SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon
Wednesday, June 26,2013
Housing Rehabilitation Program helps
Heppner couple
lone proudly presents
Music in the Park, featuring
Frank Carlson, on Wednes
day, July 3, at 7 p.m., im
mediately following the
talent show, which begins
at 6 p.m.
“Frank croons like Si
natra and rocks like Elvis,”
says one fan. “His rendition
of "Pretty Woman'will have
you out of your seats and
dancing."
He sings the songs ev
eryone knows the words to,
and does requests if he has
the music with him. To date,
Carlson has released four
More funds available for county homeowners
site because of later addi
By Andrea Di Salvo
Area homeow ners w ho tions, Shannon said, but
need help making repairs the couple is try ing to keep
and upgrades to their hous every thing as close to the
es may get a helping hand original as possible.
thanks to a speeial grant.
That’s something that
Morrow County has David VanDerlip, execu
been awarded a $400,000 tive director Oregon Rural
Community Development Housing Services, appreci
Block Grant from Oregon ates. VanDerlip oversees
Business Development De the loan program locally,
partment for housing reha and says repair specifica
bilitation projects through tions for loan recipients
out the county. The program in older houses need to
is providing no-interest, be approved by the State
deferred-payment loans to Historic Preservation Of
qualified low- and mod fice, a branch of Parks and
erate-income households Recreation.
for housing rehabilitation
“ T hose houses are
works o f art and they can’t
activities.
These activities include be replicated,” VanDerlip
work to correct health, says.
While the Shannons'
safety and structural defi
ciencies; conserve energy; home may be a work of art,
and install accessibility age and wear had made it
upgrades such as ramps and an uncomfortable place to
railing.
live. At the same time, the
“ M orrow County is Shannons had used their
pleased to be able to pro meager savings to pay off
vide this opportunity to the house, which left them
our residents,” says Mor with only Social Security
row County Commissioner for income and little left
LeAnn Rea. “We brought over to make repairs. Don
this program to the county looked into a reverse mort
in 2004 and have seen hous gage, but found that the
ing stock improve in our interest rate would have
communities.”
left them too far in debt,
One Heppner couple, with little or no equity left
Don and Jo Ann Shannon, in the house.
knows firsthand the changes
That’s when they got a
that can be
flyer in the
made with
mail, one of
one o f the
two mailings
loans. The
V anD erlip
S hannons
said w ent
bought their
out inform
house on the
in g lo c a l
c o rn e r o f
re s id e n ts
Water and
ab o u t th e
Jones when
grant.
Don and Jo Ann Shannon.
they moved
to Heppner
tu r n e d it
in August of 2006, w hen back in that same day,"
Don “retired" from the min says Shannon.
istry as a Southern Baptist
The Shannons ended up
preacher.
receiving a loan for $26,000
The house was built worth of improvements and
1898; 77-year-old Don repairs. They don’t have to
Shannon says it still con pay interest on the loan,
tains a washbasin from they said, and, though they
1916 and a bath with claw are not allowed to use the
legs from 1928.
loan on a rental property,
“There’s still some old they don’t have to pay it
stuff hanging 'round be oft' until they move or sell
sides me,” he jokes.
the house.
When the Kinzua mill
The list of repairs is
in Heppner was in opera lengthy. The Shannons first
tion, the building served as got a new roof. Broken
a rental, with three apart pipes meant no water at the
ments in the house and a back of the house, and they
fourth in a cottage to the were able to fix that dam
side. The building can’t be aged plumbing. They got a
registered as a historical new hot water heater, rain
Carlson to croon at
lone
A new roof lakes shape on the Shannon's home on the corner
of Jones and Water in Heppner. The Shannons were able to
replace their roof, among other things, with the loan money
they received from the block grant. Contributed photo
gutters and leaf guards, and
money for paint, though
they had to do the painting
themselves.
Though that list is im
pressive, one of the things
that made the greatest dif
ference in their lives was the
installation of a heat pump.
