Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon
A View from the Hill
By Doris Brosnan
R esidents and staff
view with great apprecia
tion the volunteers who take
time to share their talents
with the Willow Creek Ter
race community. Volunteers
are high on the list of "What
and Who We Are Thankful
For,” and two young people
have been added to that
already-long list.
Last month, Tim Gould
and Shayna Osmin came
to the Terrace to offer as
sistance to anyone who
might like help w riting
and/or addressing greeting
cards or notes. Not only
did one resident appreci
ate that, but another came
up with som ething else
for them. Tim and Shayna
headed for the kitchen with
Beulah Brownfield to help
her make a birthday cake
for her son Steve. Tim and
Shayna have returned this
week, also, to help with
cards and letters.
Since cards and letters
become more prevalent in
December, more volunteers
could have opportunities
to help residents with their
correspondences. Inter
ested persons should call
the Terrace, 676-0004, for
information.
In March, Judy Hand-
bury began supplying resi
dents with handmade cards.
Judy brings her cards often,
keeping a supply ready for
the taking, and this month,
she is adding some holiday-
themed cards to that supply.
Judy is another example of
volunteer talent.
If anyone asks, the Ter
race will volunteer recipes
for Thanksgiving-dinner
leftovers. The staff has
been creative in the use of
leftovers after their enjoy
able meal shared among
18 diners.
The new room was not
ready for the festive oc
casion, though Manager
George Naims had hoped
it would be, but it holds
promise of being completed
“soon.” A window to the
progress in the room allows
residents to have a look
every day, so they can see
that the plan really is com
ing together.
November featured the
several specially-desig
nated days that brought
on some interesting dis
cussions, as well as some
tasty foods, and December
will be interesting, too.
November also featured
the addition of a new staff
member, MeLanie Eldrige,
who is becoming familiar
with residents and life on
the Hill. Two health district
employees, Rosa Cayse and
Heather Smith, are also
helping out at the Terrace
while two regular employ
ees are away for medical
reasons.
These individuals came
to the Terrace in time to ap
preciate Roice Fulleton’s
97lh birthday celebration
on December 3. Roice and
his neighbors enjoyed a
barbecued-ribs birthday
lunch that day.
They w ill, also, get
in on some of the holiday
activities at the Terrace,
which began with their
decking o f the halls last
Sunday. The north hall is
now adorned with Santas
o f many descriptions, the
south hall features a huge
variety o f snowmen, the
living room has become
a room full of angels, and
wreaths and garlands are
interspersed everywhere.
The tree is a lovely vision of
green and reds. Volunteers
who came to help staff and
residents decorate the Ter
race were Katy Anderson,
Betsy Anderson, Sue Baker,
Carie, Carson, Conor and
Doris Brosnan, Sam Fisher,
Katilyn Jordan and Keeley
Naims. Turkey soup (made
UMCDF reaches ‘closure
complete ’ milestones
HERM1STON, Ore.—
The U m atilla Chem ical
A gent D isp osal F a c il
ity (UMCDF) reached the
“closure complete” mile
stone on Oct. 2, meaning all
the physical work involved
in closing the facility has
been completed. Another
reduction in force (RIF)
took place Thursday, Oct.
9, in conjunction with that
milestone.
The Dec. 9 RIF includ
ed 27 positions, although
only 19 people left, since
several people scheduled
for the RIF already moved
on to other jobs. About 25
people remained on the
project after that RIF, and
most of those will leave in
another RIF scheduled for
Dec. 18. That will coincide
with the “RCRA closure
complete” milestone, which
means all the requirements
under the Resource Con
servation and Recovery Act
have been met.
The handful of people
remaining after the Octo
ber and December RIFs
will likely work out o f
URS offices in Richland,
Wash., as they complete
the paperwork to close out
the contract. That milestone
is expected to be reached
early next year.
UMCDF has conducted
several RIFs since the proj
ect com pleted chemical
agent operations in October
2011, all coinciding with
a significant closure mile
stone.
When the project com
pleted destruction o f Or
egon’s chemical weapons
stockpile, about 830 em
ployees worked at UMCDF.
The dem ilitarization
facility constructed and
operated by URS safely
destroyed 220,604 muni
tions and 3,720 tons o f
chemical agent, including
GB and VX nerve agent and
mustard blister agent. The
munitions and agent had
been stored at the Umatilla
Chemical Depot since the
1960s.
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
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with leftovers, of course),
bean soup and homemade
breads delighted the work
ers after completing their
tasks and singing some
carols.
G in g e rb re a d -h o u se
building will bring out the
competitive drive o f resi
dents on the 11lh. The resi
dents of the two hallways
will pit their talents against
each other as each group
competes for "best house”
bragging rights, as well
as some later nibbling op
portunities. Volunteers will
be welcome at about 1:30
that day.
