Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 2013)
I You won’t find elves this cute at the North Pole... Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library UniversitN ot Oregon Eugene, OR 97403 50<f VOL. 132 N 0. 51 6 Pages Wednesday, December 25, 2013 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Discussions continue about county-wide housing shortage Two grou ps team up to ta ck le p ro b le m Bv David Sykes E v e ry o n e at la s t Monday’s Columbia River Enterprise Zone (CREZ) meeting agreed there is a shortage of rental housing in Morrow County, and that the shortage is expected to get w orse as m ore businesses expand and create jobs in the Boardman area. In an e f f o r t to a llev ia te the shortage, re p re s e n ta tiv e s o f the G reater Eastern Oregon Development Corporation (GEODC). a Pendleton- based non-profit economic development organization, met with the CREZ board, “to first identify the housing problem and then to find possible solutions.” G EO DC E x ecu tiv e Director Christine Nelson told the CREZ board that the most important steps are to assemble a team of professionals and conduct a forum, then conduct a m arket/feasibility study. Phil Nachbar, a project manager with GEODC. was also in attendance, and both wondered why a program to help fund new rental housing construction in Boardman has gone unused for the past year. The Boardman program was set up with $100,000 in CREZ money to provide “gap” financing to developers who want to build rental units such as duplexes; however, no one has taken advantage of the program. The CREZ has been talking o f settin g up a sim ilar program for the entire county; however, Nelson wanted to find out why the Boardman program isn 't being used before setting up a county-wide fund. She suggested having a forum either in January or February where developers, bankers and others involved with housing could sit down with GEODC and discover the obstacles to building new rental units in the county and Boardman in particular. “ Because the proposed CREZ Housing D evelopm ent Fund for Morrow County is similar to the existing Board Housing Development Fund, which is not being utilized; it is important to evaluate why and determine the best way to move forward,” Nelson’s proposal to CREZ stated. “The first step should be to assemble a team of professionals and conduct a forum to discuss the rental housing incentives program and its challenges. Hie team should also address both rental and for-sale units and include representation o f p r o f e s s io n a ls th a t would participate in the program including a lender, a build er, a p o te n tia l' owner o f rental housing, and GEODC staff. The second step, if necessary, w ould be to conduct a m arket/feasibility study of a prospective project to identify key elements of the rental housing incentives portion and the for-sale down payment assistance p o rtion that should be addressed," Nelson stated. N e ls o n s a id th e stu d y sh o u ld a d d re ss “ site lo catio n , cost o f construction for both rental and for sale houses, number of units, short and long-term financing terms, employee income levels, the type of units to be built including size, bedrooms and required amenities, rental rates and/ or mortgage rate.” N e ls o n w as a ls o curious, and wanted to find out why, with all the job growth in Boardman, no large-scale rental units or even condos were being built in Boardman. GEODC is the program manager for the Boardman housing program and will also be the program manager for the new county-wide program. The CREZ has funded the new housing program with $150,000. Also discussed was a proposed plan to give financial help to individuals p u rc h a s in g h o m es in M o rro w C o u n ty . The program would be aimed at attracting new residents, many o f whom already work here. It is estimated that only about 10 percent o f the em ployees who work at various businesses lo cated at the Port o f M orrow in B oardm an actually live in Morrow County. Tillamook Cheese currently has a program in which any employee who moves into the county and buys a home can receive a cash incentive from the company of $7,500 toward purchase o f a home. The CREZ is considering a similar incentive program for anyone moving into the county; however, details of that plan have not been finalized. CREZ board members and GEODC discussed s e v e ra l v a r ia tio n s o f in c e n tiv e p la n s, even one where a renter could have m oney set asid e while renting that could eventually be used toward purchase of a home. A d o m in a n t id e a behind