The house previously had
no central heating system;
they blocked off the back
of the house and lived in
the front, using shop heaters
to warm their living space.
Even with limited use, the
heaters were expensive.
“ It has already cut
down on electric,” Shan
non says.
“ First w inter w e'v e
been comfortable since we
lived here,” Jo Ann, 74,
adds.
The couple says they
are grateful for the hand up
to make their situation more
livable.
“Made it a lot easier if
you need repairs done and
don't have the money," says
Shannon.
David VanDerlip, exec
utive director Oregon Rural
Housing Services, says he
hasn’t gotten as many appli
cations as he hoped, though
there have been some takers
in the county. At last count,
almost a quarter of the grant
money, about $75,000, was
yet to be handed out, he
said.
Greater Eastern Oregon
Development Corporation
(GEODC), a non-profit
econom ic developm ent
organization serving seven
counties in Eastern Oregon,
has been assisting Mor
row County with project
requirements.
Karen Kendall, project
coordinator for GEODC,
says, “ W e're pleased to
work with Morrow Coun
ty, Oregon Rural Housing
Services, Inc. and Oregon
Business Development De
partment to provide the
housing rehabilitation pro
gram this year in Morrow
County.”
Kendall says that, in
Morrow and Umatilla coun
ties, they have provided
rehabilitation services to
more than 190 homes. In
addition to county and city
sponsors, other agencies
who have participated in the
program include Oregon
Business Development De
partment, Community Ac
tion Program Eastern Coun
ties of Oregon (CAPECO),
USDA Rural Development
and Oregon Housing &
Community Services.
“These partnerships
help leverage grant funds
and assist residents with
their housing needs,” Ken
dall says. “It’s exciting to
see this opportunity once
again available to residents
in Morrow County.”
The deadline to com
plete work on these projects
is Dec. 31 o f this year;
however, it takes some time
to get homeow ners through
the application process and
set them up with a contrac
tor, so interested parties
should start the process as
soon as possible.
Anyone interested in
finding out more informa
tion on the program or
obtaining an application,
contact VanDerlip at 541-
259-6840. VanDerlip is
available to meet with hom
eowners and work through
the application process.
CDs, which those who en
joy his music can purchase
for $I5 each.
Notably, Carlson was
the first runner-up in the
first-ever American Co-op
Idol contest held in New
Orleans, LA in 2008. His
real job is an engineering
aid at OTECC in Baker
City, OR.
“Don’t miss out on this
free, super entertainment,”
says one event coordina
tor.
“Bring your lawn chairs
and dancing shoes and come
out for a good time.”
Are ewe ready for
fair?
lone Community Livestock 4-H Member Ivy Sand ford poses
with her market lamb, Michael Jordan. Ivy is the daughter of
Rick and Sylvia Sandl'ord of lone, and will show and sell her
lamb at the I00,h Morrow County Fair in August. Photo by
Erin Heideman
Farmer’s market
sees rainy start
A View from the Hill
Above: Vendors and shoppers alike braved the rain and cold on
the first day of the 2013 Willow Creek Valley farmer's market
By Doris Brosnan
walk brought back memo dents will be considering Craber's wonderful recipe. at the city park. Below: Members of the Tyce Triumph Club
Yes, the view of Willow ries of that history-making their five (or six?) senses Concern about calories is stopped at the HcppncrCity Park on Friday, June 21, on their
Creek Terrace has become day, as well as a growing list during discussions, and not an option.
way to Baker City from Seattle. Twelve cars made the stop to
more colorful because May of changes witnessed since the adventurous ones will
Ice cream on the warm, peruse the local farmer's market. Photos by April Svkes
showers did bring a variety
of blossoms to the flow
erbeds, with the promise
of more to come. And the
garden shows promise, too,
to anyone who ventures out
for a look between June
showers. Truly an unusual
spring and beginning o f
summer in Heppner, Or
egon.
