"I
City water tank may need fixing
Divers
Bessie Wetze« Newspaper Ubrarv
University of Oregon
^
Eugene, OR 97403
fin d corrosion
By David Sykes
Divers inspecting Hep-
pner’s water tanks used for
the city’s drinking water
found corrosion inside and
outside of one of the tanks,
which will require reha
bilitation work done, public
works director Chad Do
herty told the city council
Monday night.
Doherty said the divers
went into tank number three
and found corrosion on the
inside that needs to be fixed.
He estimated the cost will
be around $120,000 to fix
the problem, but added that
it did not need to be done
immediately but maybe
in the next two to three
years. Doherty said a new
tank would cost around
$350,000 and an alternate
would also have to be used
if there is a replacement.
“Reservoir three has a
sizable corrosion problem,
and it is going to have to
be done,” Doherty told the
council. He said the water is
fine, however. “As long as
the water samples are okay,
we can keep using it.”
A company from Kla
math Falls came in last
month and inspected and
cleaned all the city water
tanks and found the prob
lem on tank number three.
Divers actually went into
the tanks and, in addition
to inspections, used vacuum
equipment to suck up about
one
eighth of an inch of
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
5(K
VOL. 132
NO. 28
10 Pages
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
tleppner's water tank may need some major rehabilitation.
-Contributed photos
sediment off the bottom of
the tanks.
In other business, the
council heard a report
from City Manager Kim
Cutsforth, who told the
council thaj the Lovers’
Lane bridge is getting clos
er to opening, with railings
needing to be installed. She
also said the handrails on
the stairs on Water Street
should be installed by the
end of July.
Cutsforth said she had
met with construction com
pany JAL to discuss the
Elder, Quaid, Center and
Hager Street projects.
The council also dis
cussed the recent decision
to change how late fees are
assessed on water and sew
er bills. The city is changing
to a flat $5 late fee, from a
percentage, if paid after the
tenth of the month. Some
council members were con
cerned that people would
not get their Social Security
checks or other paychecks
until after the tenth, when
the bills are due. Cutsforth
said if people come in and
talk to the city, special ar
rangements can be made.
She said, on average, ap
proximately 200 people out
-See CITY HATER TANK/
PAGE SEVEN
Methodists welcome new pastor Hintz fills in at
Opening the doors of the church, for the Sharma family, in
cludes opening the doors of their family beyond blood relations.
Back (L-R): Sharma’s stepfather, Thomas Gould; her mother.
Rev. Carol Carter; pastor Kike Sharma; her husband, Aditya
Sharma; and “adopted" family member Thomas Mcllhargey.
Front: Another adopted family member. Merle Asido from the
Philippines, and Ashw in Sharma. Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
By Andrea Di Salvo
pulpit this week.
The Heppner United
Pastor Elke Sharma,
M ethodist Church w el 39, is taking over the posi
comes a new pastor in the tion as the church’s pastor
following the departure of
previous pastor Jonathan
Enz and wife Doreen for
a new post in western Or
egon. Her first service at
the church was this past
Sunday, July 7.
This is Sharma’s third
pastoral post; she comes
most recently from a joint
service to Brooklyn Unit
ed Methodist Church and
Jacksonville United Meth
odist Deaf Faith Commu
nity Church in Jacksonville,
IL.
Sharma, who likes to be<
referred to as Pastor Elke,
or Elke (pronounced Elka),
was bom in San Francisco
but, after the age of eight,
lived the life of a pastor’s
kid, living in a variety of
com m unities where her
mother ministered. Even
before that, she said, she
was familiar with being part
of a pastor’s family, since
her grandfather was also a
pastor.
“I’ve been to a lot of
places and met a lot of inter
esting people,” she says.
After high school, she
says she wanted to be an
English teacher. To that
end, she attended Gallau-
det University in Wash
ington, D.C., graduating
with honors in 1996 with a
Bachelor of Arts degree in
English with a specializa
tion in writing. She went
on to obtain her Master
of Arts degree in teaching
English to speakers of other
languages from California
State University in Sacra-
part in a day of advocacy
organized by human rights
agency International Justice
Mission (IJM). Participants
met with more than 210
congressional offices to
build support for strong
U.S. policies to combat traf
ficking and slavery at home
and abroad.
