I
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 16,2014
SCHOOL DISTRICT
-Continuedfrom PAGE ONE
obtaining college credit by
proficiency, while students
are still in high school. She
outlined how high school
students can save money
by earning college credits.
“It’s fantastic to be a
part of what’s going on
in all three communities
(with Eastern Promise),”
s a id sc h o o l d is tr ic t
s u p e r in te n d e n t D irk
Dirksen.
Dirksen announced
th a t PGE (P o r tla n d
General Electric), through
the Strategic Investment
Program (SIP), is donating
$500,000 to the district,
20 percent initially. He
says he has determined
that the district can accept
the SIP money without it
being offset by the district’s
general fund.
Dirksen also said that
a donation by G reater
Oregon Behavioral Health,
Inc., will fund a counselor
an additional half time at
Riverside and half time at
Irrigon High School. He
also said that district funds
will double the counseling
opportunities at Heppner
High School.
In other business, the
board:
-heard from Dirksen
th a t the d is tric t has
received a cost for asbestos
abatement at $26,000 for
the old Lexington school
district office. He said that
the district has not yet
received any offer to buy
the building.
-received
the
fo llo w in g e n ro llm en t
report for A pril: A.C.
Houghton Elementary-280,
Sam
Boardman
Elementary-335, Heppner
Elementary-172, Irrigon
Elem entary-175, Windy
River Elem entary-207,
Heppner High School-167,
Irrigon Junior/Senior High
School-385, R iverside
High School-383, Morrow
Education D istrict-37,
Total-2,141.
-approved the following
employment action for
April: resignations-Alysun
Burns, A.C. Houghton
temporary second-grade
teacher-last day March 27,
Jason Whitbeck, Irrigon
Junior/Senior High School
assistan t track coach,
TaMara Thornton, IJSHS
science teacher-last day
May 1, Eric Shular, IJSHS
head junior high football
coach; retirements-Kathi
D ickenson, IJSH S ed
assistant at the end of
the 2013-14 school year;
employment/promotions/
transfers-Cynthia Rives,
Riverside Junior/Senior
High School ed assistant,
Pat King, PERS retiree
rehired as RJSHS special
education teacher for 2014-
15, Mike Royer, PERS
retiree rehired as RJSHS/
IJSHS counselor for 2014-
15, Kelsie Fox, Heppner
Junior/Senior High School
tem porary one-on-one
special education assistant;
extra duty contracts-Dave
Cooley, IJSHS head softball
co ach . D ie ter W aite,
HJSHS head junior high
track coach, Bridget Waite,
HJSHS assistant junior high
track coach.
•adopted policy on
public participation in
board meetings.
•le a rn e d th a t the
district is in compliance
with and implementing all
the standards for public
elementary and secondary
schools. The standards
ad d ress the d is tr ic t’s
requirements in areas such
as diploma and graduation
requirements, academic
p ro g r a m o f f e r i n g s ,
implementation o f state
assessments and numerous
other areas.
-approved the first
reading o f rescin d ed ,
new or revised policies
on adm ission o f non
resident students, non
resident students attendance
variance, admission of non
resident students, inter
district transfer of resident
- SEVEN
students.
• h e a r d E n g l is h /
Language Arts textbook
presentations by Rachel
Luke and Aaron Byers and
adopted the K-12 English/
Language Arts curriculum.
-le a rn e d th a t the
deadline for the required
Achievement Compacts has
been postponed until fall.
-learned of a budget
committee vacancy. Joe
Taylor has moved out of
the district.
-held an executive
s e s s io n c o n c e r n in g
personnel, negotiations,
real estate and records
exempt.
-heard the following
a n n o u n ce m e n ts: May
5-9-teacher appreciation
week; May 12-next board
meeting, A.C. Houghton
Elementary School, 7 p.m.
COMMISSIONER: GRIEB
COMMISSIONER: RUSSELL
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past seven years, I have
built relationships with
the agencies, decision
makers and policy-makers
that Morrow County deals
with every day. Those
relationships have, and
will continue, to serve the
citizens of our county well.
I understand the political
process and know how to
get our message across to
get results.
What is the biggest
problem facing Morrow
County governm ent in
the future? With the state
of Oregon facing budget
problems, they are shifting
more responsibility to
counties to fund programs.
These unfunded mandates
will affect Morrow County’s
budget in the future. It will
be more important than
ever for Morrow County
government to prioritize
what programs are most
important to the citizens
of this county and also
prioritize the funding of
those programs. I also have
to mention the planned
closure of the PGE coal
plant. It is scheduled to
close in 2020. The loss
of jobs will affect every
community in our county.
The lost tax revenue will
affect the county budget,
as well as taxing districts
within our county.
What will be your first
priority> if you are elected as
commissioner? I have a real
passion for Morrow County
and its people. I want to
continue to make a positive
difference in the lives of
each and every citizen in
our county. Every decision
I’ve made and every vote
I’ve cast over the past seven
years has been with the best
interest of the entire county
in mind. Helping people
solve problems and helping
to improve communities
is something I- feel is very
im portant and which I
enjoy. If re-elected I will
continue to make that my
priority.
