Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
University o f Oregon
Eugene. OR 97403
Heppner celebrates graduation
VOL. 133
NO. 20
10 Pages
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Larry Mills resigns from
health district board
Murray elected board chair
Sammantha Lemmon and Keenan Helfrecht wear smiles representative of the day last
Saturday during Heppner High School's commencement exercises. Twenty-five Heppner
seniors celebrated their graduation on May 31. -Photo by David Sykes
received a 79 percent
By April Sykes
approval
rate county-wide
Long-time
Morrow
County Health District on their supplemental levy.
The
board
and
Board Chairman Larry
CEO Dan Grigg
Mills
announced
reluctantly
his
resignation
accepted
his
from the board at
resignation,
its regular meeting
expressed
their
Monday night in
thanks to Mills and
Heppner.
Mills,
the board elected
78, who has been
current
board
a respected leader Larry Mills
member
John
championing
the
health
district, Murray, 50, to the board
school district and other chair position. Murray, a
community organizations Morrow County native and
for more than two decades, pharmacist, is the owner of
told the board that after 15 Murray's Drug in Heppner
years on the board, it was and Murray’s Condon
Pharmacy in Condon,
time to step down.
“I think things are along with his wife Ann.
moving along nicely,” Murray has served on the
said Mills. “1 think this is board for seven years.
The board also elected
a good time for me to step
Leann Rea as secretary-
aside.”
replacing
Mills leaves the board treasurer,
following a very successful Murray.
Mills’
resignation
election for the district in
which the health district leaves an opening on
the board, which board the board approved a
members hope to fill with resolution adopting an
a Boardman or Irrigon $11 million budget for the
resident. Mills reiterated, 2014-15 fiscal year and
however, that as long imposed a tax of .6050
as board members were cents per $1,000 assessed
fair,
where they live valuation for operations
was not as important. and .39 cents per thousand
Grigg said he knew o f a assessed valuation for the
Boardman resident whom local option tax, also for
he thought would be good operations.
In other business,
in that position and told
the board that with the the board approved the
board’s approval he
expenditure
of
would speak to that
$23,576-$25,576 to
fund improvements
person.
on the hospital and
The board also
clinics’
security
learned that Dr.
systems. Grigg told
Betsy
Anderson
the board that the
was elected for a
two-year term as John Murray Infection Control
Committee
and
the chief of staff
for the district to replace the Safety Committee
Dr. Ed Berretta, who has "identified the need for
retired. Dr. Russ Nichols the ability to lock down
was elected to a two-year the hospital facility in
term as vice chief of staff/ emergency situations.”
"This
need
was
secretary.
Also at the meeting, reconfirmed recently when
Skaggs retires from
Neighborhood
Center directorship
Economic Development Group
begins dispersing real estate grants
Retiring Neighborhood Center Executive Director Jan Skaggs
stands next to a rack of clothing in the center’s sales shop.
While Skaggs says she always viewed the Neighborhood Center
as far more than a second-hand store, much of her treasured
interaction with the community over the last 23 years happened
in that room. -Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
Bv Andrea Di Salvo
Those who frequent the
Neighborhood Center of
South Morrow County in
Heppner. whether to donate,
receive help or simply share
a cup of coffee, will miss
seeing a familiar face at the
end of the month.
Jan Skaggs, 76, has
been the center’s executive
director for 23 years, a
role she first adopted in
1992. Skaggs “retired” once
before, in 2000. However,
when the Neighborhood
Center needed someone to
fill in during the summer of
2001, she accepted the task.
“I told them, ‘I’ll come
back for just a little bit.’
That little bit turned out to
be a long bit,” she says.
Skaggs d id n 't begin
life in Heppner; she was
bom and raised northeast
o f here, in Joseph, OR.
She graduated from Joseph
High School in 1956 and
m arried F rank Skaggs
By David Sykes
The W illow C reek
Valley
Economic
D e v e lo p m e n t G ro u p ,
WCVEDG, announced they
have begun making grants
to aid people in the purchase
o f residential homes in
South Morrow County, the
group has announced.
The grants can be up to
$5,000 toward the purchase
of any residentially-zoned
real estate in South Morrow
County. Funding for the
program com es from a
$50,000 housing program
set up by earlier by the
Columbia River Enterprise
Zone (see April 19 Gazette).
A nyone w ishing to
apply for a grant should
contact WCVEDG
Execut i ve Di r ect or
S h ery ll B ates at 541-
676-5536 or em ail her
at h e p p n e rc h a m b e r@
centurytel.net. A complete
set of grant rules, map of
eligible area and application
form is av ailab le upon
request. Applications will
be considered on a first-
come basis; if the receiver
sells the home within three
years the money must be
repaid.