-See FAIR MANAGER/PAGE
TWO
-See HUMAN TRAFFICK
ING ADVOCATE/PAGE Half of the I.IM lobby group in front of the Capitol before the
SEVEN lobby meetings began. Local advocate Sarah Stillman (circled)
is in the hack holding the Oregon sign. Contributed photo
Planning commission turns down
appeal on Boardman truck stop
operates 290 truck stops
and facilities nationwide,
is seeking to build a multi
million dollar facility five
miles west o f Boardman
at the Tower Road inter
change. The truck stop was
originally proposed in 2009,
and Devin’s has fought a
legal battle since, saying
the site is not appropriate
for such a facility, and that
both Love’s and the county
have made numerous errors
in applying for and granting
the permits to build the 49-
acre travel center.
In 2010 the planning
commission gave approval
for the city of Boardman to
split off the 49-acre parcel
from a larger 456 acres
Names will he given to new' businesses in Enterprise Zone
over 15, it was announced
at Monday’s meeting of the
CREZ board of directors.
Enterprise zone man
ager Carla McLane read
a list o f about 15 names
of organizations that have
contacted hpr to be included
the city owns near Tower
Road, and sell it to Love’s
for the planned tuck stop,
which would also include
a restaurant, gas station and
convenience store. Devin
appealed that decision to
the Land Use Board o f
Appeals (LUBA), which
then sent the approval back
to the county over proce-
-See TRUCK STOP DE-
BATE/PAGE FOUR
CREZ developing list of
charitable organizations
By David Sykes
The list o f names o f
charitable organizations to
be given to new businesses
locating in the Columbia
River E nterprise Zone,
CREZ, in hopes of receiv
ing funding, has grown to
through the county’s cen
tennial fair before board
ing a plane for New York
Aug. 21.
Hintz is a 2012 gradu
ate of Heppner High School.
He delayed college a year
after graduation, choosing
instead to fulfill obligations
Queen Krysten
pounds the pavement
for Morrow County
Advocates for victims o f human trafficking at U.S. Capitol
By David Sykes
The Morrow County
Planning Cofnmission on
June 25 denied an appeal
by Devin Oil Co. seeking
to stop construction o f a
large truck stop and travel
center on Interstate 84 near
Boardman.
Love's Travel Stops
& Country Stores, which
/.ech Mint/ is temporary manager for the Morrow County Fair.
-Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
Fair-goers will see a
new but familiar friendly
face in the Morrow County
Fair office this year.
-See NEW PASTOR/PAGE
Zech Hintz, 19, has
FIVE been hired as fair manager
until the county hires a per
manent replacement for
previous manager Ren’ee
Yocom. He took over the
position June 5 and will see
Lexington resident joins
international justice mission
Lexington resident Sar
ah Stillman, senior at the
University of Puget Sound
in Tacoma, WA, returned
home late Wednesday eve
ning, June 12, from Wash
ington, D.C. after meet
ings with Sen. Wyden’s,
Sen. M erkley’s and Rep.
W alden’s congressional
delegation. Stillman was
am ong 250 individuals
from 40 states who took
fair office
on the list. The names will
be given to new businesses
planning on locating in the
zone who wish to make
charitable contributions in
Morrow County.
-See CREZ MAKES A LIST/
PAGE FIVE
Above: Morrow County Fair anil Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo
Queen Krysten Powell waves to spectators during the Red.
W hite and Blues parade in lone last Thursday, followed by pen
nant bearers Alissa Mashos and Katelyn Taylor. Summer may
have just started, hut Queen Krysten has been hard at work
making appearances all over the state representing the annual
fair and rodeo. Queen Kry sten has traveled to Rosehurg. Bend
and Madras attending queen coronations. She also participated
in the Adams, Arlington and Spray parades and grand entries.
Along w ith pennant bearers Mashos and Lay lor. both of Board-
man, Queen Krysten attended the Fourth of July parades in
Boardman and lone. With only two hours between the start
time of both parades, the girls proved to he efficient and pro
fessional. making both parades with plenty of time to spare.
Future appearances for Queen Krysten during the month of
July inelude Caledonian Days in Athena, the Flgin Stampede
and the Fort Dalles Days pro rodeo. Contributed photo
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