However, residents of
the Terrace do not lack for
activities w hile waiting
for warmer, dry er weather.
Thanks to their loyal vol
unteers, every day of the
week offers an opportunity
that brightens the day for
participants: Bingo; piano
music; a trip for socializing
and dining at the senior
meal site; reading and dis
cussing the Gazette-Times;
seasonal crafts; games; Sat
urday matinees; and library
book exchange.
The daily exercise and
discussion is both physical
ly and mentally stimulating,
too. When the group learned
that June 3 is designated as
“Cancer Survivor Day,”
they discovered through
sharing that several resi
dents are cancer survivors,
some from more than one
fight against the disease.
The discussion on the an
niversary of the first space
then. That June 3 discussion
also focused on the 80lh
anniversary of the drive-in
movie, w hich brought more
than a few giggles and red
faces. (Readers may want to
explain the drive-in movie
to grandchildren.)
On Flag Day, a dis
cussion of respect for the
American Flag was fol
lowed with a discussion of
family histories because
June 14 is also designated
“Family History Day." Liz
Bueller found this topic of
special interest, as she was
involved with genealogy
and a history publication
for many years.
The 65th anniversary
of The Ed Sullivan Show
on June 20 reminded the
group that they watched
that long-running show on
their first TV sets, leading,
of course, to discussion of
that changing industry.
The official “First Day
of Summer" brought some
laughs and com plaints,
since it was a rainy, cool
day, but June 21 was also
the “ U gliest Dog Day,"
so many residents remem
bered especially ugly dogs
they had had and loved.
This week is on the
calendar as “Celebration of
the Senses" week, so resi-
be blindfolded and asked
to identify some items by
using all but their sense of
sight. And on “Handshake
Day,” June 27, the group
will contemplate the mean
ing and importance o f a
handshake.
Through the month of
June and coming in July, the
mantra visitors might have
heard and will continue to
hear is the familiar “You
scream, I scream, we all
scream for ice cream!”
July will continue the
pattern begun this month
with “Chocolate Ice Cream
Day," “Banana Split Festi
val," and "Ice Cream Soda
Day.”
These special days are
opportunities to build your
own concoctions and make
ice cream using Gordon
I t ' s
dry days of summer will
be refreshing, and so will
be the Music-in-the-Parks
concerts that residents will
be traveling to in July and
August. This year, Heppner
is added to the list of sites
for these free concerts.
Since all apartments are
now rented at the Terrace,
the group who travels may
be a full busload.
Sometime soon, the
residents who enjoy occa
sionally cooking or baking
in the kitchen will be able
to do so on new countertops
and find ingredients in new
cupboards. The new floor
will be a nice update, too,
for staff and residents. The
The Boardman Cham
Community on the Hill
ber of Commerce is spon
views their home as impor
soring a horseshoe tourna
tant, and all improvements
ment during the Boardman
welcome.
Thunder Fourth of July Cel
ebration at the Boardman
Marina Park on Thursday,
July 4 at 1 p.m.
H e p p n e r G a z e tte -
The entry fee is $5 per
T im e s will b e pub lishing
person,
with the first- and
the s p e c ia l fair editio n
second-place
winners re
A u g u s t 7. To sub m it
ceiving ribbons and a 50
a rticle s or to p la c e an
ad call o r e m a il m e g a n
percent pay-back. The more
Boardman to hold
horseshoe tournament
almost fair time !
at T h e H e p p n e r
G a z e tte -T im e s
5 4 1 - 6 7 6 - 9 2 2 8 or
m e g a n @ ra p id s e r v e net
D e a d lin e to b e in c lu d e d in the
S p e c ia l F a ir E d ition - July 31
L
entries, the more money
there will be to be won.
This event has been
goin^: on for many years,
and chamber representa
tives say'they are looking
forward to a great turn-out
again this year.
Registration will begin
just prior to the tournament.
For more information, call
the Boardman chamber at
541-481-3014.
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
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