Do you feel the current
court adequately represents
Morrow County residents,
both north and south? The
current court most certainly
does represent the entire
county. The court has a
good relationship with
the cities of Boardman,
Heppner, lone, Irrigon,
and the town of Lexington.
For example, the county
recently finished work with
each community on their
pre-disaster m itigation
plans and the medical
m ariju an a d isp en sary
issue. The county court
respects the independence
of each community and
will continue to assist them
when needs arise. The court
also has a good working
relationship with the Port
of Morrow. The county
and the Port work together
on many issues that are in
the best interest of all of
Morrow County.
A re yo u s a tis fie d
with the way the CREZ
agreement is working for
the county? Yes, so far I
am. The Columbia River
Enterprise Zone (CREZ),
in its present form, is a
relatively new organization.
It has representation from
county government, the
city of Boardman and the
Port of Morrow. Funding
has just started to come in
and good things are being
done with that money. The
C REZ has fu n d e d
education, public safety and
housing projects county
wide, which I believe are
three top priority needs of
Morrow County. As time
goes on and more funds are
received, the program will
be fine-tuned to continue
to improve livability in
Morrow County.
Are you satisfied with
the way the SIP (Strategic
In v e stm e n t P rogram )
money is being spent?
Yes, I am satisfied with
the way the SIP money is
being spent. The Strategic
Investment Program
dollars have been used
to fund p ro je c ts_ th a t
are very much nerded
throughout the county. The
road department, health
de p a r t me n t , bui l di ng
maintenance and vehicle
rotation are some of the
areas in which this money
has been utilized so far.
Future delegations of funds
are currently in the long-
range planning stage but
they will undoubtedly allow
the county to move forward
on many new projects and
catch up on some that had
been put on hold. Taxing
districts throughout all
of Morrow County have
received funding through
the SIP program . The
Mo r r o w C o u n t y and
lone school districts have
both benefited from SIP
payments, as well.
Do you think the county
should change its charter
and/or the num ber o f
elected commissioners? I
do not believe the charter
or the number of county
commissioners should be
changed. Morrow County is
currently served by one full
time commissioner and two
half-time commissioners.
With our current county
population, I feel the county
government, as it stands
now, serves its people well.
I have always believed
that you should surround
yourself with good people
and expect great things
from them. The Morrow
County Commissioners
have ex cellen t people
surrounding them who do
great things for this county
on a daily basis. Morrow
County is in good hands,
and I would very much like
to continue to be a part of
this team.
o f Morrow, for which I
currently serve as president.
Why do you feel you
are better qualified than
your opponent to represent
the p eo p le o f Morrow
County as commissioner?
I have a skill set based
on 32 years of business,
farming and community
involvement, with a formal
education in finance and
accounting. I bring a wide
variety of skills to county
government, which is a
little different than what is
currently there. I believe it
will complement the skills
of the other commissioners.
As a commissioner with
the Port of Morrow, I have
made a lot of key contacts
around the region that could
be called on to answer
challenges. As the former
president of a $20-million-
a-year c ompany with
multiple locations and 90
employees, I have a wide
variety o f management
skills and experience.
What is the biggest
problem facing Morrow
County governm ent in
the future? The biggest
problem remains how to
manage scarce resources
efficiently, to make sure
that our decisions have a
positive impact on county
residents.
What will be your first
priority' i f you are elected
as commissioner? I would
want to have meetings in
each of our communities
with the city managers,
mayors and concerned
citizens to make sure
that county government
is addressing their needs
and issues. I think that
c o m m u n i c a t i o n and
involvement are the keys to
making informed decisions.
Do you feel the current
court adequately represents
Morrow County residents,
both north and south? I
think that Terry and LeAnn
work pretty hard at being
engaged in the communities
and different committees
that the county and region
needs representation on. I
see a lot less effort by my
opponent.
Are you satisfied with
the way the CREZ agreement
is working for the county?
There are over 60 enterprise
zones in Oregon. If we want
economic growth, then they
are a check box that needs
to be checked. Die average
wage in Morrow County
is the fifth highest of any
county in Oregon. So in
my opinion the desire for
higher wages is working.
The part where we are
supposed to attract more
people to our county is
not working as well. We
have county-wide housing
issues that we are working
on. I think that the CREZ
committee has negotiated
Payment in Lieu of Taxes
with these companies
that covers the increased
demand in services. It is not
a windfall, but we are not
going backwards on any of
our Special Districts.
Are you satisfied with
the way the SIP (Strategic
In v e stm e n t Program )
money is being spent? The
SIP money is an interesting
concept, compared to the
CREZ. In the CREZ the
comm ittee uses the money to
first make impacted districts
whole, such as emergency
services, then shares the
remainder. In the SIP the
first $500,000 is shared,
with the remainder going
directly to the county’s
general fund. In the case
of the PGE gas plant, 1.9
million goes annually to the
county general fund. I think
that with this windfall the
county could take a serious
look at sharing gas tax
revenues with cities as had
traditionally been done and
looking hard at reinstating
the former needs and issues
program.
Do you think the county >
should change its charter
and/or the num ber oj
elected commissioners?