the establishment o f enterprise zones such as the CREZ is that giving Elves Natalie Grigg (right) and Keiah Waite served as Santa's helpers at the Celebrate Hep pner Christmas event held last Thursday at the Morrow County Fairgrounds. The evening boasted food, fun and lots of prizes for those who held onto those Heppner rewards cards. -Photo by Megan Futter Local clinic nurse retires after 41 years with health district By Andrea Di Salvo A trip to the doctor’s office is always made easier by a friendly face in the exam room . Both staff and patients at Pioneer Memorial Clinic will now miss seeing the friendly face o f long-time nurse Linda Dunaway, who retired last week after 41 years with the Morrow County Health District. Dunaway’s retirement takes place not far from where her story began; the 62-year-old was born at P io n e e r M em orial Linda Dunaway sits in one of the exam rooms at Pioneer Hospital in 1951, a year Memorial Clinic in Heppner, one of the rooms w here, she says, after it opened. She lived she has spent the hulk of her life. Dunaw ay's last day with the in M orrow County her clinic was last Friday, Dec. 20. Photo by Andrea Di Salvo whole life, was raised in the Lexington/Ione area (Licensed Practical Nurse) daughter and her family, and attended the Lexington license in 1975. She then including one grandchild, school until it closed when returned to work at the in Lexington. Other than she was in fourth grade. hospital in Heppner. that, she says she’s been At some point, she says, on her own for some time, She then attended school in lone, graduating from lone she took over supervision with her sons and their o f the nursing home. In families in Prineville, OR High School in 1969. Dunaway says she spent 1994. she quit that and and Missouri. one summer working at a started work as a clinic That m akes it even Morrow County Produce nurse at PMC, where she more poignant for her to potato shed in Boardman, has remained for the last leave the clinic. 20 years. owned by D.O Nelson. “It’s not been an easy That’s a long time in decision. It’s been my life,” “That’s the only other job. other than babysitting one place, and Dunaway says Dunaway. and pulling rye, that I ever says s h e ’s feelin g the “ I ’m g o n n a m i s s effects of her decision to everybody terribly; not had.” she recalls. The rest of her working retire now. ju st cow orkers but also “I have a lot of good p a t i e n t s , ” s he s a y s . life was dedicated to the -See HOUSING SHORT Morrow County Health friends. I'm gonna miss “Everybody’s like family. AGE TOPIC AT CREZ/PAGE District. She started work them and miss my patients.” You become family.” FIVE as a nurse’s aide at Pioneer she say s, te a rin g up. She says she’s choosing Memorial Hospital in 1972, “There’s a lot of memories. to retire now because of her w here she stayed until I've seen a lot of changes. “new fellow ” ; Dunaway 1974. She then took a year's I've learned a lot. says she just sold her home “I think when you quit in Lexington and that they leave of absence to attend Blue Mountain Community learning, it’s time to give will be moving out of the C o lleg e in P endleton, up,” she adds. -See NURSE RETIRES/PAGE Du n a wa y has a where she earned her LPN TWO District. D on R u s s e l l , Grieb, also a Republican. R u s s e l l is Grieb has not Boardm an. has filed to run for Morrow County C hairm an o f the filed as a candidate Commissioner in the May C o lu m b ia R iv er W O P * a t this time. The — I field is still open. 20, 2014 primary election, E n terp rise Zone L h ow ever, as the according to the Morrow ( C R E Z ) b o a r d The Gazette-Times will be closed Wednesday, Jan. 1, for New Year's Day. The County Clerk’s office. and serves on the M ca n d id a te filin g news and ad deadline for the Dec. 31 edition will be Friday, Dec. 27 at 5 p.m. Normal boards for the Port period for the May Russell filed Dec. 12 to run as a Republican for the o f M o rro w and 20 election is open business hours will resume Thursday, Jan 2. We wish everyone a safe and happy New Year. u n til M arch 11, #2 commissioner position B oardm an R ural 2014. cu rren tly held by Ken F ire P r o te c tio n Russell files for county commissioner G-T closed for New Year’s Ads, stories, due this Friday The Heppner Gazette-Times wants to see pic tures o f your trophy animals from this hunting season. Stop by to have your picture taken, drop offphotos, mail them to PO Box 337 in Heppner, email them to editor@rapidserve. net or text cell phone photos to 541-980-6674. 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