles St. Patrick’s Senior Center, who said they are looking for a new manage ment company. “We are not really pleased with our present management company,” Housing Authority director and councilmember Judy Buschke told the council. She said Cascade Manage ment has over 300 facilities they are managing, and maybe Heppner is “small potatoes” to them. She said they are taking a look at a possible new company to manage St. Patrick’s Senior Center and apartment com plex located on Main Street in Heppner. Buschke also said there are two vacancies at the apartments, and that they are currently going through one eviction. The council also heard that the city had hired a new crew member, Mike Angell. “So far he is doing lice report for the month of July: Traffic- There were three traffic stops, resulting in three warnings and one citation. A ju v e n ile was warned for not obeying a traffic control device. Three ju v en iles were warned for not wear ing a helmet. A person reported vehicle driving the wrong way on a one way street. A deputy was unable to locate the vehicle. C ode E n fo r c e ment- Ten loose dog calls were reported to MCSO. None resulted in citations. Two calls regard ing loose sheep were re ported. Loud music was reported coming from a house. A deputy made con tact with the residents and advised them to turn the music down. Eleven code en forcement calls were gen erated regarding tall weeds and junk vehicles. Four barking dog complaints were received, resulting in no citations. Theft Com plaints- The Shell gas sta tion reported a gas drive off. It appeared to be acci dental. The gas station will contact the customer at a later date. All Other- One person was arrested on an outstanding warrant. A person reported their adult child was sui cidal. A deputy investigated and all was fine. The S k a m a n ia County Sheriff’s Office re quested assistance in locat ing the owner of a vehicle. A person reported a i . 1 riSht’” said Public Works suspicious parked vehicle, director Brian Harmon. The council also The owner was located and received the following po the vehicle was moved. Boardman renews development incentive for new homeowners During the August 2 Boardman city council meeting, councilors ap proved renewing a devel opment incentive in an effort to encourage new homeowners to locate in Boardman. The incentive was one of two the council considered renewing during the meeting. The develop ment incentive offers new homeowners a credit of $100 on their water/sewer bills, effective July 1, 2011 through July 1, 2012. I The other incen tive the council consid ered renewing would have temporarily suspended the city’s system development charges, up to $10,000. That incentive has been forwarded to the incen tives review committee for modification. The review committee is expected to report back to the council in September for its con sideration. Both of these incentives were offered for the past fifteen months and expired on July 1. In other city news, the council ratified a labor agreement with the public works and clerks depart ments. Also, councilors voted unanimously to sup port a splash pad park in the city for the committee to pursue funding for its construction. The next meeting of the Boardman City Council will be Tuesday, August 16 at 7 p.m. at Boardman City Hall council chambers. Community Bank awards kids for good grades Community Bank’s Earn While You Leam pro gram had a great start in its first year. The program was designed to encourage students in their academic success by awarding them for good grades. During the months of June and July, all Community Bank branches accepted end-of-the-year report cards from students in grades one through 12. For every top grade (A-, A, A+ for middle and high DA’s Report The Morrow Coun ty District Attorney’s office has released the following report: -Heman Vera-Her- nandez, 20, was convict ed of sexual abuse in the second degree, a Class C felony, based upon a plea of guilty. The defendant was sentenced to 5 years super vised probation subject to 180 sanction units with 90 A found wallet was turned over to MCSO. The owner was located. A group of juve niles were reported to be playing with a wheelchair. The caller thought they may have stolen it. The deputy was unable to locate anyone or the wheelchair. A person reported shots fired. A Deputy re sponded and determined it to be from fireworks. A found bicycle and scooter were turned over to MCSO. There were three firework complaints. None resulted in citations. Deputies respond ed to an intoxicated subject who was upset he was not being permitted into an establishment. An in to x ic a ted person was reported to MCSO, who responded and determined the person did not know where he was and wanted a ride home. A friend picked up the intoxi cated person. A person reported a person shooting a firearm into a creek. Three juveniles were located. No firearm was found. A person reported an open fire during closed burning. A deputy contacted the person burning and is sued them a warning. Deputies respond ed to two domestic disputes. Both were determined to be only verbal. A deputy contacted a person regarding a cus tody dispute. D eputies inves tigated four complaints which were determined to be civil issues. A deputy respond ed to an intrusion alarm, which was found to be a false alarm. A fight in progress was reported. Deputies responded and are investi- gating, jail units. Other terms of probation included but were not limited to participation in a sex offender treatment program, no contact with the victim, no direct contact with children, no contact with female minors except his sister in a supervised setting, and registration as a sex offender. Fines, fees and assessments totaled $708. school, and S+, E, etc. for grade school) that appeared on the report card, Com munity Bank deposited $1 into their Community Bank Youth Savings Account. With 190 students participating at Commu nity Bank’s 16 branches, the Bank was able to pay out $3,895 to the students. That’s an average of just over $20 per student. Students in the Heppner area averaged a higher return per report card. With 43 students participating (23% of all paid students bank wide), Community Bank awarded $1305, an average of over $30 per student! The Earn While You Leam Program will be an annual reward, with payments given for the whole school year in June and July. Walden to hold town hall meeting Rep. Greg Walden will be at Heppner City Hall for a town hall meeting at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 11. Everyone in the community is invited to attend. Loretta show cancelled Country music star Loretta Lynn was forced to cancel her August 13 show at Wildhorse due to emergency surgery late Friday night. She is hoping to reschedule the performance for 2012. Wildhorse is forming a ticket refund plan with Box Office Tickets. More information will be available August II. 1
