99 years of country
pride, county wide
Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
University of Oregon
Eugene. OR 97403
Sylvia Sandford (L) and daughter Lilly Sandford, Miss Oregon High School Rodeo, prepare
the Oregon High School Rodeo booth before fair Monday. The fOth Morrow County Fair is
open to the public Wednesday through Saturday of this week. -Photo by David Sykes
City facing big new
sewer project
VOL. 131
N O . 32
8 Pages
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Ribbon cutting set for
Lexington fire hall
DEQ could force Heppner to build $625,000
facility
By David Sykes
an absolute figure.
ammonia release allowed
After the city of Hep
“The DEQ hasn’t said by the state is going to be
pner treats its sewer water, what they are going to do in 20 years.
it releases it into Willow yet,” Mark Owens, senior
Owens was adamant
Creek. The Department of engineer with Anderson that the city does need a
Environmental Quality says Perry, the city’s engineer new plant, however.
there is too much ammonia ing firm, told the council
“In the summer you are
in that effluent, and the city Monday night. “They give okay but in the winter you
may have to spend up to us a target and they say you are exceeding your limits,”
$625,000 on a new treat need to think out 20 years he said.
ment plant to correct the from now.”
"Is this because the
problem, a representative
When issued a new DEQ is raising the bar?”
with the engineering firm permit in 2014, that permit Mayor Les Paustian asked.
of Anderson Perry & As will only be good for five
“They have just given a
sociates, Inc. told the Hep years, and the state has said bar,” Owens said. “There is
pner City Council Monday the standards may change. an issue here. You are going
night.
“While the permit term to have a problem meeting
H eppner’s perm it to is five years, the expected your permit, because the
dump effluent, or treated life of a new treatment plant city is not meeting its stan
sewer, into Willow Creek is 20 years. This means that dards,” he added.
expires in 2014. At that your engineering consultant
To fix the ammonia
time, in order to receive a must make an attempt to an release problem, Anderson
new permit, the city must ticipate regulatory changes Perry came up with nine
comply with tough new that might occur during the different options, from in
recently-released state DEQ planning period," the DEQ creasing chemicals in the
limits on the amount of said in a January letter to process to eliminating creek
ammonia allowed into the the city.
discharge altogether. The
creek. However, making
In other words, when council chose the engineers'
things more difficult, the planning for construction recommendation of adding
Left to right: Mayor Jean Brazell, council members Will Lemmon and Annette Sherman, state has apparently only o f a new sewer plant to a “fixed bed bioreactor” to
fireman Tim Follett, Fire Chief Charlie Sumner, Tom Hagerud of Cleary Building Corp, and given a “range” of allowed remove ammonia, the city
-See CITY SEWER/PAGE
Beverly Steagall show off new fire hall in Lexington. -Photo by David Sykes
FIVE
ammonia release, and not must anticipate what the
The Lexington Town Cleary Building Corpora help out, and a few citizens
Council, Lexington Fire tion was the successful bid donated money for the proj
D epartm ent and Cleary der for the project, which ect. Finally, the community
Building Corp. invite ev had to go up for bid twice approved a bond measure,
eryone to a ribbon cutting due to financial restraints. which the Bank of Eastern
dedicating the town’s new
A FEMA grant got the Oregon purchased, to finish
fire station and town hall project of a new town hall the funding.
The Oregon Trail Pro
complex Monday, August started and completed, and
After all those years Rodeo is bringing new and
20, at 425 F St., at 6:30 p.m. provided seed money to get and all that work, every exciting improvements to
in Lexington.
to work on the fire hall. Mor one in the area is invited this year’s entertainment.
The complex has been row County Grain Growers to come and see the new
“The com m ittee has
four years in the making. donated two lots adjoining complex and enjoy a sand worked hard all year to
M ayor Jean Brazell and the Town Hall building wich. drinks, watermelon bring back some favor
Beverly Steagall were ap toward the project. Dee and cookies. Also in the
ite traditions, improve the
pointed by the council to do Burch, the town's recorder, town hall will history and grounds and add variety to
research and come up with a secured a grant from Wild pictures of Lexington put the rodeo,” says one rodeo
fire station that would meet Horse Resort and Casino to on display by Dee Burch.
planner. “This is the 90th
the needs of the community.
celebration o f this rodeo,
and it will be packed with
enjoyment, talent, and heri
tage.”
County residents and
visitors are reminded to
take time to come to the
South Morrow County were so much fun, just a worked the grounds before rodeo this year for one, two
man Richard Kinzer has good time with potlucks the Wrangler Playdays, and or all three of the perfor
been chosen as the 2012 afterwards,” Kinzer says.
just generally did whatever mances.
Royalty is back, and
Morrow County Fair and
He also competed for needed to be done.
Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo the Morrow County Ama
His contributions didn’t the OTPR is proudly rep
Grand Marshal.
teur C alf Roping Saddle go unnoticed. The Morrow resented by Queen Mag
The reason he received for many years, winning County Rodeo C om m it gie Collins. Collins has
the honor is no secret to second one year and third tee gave Kinzer an Appre been busy all year travel
those who know him; Kin another.
ciation Award for his hard ing and promoting the fair
zer has a long history with
and rodeo. She can also be
“Then the toughs came work in 1979.
the rodeo. When he was and I retired,” he says.
Kinzer started life in heard singing and perform- One of the featured performer! during the 2012 OTPR will
be rodeo clown Scott “ Blaze" Logsdon (above), a professional
young, he competed in the
This quiet, behind-the- another part of the state, in
-See RODEO ENTER!AIN- firefighter who clowns around in his spare time. -Contributed
bareback riding event at the scenes player is described Crabtree, OR. He was bom
MENT/PAGE SIX photo
rodeos.
as quick witted and hard there in 1935, to Ruby and
“ I n ev er m ade any working by those who have Vilas Kinzer. However, his
money doing this, but had had the pleasure to know family moved to the area
him. Friends and admirers while he was young, and he
a lot of fun,” he says.
In his later years, he say he was always kind started his education at the
competed in both the team o f hard to catch up with Rhea Creek School, a one-
roping and c a lf roping at the rodeos because he room school house near
events. Kinzer says he also was either helping load Heppner. His family moved
loved the ranch ropings at rough stock in the chutes to Condon, OR when he
the Murray’s, Dougherty’s, or at the other end of the was in the fourth grade, and
Steagall’s, Evans' and Ma arena sorting the calves so he completed his schooling
honey’s ranches.
they were in the right order
-See GRAND MARSHAL/
“These family ropings for the ropers. Kinzer also
PAGE EIGHT
90th rodeo ups the ante
on entertainment
Grand marshal has
lived the rodeo life
\
i