The number o f elected
commissioners is not an
issue for me; I think three
is sufficient, as long as they
are all active. This came
under some considerable
discussion when the county
withheld gas tax revenue
from the cities that had
been traditionally shared.
There was poor or no
communication from county
government before they just
kept this money. I would
not withhold something
that had traditionally been
given without first having
a serious conversation with
the effected parties.
Health district offers help with
Cover Oregon enrollment
Open enrollment ends April 30
Cover Oregon open
enrol l ment is endi ng
on April 30. For those
who are still in need o f
health insurance, Pioneer
Memorial Health District is
offering free assistance with
the application on Monday,
April 2 Land Tuesday, April
29, at Pioneer Memorial
Hospital.
To s c h e d u l e an
appointment, contact Anna
McElligott at 541 -422-7043
or 541-571-3054.
van just jumped out and
took something out of a
yard. Deputies responded
and contacted subjects in
vehicle.
-A male in Boardman
reported that license plates
were stolen off of one of his
vehicles.
-U S DA Wi l d l i f e
Services advised MCSO
they were tr e a ti n g
blackbirds with bait at
location listed in case
anyone locates dead birds
and is concerned.
-MCSO received a
report of a possible stolen
vehicle at a location in
Irrigon. A deputy checked.
No vehicle was there.
January 24: -Morrow
County Sheriff’s Office
received a complaint in
Boardman regarding two
cows out, a black one with
horns and a black-and-
white with horns, as well.
The caller believed they
belonged to the people who
live on the property behind
her. The black cow is
aggressive. A male subject
was given a verbal warning
for having the cows out of
the pasture and was adv ised
he will receive a citation if
it happens again.
-MCSO received a
report from the lone area
that someone had been
blowing up Tannerite and
driving trucks through the
fence. MCSO responded
and contacted the subject.
The caller repaired the
damage and will take care
o f everything; does not
want anything else done
about it.
-MCSO was advised
that Ross Van F2tta wanted
to turn himself in on a
warrant and would meet a
deputy at Irrigon Justice
Court. Van Etta, 33, was
arrested by MCSO on a
Umatilla County warrant
for Parole Violation/Failure
to Register. No bail.
Sheriffs Report
January 20 (cont.):
-MCSO received report
from an Irrigon woman
that she was staying at her
daughter’s place while the
daughter was at work and
the daughter's husband was
at the location and had been
harassing them. MCSO
responded,
-MCSO received report
of a slide off on Hwy. 207,
Lexington.
-MCSO received report
that someone drove through
the field on S.E. Seventh
Ave off Hwy. 730 Irrigon.
The caller said there was
debris on the roadway. She
said there were usually
horses in the field.
January 21: Morrow
County Sheriff’s Office
received report of a white
cargo van that keeps moving
and stopping on Columbia
La n e in B o a r d m a n .
Boardman Police
Department responded and
determined that the vehicle
was with the railroad.
I
-MCSO deputy advised
he was checking on a
report of a skinny cow in
Boardman.
-MCSO received report
from a Heppner man that
his stepson was either drunk
or high and may have been
driving a tan Pathfinder.
The caller believed him to
be out of control.
-MCSO received
request for phone contact
from a Lexington woman
regarding vehicles that
her ex-husband left on the
property. She wanted to
know about getting them
removed. A deputy made
contact and advised her of
her options.
-MCSO advised
of assisting another law
enforcement agency with
a burglary that had just
occurred.
-MCSO received report
from an Irrigon man that
his vehicle was stolen the
previous Sunday and he
requested deputy contact.
January 22: Morrow
County Sheriff's Office
received report of a car
stolen the previous Sunday.
The caller located his
vehicle and followed it into
the Irrigon Mobile Court.
MCSO arrested the caller,
David Lynn Hickox, 54,
for Assault II, Possession
of a Controlled Substance-
Me t h a mp h e t a mi n e ,
D e l i v e r y
of
Me t h a mp h e t a mi n e ,
Menacing, and Reckless
Endangering. He was to be
lodged at Umatilla County
Jail with $82,000 bail.
-A caller in Heppner
reported a vehicle seen in
the area, driving slow and
stopping. The caller said no
contact was needed; he just
wanted to report it.
- Uma t i l l a Count y
Sherrifs Office contacted
MCSO and asked that
MCSO locate a female and
advise her that her stolen
purse had been recovered.
Female needed to contact
UCSO.
-A man in Heppner
called MCSO and asked
to speak with a deputy
regarding a possible phone
scam. The man received a
call from Idaho saying he
had some sort of case against
him but if he paid now it
would go away. Deputy
responded and determined
that the case was civil and
likely fraudulent in nature/
Internet scam. He advised
the subject of his options.
-MCSO received a
report of cars vandalized
in Irrigon. The cars were
written on with marker.
-A caller from Irrigon
reported that her mail
was scattered around. She
believes someone was
messing with the mail but
couldn't tell if any was
missing.
J a n u a r y 2 3 : -A
woman in Irrigon reported
to M o r r o w C o u n t y
Sheriff's Office that two
Hispanic males in a white