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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2013)
FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, August 21,2013 HEPPNER CITY COUNCIL -Continuedfrom PACE ONE parts have been ordered and agreement to proceed will calls were reported. Three e x te rio r w alls. It was (Life Flight brought in their new helicopter, which is now based in Pendleton. This will make transfers more timely.) -Two mutual aid fires; one at Arlington and one at lone. -One wildland fire at Ruggs Ranch. -One special incident (assisting in the removal of the courthouse clock) and 27 chief calls. The co u n c il heard a report o f the Housing Authority. Judy Buschke reported that Alice Ployhar has been h ired to be the site m anager at the St. Patrick’s apartments. There are three vacancies and the Housing Authority is working with Cascade M a n a g e m e n t, w h ic h manages the apartments, to get two prospects qualified. It was reported that the new HVAC that was installed is working well. A report from Public Works by director Chad Doherty revealed that a fire hydrant was replaced on Hager Street. An air- relief valve at the treatment facility has been installed in an attempt to resolve air and pressure problems; this still is ongoing. Weeds were cleaned up and removed around reservoir one. In the sewer department, Doherty reported that 11 truckloads o f bio solids were applied to wheat land in the area. The collection system on Center Street was cleaned. The city is in the process of installing an irrigation system at the waste treatment plant as time allows. It was reported that with the assistance of street contractor Tapani, the old pumps from the lift state station at Barratt and Fairview were removed and the b u ild in g w as demolished. On the street department report, Doherty said the shamrock was painted on Aug. 5. The rodeo banners were installed and the fireworks booth has been removed. With regard to the sweeper repair, replacement installed as received. In the Parks D ept., a tw o-inch service was installed at Hager Park, w hich replaced a one- inch service. The Hager Park restroom is now on a separate water service. The Main Street hanging baskets have been fertilized. The city crew works on the parks on M ondays. Goat head weeds are being removed throughout town as time allows. T he c i t y ’s u se d Dodge utility truck was taken to state surplus last month. City crew member Robert Whalen passed his Wastewater Collection #1 test, it was reported. In the City Manager’s rep o rt, Kim C u tsfo rth reported the following: 1. Slopes and Drainage Project: Hand rails on Water Street have been installed and the railing for the Lovers Lane bridge have been installed and the bridge is safe for pedestrian traffic. There are few items that still need to be completed. 2. Barratt Blvd.: Barratt Blvd. is not complete. The asphalt mix was rejected by ODOT and paving cannot begin until Sept. 4. The contractor is off the job until paving prep begins on Sept. 3. The project will not be open since the railings cannot be installed until the paving is done. The road is only open to local traffic until the railings and paving are done. 3. B e a u t if ic a ti o n Project: The Quaid and Elder Street project is in process. JAL will open the streets for through traffic during fair and rodeo. This part of the project will not be done prior to the start o f school, but should be complete within 30 days of school starting. Right now they are w orking on the Baltimore Street project and will work on Hager Street and Center Street. The portion of the sidewalk on Hager Street from Alfalfa Street to the restroom will be delayed as the Corps of Engineers Morrow County Health Department Changing Clinics to Wednesday The Morrow County Health Department will now hold clinics on Wednesday 8:30 am -12 noon 1:00 pm- 4:30 pm MORROW COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT P.O. BOX 799 120 S. MAIN HEPPNER, OREGON 97836 541-676-5421 not be done until Nov. 1. This portion of the project will be completed with the Sperry Street project. 4. Sperry' Street Bridge removal: This project went out to bid the latter part of July and the bids closed on Aug. 15. This project will begin at any time after that. As per the contract, this project can be completed no later than Oct. 28,2014. 5. The high bid for the copier was placed by St. Patrick’s church for $200. 6. The fountain on Main Street next to M urray’s is now operational. The fountain has not worked for at least four years. C o u n c il m e m b e rs decided to schedule the city manager’s performance evaluation on Monday, Aug. 19, at 7 p.m. at Heppner City Hall. The council discussed a u to -p a y o p tio n fo r u tility b ills w ith th e Bank o f Eastern Oregon and C om m unity Bank. According to Cutsforth, the banks do not charge for this service; however, the current accounting system that the city uses would needed to be upgraded at a cost for the license and an annual support fee. After discussion, council members decided not to pursue this further at this time. The council discussed th e In la n d /W in d w a v e franchise fee. Cutsforth has discussed this issue with Windwave and apparently a franchise agreement with the city was never recorded and w as not en ac ted . Windwave has recently entered into an agreement with H erm iston, it was reported. The city attorney recommended foregoing the first two years at three percent and start at five percent , beginning Jan. 1, 2013. The agreement would be in place by Oct. 1, 2013. This franchise would require Windwave to pay approximately $1,000 per quarter to the city. A motion to allow the city manager to continue with the process was passed. In other business, the council ratified Housing Authority Board members N ic o le W a rd e n an d Cutsforth. Bob Hager requested permission to allow him to keep two sheep and one goat on his property at 295 N. Court Street for an indefinite period of time. Request was granted. Police report for July Traffic- There were 13 traffic stops, with one citation. A person reported a possible intoxicated driver. A deputy was unable to locate the driver. A deputy investigated a hit and run crash. Code Enforeement- Twenty-three animal cats and one dog were taken to Pet Rescue. A person reported a rattlesnake in a yard of an unoccupied house. Theft Complaints- A deputy investigated a theft of items from a rental house. The item s were returned to the landlord. Three gas drive-offs were reported. The fuel was later paid for in all of the cases. A person was reportedly going through a neighbor’s garage, throwing things on the lawn. It was determined the person was helping the