Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2013)
r "1 Sewer fees to increase $1; late paym ent to $5 Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Libran university o f Oregon Eugene. OR 97403 By David Sykes Heppner residents will be paying more for their sewer service, as well as paying more if they pay late, the city council said last Monday. At its regular monthly meeting June 10, the coun cil voted to raise sewer fees from the current $28.10 per month to $29.10 per month, an increase that has been planned for some time. At the meeting the council also wanted to raise the amount it would charge if bills are paid after the 10,h of the month, from the current 1.5 percentage fee to a flat $5; however, that was tabled until next month on the advice of the city attorney, who said a city ordinance would have to be changed. The one dollar increase in sewer fees, which the city utility commission had also recommended, goes into effect July 1. Currently, late fees are based on the amount of the bill at a rate of 1.5 percent per month, and city m anager Kim Cutsforth told the council VOL. 132 N 0. 25 8 Pages Wednesday, June 19,2013 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon W agenblast retires after 18 years By Andrea Di Salvo Long-time lone teach er’s aide Vicki Wagenblast retired last week, finishing up 18 years working with kindergarten through sixth- graders at lone Community School. Wagenblast, 62, was bom in The Dalles, OR and raised in nearby Sherman County. Though people in South Morrow County consider this small-town living, Wagenblast says life in Sherman County took small to a different level. “Here 1 say, ‘I'm from Lexington,”’ Wagenblast shares. “People from Sher man County don’t say, “I’m from Moro’ or ‘I’m from Kent.’ We say, ‘I’m from Sherman County,’ because it’s so tiny.” In fact, she spent her first- through eighth-grade years going to school in the town o f Kent, one of a class o f four. She then attended Sherman Coun ty High School in Moro, graduating in 1969. She went on to attend a term at Oregon State University in Corvallis and two terms at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, OR. Retiring lone teacher’s aide Vicki Wagenblast was honored with roses and remembrances at a school assembly at the end of the school year. -Contributedphoto She says she had plans to become a secretary but, looking back, should have had a different goal. “I should have gone for teaching because I really enjoy it,” she says. Instead, in 1970, she married high-school sweet heart Steve Wagenblast, whom she had met at a live stock show in The Dalles when she was 15. They had three children, Amy, David and Becky, and Wagenblast settled down to work as a mother and farm wife on the family’s Lexington-area ranch. It wasn’t until their youngest child left for col lege that she set her sights on full-time work outside the farm. In September of 1995, Wagenblast took the job as instructional aide for lone Community School, then part of the Morrow County School District. She also helped out from time to time at the high school, where she often knew the teens from their time at the elementary level. “I really enjoyed being a teacher’s aide; it was lots -See WAGENBLAST RE- T1 RES/PAGE FOUR Rattlesnakes on the rise? By Andrea Di Salvo This month, Heppner will lose another beloved elementary school teacher, Karen Smith-Griffith. Her last official day with Mor row County School District is June 30, but she said farewell to her last class on June 7. The 56-year-old has been teaching in Mor row County since 1987, when she moved here from Spray. S m ith-G riffith was born and raised in Hood River, OR and graduated from Hood River Valley High School in 1975. She went on to attend Oregon College of Education, now Western Oregon Univer sity, in Monmouth, OR. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in elemen tary education in 1979 and started teaching in Spray that same year. She also started pursuing a graduate degree in special education at the University of Oregon. She took classes during the summers and eventu -See CITY COUNCIL RAISES SEWER RATES/ PAGE FIVE ally obtained her Master of students. Education degree. Smith-Griffith says she While living in Spray, looks back and sees value she married husband John in the variety of teaching Griffith; they have been experience she’s had. married for nearly “Because I’ve 31 years and have taught from kin one son, Aaron. dergarten through After moving 12lh grade, the posi •to Heppner 26 years tive aspects of all ago, Smith-Griffith the different levels started out teaching have been enlight Karen Smith- special education C Griffith ening,” she says. at the high school “ I ’ve p ro b a b ly level in Heppner learned as much and lone. She taught special from kids as, hopefully, education for the next 10 they