County votes down proposed
gravel fee
Il n i l I I I I II >
Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
HEPPNER
Large crowd attends public hearing
By David Sykes
There will be no
25-cents-per-ton fee—or
tax, depending on various
interpretations— imposed
on gravel mined inside the
county and shipped out of
the county, the Morrow
County Court ruled last
Wednesday.
B ecause o f the
expected large crowd for
the public hearing on the
controversial proposal, the
court met at the fairgrounds.
About 40 people from all
areas of the county showed
up for the advertised public
hearing.
Sixteen people, in
cluding gravel producers.
Port of Morrow members
and citizens testified about
the proposed fee, and all
were opposed. County bud
get committee members had
come up with the fee at one
of its meetings last April as
a way to raise needed rev
enue for the county. Budget
committee member Larry
Mills of Heppner wrote a
letter of support for the fee,
saying the revenue “will
help the county maintain
needed county services
from the road department
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
to the county health depart
ment.” Mills also said that
county revenues have been
flat or on a downturn for
the past two years and he
expected even less income
next year. Mills also said
he didn’t expect the fee to
harm or impose a burden
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VOL. 131
NO. 2
8 Pages
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Scrap-a-saurs a “family
project” for creators
By Andrea Di Salvo
Dinosaurs haven't
roamed Eastern Oregon
for millions o f years...or
have they?
The N o rth Lex
scrap-a-saurus and its new
pal have become fam il
iar sights for the residents
o f South M orrow, both
through their rising public
ity and at their home off
Highway 207.
The tw o scrap -
a -s a u rs — b u ilt, as the
name implies, of machine
scraps—are the handiwork
o f Chris Rauch and his
family. Rauch says each
scrap-a-saurus took about a
day and a half to create. The
prehistoric creations are
made mostly o f combine
and drill parts, combined
with other odds and ends
the Rauches found lying
around. Most of the fabrica
tion was done by welding,
though he says they had to
cut some pieces to fit.
As for the inspira
tion behind the project,
Rauch said it was something
of a long-time dream.
“It was something
Dad and I talked about
years ago. He liked build
ing things like that,” says
Rauch. “ We never got it
done before he passed
away. Then I talked to my
son about the idea, and we
got together and did one.”
Rauch and his son,
21-year-old Andre Rauch,
built the original scrap-a-
saurus and placed it at the
newly-redesigned intersec
tion of Highway 207 and
Bombing Range Road in
November of 2010. A few
sharp eyes may have no
ticed it holding a Heppner
Mustang flag, but it re
ceived little attention for the
next several months. Even
Joe Miller (standing right) of Miller and Sons Excavation
in Heppner testifies at a public hearing last Wednesday on a
proposed gravel tax before the Morrow County Court, (R-L)
Leann Rea, Terry Tallman and Ken Grieb. -Photo by David
Svkes
on any county business
selling gravel outside the
county. Estimates on how
much money the fee would
raise ranged from $ 150,000
to more than $200,000 per
year.
Several producers
and shippers located in the
county disagreed.
“This is a job kill
er,” said Ryan Miller of
Miller and Sons Excavation
in Heppner. Miller said the
25 cents is unreasonable
and that is was time for the
county to look for ways to
make cut-backs than to look
for new taxes.
Debora and Wade
Aylett, ow ners o f Rock
Solid Sand and Gravel in
Irrigon. said the fee would
put their business at a great
disadvantage when bidding
against companies in other
counties who would not
have to pay the fee.
"Our quarry would
not be able to compete cost-
wise with aggregate com
panies in Umatilla County
who are not subject to such
a fee,” Debora Aylett said in
a letter of opposition.
Whether or not the
25 cents was a fee or a tax
was also debated. If it was,
in fact, a tax then it would
have to go before a vote
of the people before it was
enacted. A simple fee only
has to be approved by a ma
jority of the three member
county court.
“Is this a fee, or is
it a tax?” Port of Morrow
Manager Gary Neal asked
-See GRAVEL FEE/PAGE
FIVE
Superintendent recommends
new school levy
The North Lex scrap-a-saurus and pal (pictured) have become
familiar fixtures along Highway 207. Rumor has it another may
he popping up next summer, hut sources won't confirm whether
this is because the existing pair are more than “just friends" or
whether a new species may emerge. Photo hv David Sykes.
the spotlight the Rauch
family placed so it could
be seen at night was stolen
shortly after it was put up.
Then, as the 2011
holiday season approached,
the lonely Scrap-a-saurus
took on a more festive ap
pearance. Rauch says the
decorations are a mystery
to him.
“ We are not the
ones who are decorating
them. We are not sure who
is,” Rauch says. “I have
heard about a couple o f
people doing it, and we saw
another lady decorating but
did not get a good look at
who it was.”
His best guess? A
group effort by others who
want to enter into the fun.
Rauch says he had
been thinking of creating
a second scrap-a-saurus
ever since they finished
the first. When Andre and
17-year-old daughter, Nata
lie Rauch, were on Christ
mas break, the three went to
work on a pal for their first
creation. Andre helped with
the cutting, welding and as
sembly, as he had with the
first scrap-a-saurus. Nata
lie, Rauch says, provided
hands-on help as well as an
eye for detail and design.
