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You won’t find elves this
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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.
Have a Merry Christmas H,
Happy Hew Year! from atrof m at wcggi
CJTRJS'PMflS JfOV<Rf-
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andaCCday Cfiristmas (Day
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