C arolers are always
welcome at the Terrace,
too, as residents and staff
thoroughly enjoy listen
ing and singing along to
the Christmas and winter
songs. They will also enjoy
the two piano recitals this
month. Alaina Lemmon’s
piano students will fill the
facility with their tunes on
Dec. 19 and 23, beginning
at 2 p.m. Visitors will be
welcome.
R esidents will w el
come the variety of nation-
ally designated days in
December that pay tribute
to events and foods. They
have already recognized
National Cookie Day with
appropriate eating of cook
ies. They had an opportuni
ty to discuss St. N icholas on
the sixth and to eat brown
ies on National Chocolate
Brownie Day on the eighth.
Christmas Card Day was
noted on the ninth, but the
sending of Christmas cards
will continue. Tomorrow,
the 11*, will offer Rock-
n-Roll Hall of Famers as
a discussion topic, well
before the gingerbread-
house activity (National
Gingerbread Day is the
following day). The 15th is
designated National Fire
Fighters Day, maybe a good
day to hug a fireman, or at
least say "thank you” to our
volunteer firemen. Christ
mas Eve will be an invita
tion to Santa to come with
gifts for all the residents,
and Christmas Day will see
gifts opened and delicious
foods eaten. Friends who
call ahead will be welcome
in the dining room.
Two days later is des
ignated Fruitcake Day, and
that ubiquitous and often-
maligned dessert will be
served at the Terrace. On
this day, Fred Painter, a
previous resident, will be
fondly remembered. Fred
seemed to truly love fruit
cake and made sure that
his Terrace neighbors got
a piece of fruitcake to en
joy each year. Whether a
resident views fruitcake
with fondness or not, the
memory o f Fred and his
kindness will surely bring
a smile.
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
CERTIFICATES
No purchase necessary.
Need not be present to win Just come in and sign
Timothy Emmet wins his motos once again...Santa style. At
least, he certainly was flying around the racecourse on his
“sleigh,” aka his Quad, while racing in the Quad Intermediate
class. By the end of the first course he was very muddy, but
said he had a lot of fun. Timothy is three for three while racing
in a five-motocross series for the championship Nov. I6's race
was postponed due to ice. The nest scheduled race is Feb. 22,
2015. The Bike Pit hasn't yet announced the new date for the
postponed race. - Photo by Paula Emmel
SCHOOL DISTRICT
-Continuedfrom PAGE ONE
RHS student.
-reviewed the follow
ing revised policies on:
reimbursable school meals
and milk programs.
-rescinded policy on
the district’s local wellness
program and reviewed new
policy on the wellness pro
gram, including specifics
on the definition of foods,
including calories, snacks,
fats, sugars, sodium, caf
feine, community involve
ment, nutrition education
and physical education,
am ong num erous other
specifics.
-revised/reviewed pol
icy on: prescription/non-
prescription medication.
-adopted policy on:
non-prescription medica
tion and prescription medi
cation.
-rescinded policy on:
student network user code
of conduct, employee net
work user code of conduct,
non-district technology
equipment use, administer
ing non-injectable medi
cines to students.
-revised policy on:
electronic communications
system, which includes a
letter to parents, a student
agreement form, and specif
ics for non-school users and
staff users.
-voted against an Or
egon School Boards con
stitution resolution which
would amend the appoint
ment of the OSBA board
and legislative policy com
mittee members to include
members from a contiguous
region if certain conditions
are met.
-heard a report from
Dirksen on the OSBS con
vention, including infor
mation on proposed state
school funding. He said
that the governor is cur
rently proposing a $6.9 bil
lion budget for education,
which educators believe
is “not even close to what
is needed.” He said that
the hope is to move closer
to $7.5 billion. “ Som e
where in between is where
we will probably end up,”
said Dirksen. He said he
didn’t expect school fund
ing would receive a budget
until June.
Dirksen said that data
shows that a student who
reads at the third grade, is
four times more likely to
graduate from high school
that those who do not read.
He also touched on the
English Language Learner
student achievement gap
and spoke briefly on getting
ready for Smarter Balance,
a student achievement as
sessment consortium. He
said that computer science
was a high topic and there
was a push on the Promise
of Oregon, a public educa
tion support campaign.
-received the following
announcements: Christmas
break-December 19-Janu-
ary 4; school resumes-Jan-
uary 5; next board meeting,
Monday, January 12, Sam
Boardman Elementary, 7
p.m. with a work session
scheduled prior.
97836
MU
Drawing December 19th
( 541 ) 676-8229
AFFORDABLE
FAMILY EYEW EA R
david@
rapidserve.net
1045 North First St. Hermiston, OR 54L
www.affordablefamilyeyewear.con
I
Santa visits The
Bike Pit
The Heppner
Gazette Times
188 W Willow
Heppner, OR
one OH 2 S 50.00 GIFT
í
- FIVE
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO
ALL OUR CUSTOMERS!
ENTE
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Wednesday, December 10,2014
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on m m tow !
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