owner clean. An adult female was arrested for theft from the grocery store. M CSO re c e iv e d a com plaint about people being at the pool after hours. The manager was advised. All Other- A deputy assisted DHS with a home visit. A person who was restrained from a residence wanted to go the residence to get his possessions and to turn the water off. He was advised he could not go to the residence. Berries were smeared on the courthouse doors/ the creek. It was determined to be unfounded. A deputy investigated a computer crime. It was determined to be unfounded. A person reported their computer was locked by Homeland Security. It was determined to be a virus. A p erso n re p o rte d hearing people inside her home. A deputy checked the residence and determined it to be unfounded, and the complainant admitted to taking oxycodone. A person called PMH and wanted them to relay a death notification to another person in Heppner. It was determined to be a relative with mental health issues. A resident called and reported seeing someone walk through her back yard. A deputy checked the area and was unable to locate anyone. A person reported an intoxicated male sleeping on the bench in front o f the library. A deputy transported the male home. A person called MCSO to report missing medications and she was calling the FBI. A deputy investigated and determined it to be unfounded. MCSO completed three welfare checks. Sheriff's Report J u n e 28 ( c o n t . ) : -MCSO received report from a fem ale on 1-84 Boardman o f two males in a white truck who had been following her since Arlington, harassing her and flashing som ething that may have been a gun. She had the license plate number. The call was transferred to Oregon State Police. -MCSO received report o f two subjects trying to steal stuff from a place on Kunze Rd. in Boardman. The caller had the license plate number. -MCSO received two reports of a semi-truck and trailer failing to maintain lane on 1-84, Boardman. The callers were connected to OSP. -MCSO received report of a boat drifting in the water near Hwy. 730 with the boaters waiving orange flags and possibly in distress. A MCSO Marine officer was not available, but Umatilla County responded. -MCSO received re p o rt that Her mi s t on Police Department arrested M ichelle Ann Stephens, 39, on an Irrigon Justice Court warrant for Failure to Appear/Driving While Suspended-misdemeanor. She was cited and released with $974 bail in full and ordered to appear at Irrigon Justice Court. -MCSO received another 911 call from a female who had reported a driving complaint on the freeway. She was again transferred to OSP. -MCSO Deputy reported he was flagged down by a ci t i zen in Boardm an who advised that they were going to have a 15-year-old’s birthday party the next day and told the deputy what time they planned to shut the music off in case they received any noise complaints. J u n e 29: - M C S O arrested Jeremy William Garcia, 35, on an Irrigon Justice Court warrant. He was lodged at Umatilla County Jail with $1,380 bail in full. -MCSO received report from an Irrigon woman that an adult male Lab dog that appeared to have been hit by a car, but was still alive lying on the comer of her property. -MCSO received report o f a suspi cious brow n pi c kup wi t h a person walking around looking at tires around a shop in Irrigon. When asked, the subject advised that he was out of gas. -MCSO received several reports of a subject near the gazebo at the Boardman Marina who was very agitated. The subject then called himself saying that people had been lying to him and he would like to talk to someone from Community C ounseling Solutions. An employee at Lakeview Heights also called reporting that she had received a call from an ex-resident who was threatening to harm himself. -MCSO received report from a subject in Irrigon who advised he was going to go swimming and bicycle riding, but found a bag of what looks like marijuana near Seventh St. and Oregon Avenue in Irrigon. -MCSO received report from an Irrigon woman who said she had been receiving harassing phone calls from someone she did not know. -MCSO received report from a subject driving on 1-84 near Boardman that someone had been on his tail, passed him driving very fast and then flipped him off. -MCSO received report from a subject in Heppner who says an employee had her keys and wouldn’t give them back to her. -MCSO received report from a Heppner man that he has a restraining order against him, but the petitioner has been driving by the house where he was staying and yelling things at him out the window. -MCSO received report of a male in his mid-twenties who had fallen off a horse and hit his head. The callers said they were transporting the man who was breathing, but unconscious. -Heppner Ambulance received report of a female in Heppner who had fallen and needed lift assistance. The subject was not having any medical issues, but just needed help getting up. Bank o f (Recucfo with PaintCare Do you know what to do with leftover cans of paint? With PaintCare, recycling unwanted paint is simple and convenient. Just bring it to your local drop-off site and we'll take it from there. determined to be a small child. The parents were warned to supervise the child better. A deputy investigated a damaged building window. Deputies responded to two separate calls regarding a person at the courthouse, who was out o f control. A deputy responded to a dispute. It was determined to be only verbal. A deputy investigated a threat made on a social media web site. There were two fireworks complaints. M CSO re c e iv e d a com plaint o f ju v e n iles hitting golf balls in another person’s yard. A deputy m ade co n tact w ith the people involved. MCSO received two complaints o f a person in an apartment keeping other tenants awake by throwing things around and yelling. It was determined to be a mental health issue. MCSO received a com plaint about four oxygen tanks that were sitting near the roadway. The tanks were removed by a health care supplier. An adult male was issued a stalking complaint. A person reported a child may have fallen into LENDER Get your agricultural & commercial loans at Bank of Eastern Oregon. Thank«; to our local drop-opp «»ite«;, it's easy to recycle our paint/ You 'll like our brand o f banking! MORROW COUNTY SOUTH TRANSFER STATION 57185 Hwy 74 Lexington, OR 97839 Sat& Sun 9-4 (541)989-9500 paintcare* {point www. paintcare. nrq Leaking, unlabeled and empty containers are not accepted Sites have limits: please call ahead to check hours and whether the site can accept your amount o f paint. For other sites: www.paintcare.org or 855-724-6809. 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