Following are the rules
of the grant program:
W C V E D G R e v o ca b le
R esidential Real Estate
G rant Program:
Goal:
Provide
incentive to acquisition and
development of residential
real estate in our service
area. (Defined as townships
adjacent to Willow Creek
and south to the Morrow
County border.) This need
has been identified in each
o f the three incorporated
cities' strategic plans as well
as the consolidated Willow
Creek Valley strategic plan.
WCVEDG will grant
funds on a first-com e,
first-served basis to any
person (persons), or entity
authorized to do business
in Oregon that is acquiring
residentially-zoned real
we participated in a table- $13,960 for a hospital
top community disaster access control system
drill,” Grigg said.
with
emergency
He said that
lock-down buttons;
some of the external
$2,112
for
an
doors at the hospital
intercom
system
were
locked
with
audio/video
manually
and
and remote unlock;
some others were
$2,672 for a lock
on a timer which Dr. Betsy
and badge reader
made it “virtually Anderson
for the Irrigon
impossible
to
Medical
Clinic;
quickly lock down the $4,830, with up to $2,000
facility when needed.”
in additional funds for
Grigg
had
earlier two additional doors, if
proposed
a
security necessary, for a lock and
makeover, but the initial badge reader for Pioneer
proposal did not include Memorial Clinic.
the entire facility, so
Grigg
said
that
board members asked $5,264 from the Hospital
him to revisit the issue to Preparedness
Program
include all facilities. He Healthcare Preparedness
recommended that the Grant has been secured to
board approve the entire offset some of the costs for
package for the safety of the system, but those funds
the district’s staff.
must be used by June 30 of
The board accepted this year. Another $3.000 is
a proposal from Moon
-See HEALTH DISTRICT/
PAGE FOUR
Security
as
follows:
estate in our service area.
G rant proceeds are
restricted to the lesser of
ten percent ( 10 percent) of
acquisition or documented
c o n s tru c tio n c o s ts or
$5,000.
In the case of purchases
that require development,
50 percent of the available
proceeds will be provided
at closing of the purchase
tr a n s a c tio n w ith th e
other 50 percent m ade
av ailab le upon rece ip t
of a qualified occupancy
certificate. Construction
and the co rresp o n d in g
occupancy certificate must
be delivered w ithin 18
months of acquisition or
the remaining commitment
is void and the funds are
returned to the pool.
The funds w ill be
furnished in conjunction
w ith a grant rdcapture
agreem ent executed at
closing and recorded at
the county co u rth o u se
affecting the deed that
Warm, dry May could set tone for June
May was warm and
dry in Heppner, according
to the National Weather
Service in Pendleton, and
those co n d itio n s could
continue into June.
The
average
te m p e ra tu re w as 57.7
degrees, which was 1.6
degrees above normal.
H igh te m p e ra tu re s
averaged 71.3 degrees,
w hich was 2.6 degrees
-See SKAGGS RETIRES/ above normal. The highest
PAGE FIVE
was 87 degrees on the 16,h.
Low temperatures averaged
44.2 degrees, which was 0.6
degrees above normal. The
lowest was 35 degrees on
the 12th.
Precipitation totaled
lone High School’s commencement ceremony will 0.61 inches during May,
w hich was 1.05 inches
be held this Friday. June 6, beginning at 7 p.m.
below normal. Measurable
precipitation of at least .01
inch was received on nine
days with the heaviest, 0.23
inches, reported on the 19th.
Precipitation this year
has reached 6.30 inches,
which is 0.98 inches below
normal. Since October, the
water year precipitation
at Heppner has been 8.67
inches, which is 2.67 inches
below normal.
The outlook for June
from N O A A ’s C lim ate
Prediction Center calls for
above-normal temperatures
and near- to below-normal
lone graduation this
Friday
I
I
J
will require repayment on
sale if the ownership of
the property is transferred
within 36 months. Grant
funds recaptured will be
made available if another
re s id e n tia l real estate
purchase in our service area
is consummated within the
original 36 month period.
Any person or entity
is eligible and WCVEDG
encourages you to consult
with qualified income tax
professionals regarding the
reporting of receipt of these
funds.
WCVEDG will make
av ailab le any proceeds
returned from an early sale
through this same program
and hopes that recurring
funding w ill occur but
makes no representations
as to the duration or amount
of funding available for this
purpose. Grant amounts,
program param eters and
availability are subject to
change.
I
4
I
precipitation. Normal highs
for Fleppner rise from 73
d egrees at the start of
June to 81 degrees at the
end o f June. Normal lows
rise from 47 degrees to
51 degrees. The 30-year
normal precipitation is 1.38
inches.