learned from me.” years before transferring With free time ahead to elementary education in of her, Smith-Griffith says Heppner. she has plans for a lot of She’s been at Hepp home projects. ner Elementary ever since, “I plan to refinish some teaching a variety of grades. furniture, do some painting While most of her time was and stripping of wallpaper,” spent teaching fifth and she says. sixth grades, she also spent She also hopes to see a couple of years teaching her family in Hood River third and fourth grades, and a little more, and do a little finished her career this year traveling. That includes a teaching third and sixth, as trip to New York later this well as Title I, which con month. sisted mostly of kindergar -See SMITH-GRIFFITH RE- TIREMENT/PAGE TWO ten through second-grade Sandford wins 2013-14 OHSR title L illian S andford, a senior at Heppner High School, has won the title of Miss Oregon High School Rodeo 2013-2014 at the state high school finals held in Prineville last week. Sandford is the daughter of Rick and Sylvia Sandford, and older sister to Ivy, all of lone. Sandford was the reign ing 2012-13 Miss Oregon High School Rodeo and competed with two other young ladies to retain her crown. She competed in impromptu questions, per sonal interview, written test, speech, modeling and horsemanship. Only three categories were awarded, and Sandford won all o f them: interview, horseman ship and speech. T his year, O regon named a first attendant, who will represent Oregon at the Silver State International Rodeo held in Nevada June 30-Juiy 6. Sam Wymer, a junior from Canby, OR will be attending that pageant and rodeo. She also won the Spirit Award for the pageant. Natalie Scotto was awarded the People’s Choice award for the most votes on her picture on the association’s Facebook page. “Now we have to start packing and preparing for the trip to Rock Springs, WY, where I will be com peting for the title of Miss National High School Ro deo Association. We leave Miss Oregon High School Rodeo 2013-14, Lillian Sand ford July 10 to be there by July 12 for check-in with my horse and to pick up our contestant packet,” said Sandford. “ I am selling -See SANDFORD MISS OHSR/PAGE THREE KID MACHINE! Polaris 2013 RZR 170 You can own it fo r $85/month $0 down 6.99% 60 months O.A.C. Age 12+ approved ALL NEW S AND ADV ER TISEM ENT DEADLINE: L on park usage and let the city manager handle the requests. “Is it necessary for peo ple to come to the council to ask for park usage?” Mayor Joe Perry asked. The council heard a report from Judy Buschke o f the Heppner Housing Authority, who said the St. Patrick’s Senior Cen ter would be starting on its heating and cooling overhaul. She said Hep pner H eating w ould be doing the work. She said a crane would pick up the old unit off the roof and place the new one. Total cost of the project is going to be $22,840. Buschke also said there are currently two vacancies at the apartments with “no prospects.” In a report from city Public Works Director Chad Doherty, he told the council that, during the school’s recent Mustang Mop-Up, with the help of students the city was able to rehab seven Heppner teacher to retire after 26 years Residents in South Morrow have reported teeing what many believe is an unusual number of rattlesnakes this spring, though Steve C herry of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says he can’t verify if that’s the case. “ It’s not something we keep track of as an agency,” says Cherry. “ I have heard people talk about them, mentioning seeing a few more than normal this year. We haven't received any complaints.” Above: Bull snakes like this one are often mistaken for rattlers at first glance, hut distinctive markings— most obviously the telltale rattles— can be used to distinguish the two. -Contributedphoto MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M. this is not even enough to cover the cost of rebilling. She said the average late fee is between $1.18 and $2 now. In other action, the council agreed to close city hall on the day after July 4 and give the employees an unpaid day oft'. Employees who wished could use that day as a paid vacation day, however. In other action, the council approved an ani mal permit for Elfred and Pamela Williams at 195 S. Main in Heppner, al lowing them to have 15 chickens, three turkeys and two ducks. Cutsforth said the Williams would be given two weeks to get rid of their roosters, however, since there had been noise complaints. The birds are all kept in cages. The council approved usage of the city park on July 28 and August 25 from 5-7 p.m. for use o f Mu sic in the Parks program. The council also discussed discontinuing the require ment for city council action Morrow Lexington 989-8221 « 1-800-452-731! Grain Growers or firm equipment visit oar web «1U it www aefg iet J ) :