“Natalie thinks less
is more and 1 think more is
more,” says Rauch.
Shortly after the
family finished their second
creation, the decoration
elves celebrated the occa
sion by decking out the pair
in New Year’s hats, noise-
makers and beads.
Rauch says another
scrap-a-saurus may pop up
sometime between now and
next fall, but says it will
probably wait until the kids
are on school break. With
Natalie attending Heppner
High and Andre in Seville,
Spain on a six-month Uni
versity of Oregon program,
Rauch doesn’t feel like
continuing on his own.
“It is kind of be
coming a family project,”
he says.
That said, Rauch
admits that he doesn't have
total control over the pro
cess.
“You never know
with a scrap -a-sau ru s,”
says Rauch. “They do have
minds of their own.”
By April Sykes
M orrow County
School Superintendent Dirk
Dirksen told the board,
at their regular meeting
at H eppner Elem entary
Monday night, that he is
recommending putting a
new district levy before the
voters on the May ballot.
D irksen said he
believes a five-year levy
would be more beneficial
for the district than the
previous three-year levy.
He also said that the dis
trict’s “new normal” budget
would be more in the neigh
borhood of $5.7 million,
rather than the “old normal”
of $6.2-$6.3 million, mostly
likely due to funding con
straints.
The board also
learned that an anti-bullying
workshop, including a pre
sentation for parents and the
general public and led by
award-winning children’s
author and advocate. Trudy
Town & Country schedule
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
with interviews tentatively
scheduled for January 27.
The federally funded Gear-
Up program, aimed at stu
dents in Boardman and Ir
rigon, was designed to give
students an extra boost in
becoming college-ready.
-heard from Dirk
sen about the district’s in
tent to refinance the dis
trict's bond. A refinance
could save the district up to
$60,000 over several years,
he said.
-learned that the
district’s fleet of cars is ex
periencing difficulty, with
head gaskets in three of the
vehicles going out in the
last six months. Dirksen
said that the district bought
two Ford Focuses and is
looking at the purchase of
additional vehicles, along
with a Dodge Caravan,
which would be used in
stead of the district’s larger
-See SCHOOL LEVY/PAGE
SIX
City considers contract
renewal with sheriff’s office
By David Sykes
The city of Hepp
ner is entering negotiations
with the Morrow County
S heriff’s Department in
anticipation of extending its
contract for police services
into the new year.
M orrow County
Sheriff Ken Matlack was on
hand at Monday’s council
meeting to go over some
o f the details of the new
contract, saying most ev
erything would stay the
same except the cost, which
was expected to increase by
January 12 Town and Country events are as follows:
about $3,800 but could be
10 a.m.: Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) annual meet more depending on labor
ing, St. Patrick’s parish hall in Heppner.
negotiations, Matlack said.
12:15 p.m.: Morrow SWCD and Morrow County Livestock Growers (MCLG)
“We don’t expect it
lunch, St. Patrick’s parish hall in Heppner.
1 p.m.: Morrow SWCD and MCLG 24"’ annual joint program, St. Patrick’s
parish hall in Heppner.
3:30 p.m.: MCLG annual meeting scheduled to start following joint program.
St. Patrick’s parish hall in Heppner.
6 p.m.: Heppner Chamber of Commerce’s annual Town and Country awards be
gins with a no-host social hour served by Bucknum’s. Morrow County Fairgrounds.
6:30 p.m.: Dinner buffet catered by Pudding on the Ritz, with awards to follow.
Morrow County Fairgrounds.
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
Ludwig, has been planned
for Feb. 2-3 at Windy River
and Sam Boardman elemen
tary schools in Boardman.
In other business,
the board:
-learned from Dirk
sen that a school health
program training and Pow
erPoint presentation con
cerning age-appropriate sex
education at the sixth-grade
level has been planned on
Jan. 23. Dirksen said that
the board and community
are invited to attend the
meeting set from 6-8 p.m.
at the district office in Lex
ington.
-enjoyed listening
to the Heppner Elemen
tary School choir sing the
National Anthem, under
the direction o f teacher
Michelle Stone, dispensing
with the usual Pledge of Al
legiance.
-learned from Dirk
sen that a “Gear-Up” job
position has been posted.
to be a lot, but it’s going to
be something,” he told the
council.
M atlack estim at
ed it would cost the city
$185,083 for one year's
worth of police coverage
in the new year, but that
this could change depend
ing on how the union ne
gotiations with officers
goes. He said he would not
know the exact amount for
another couple of months.
The agreement would run
from July 1.2012 until June
30, 2013.
In preparation of
extending the yearly con
tract, the council plans to
hold a public meeting Jan.
24 to which people can
come and discuss Heppner
police service. Matlack said
he would be in attendance
to answer questions at the
6-7 p.m. city hall meeting.
Matlack did ask the
council that if they were not
planning on renewing the
contract, and instead set up
their own police force once
again, that the city give him
so notice so he could make
adjustments in his depart
ment. If the city decided not
to renew, according to the
contract, the county would
be required to give the
city two functioning police
-See SHERIFF CONTRACT
RENEWAUPAGE SIX
PARDON W e
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