HEPPNER
50¢
Winter warm trend to
continue into February
The unusually warm
winter is expected to con-
tinue, according to the Na-
tional Weather Service in
Pendleton.
According to prelimi-
nary data received by NWS
Pendleton, temperatures at
Heppner averaged slightly
warmer than normal during
the month of January. The
average temperature was
36.9 degrees, which was
1.7 degrees above normal.
High temperatures aver-
aged 44.9 degrees, which
was 1.3 degrees above nor-
mal. The highest was 68
th
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon degrees on the 25 . Low
G T
azette
imes
VOL. 134
NO. 5
10 Pages
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Remembrance walk/5k
run to benefit South
Morrow fire, ambulance
Participants at last year’s Friend Helping Friends Remem-
brance Walk in Heppner. –File photo
By Andrea Di Salvo
Bob Nairns has spent
much of his adult life driv-
ing and caring for the roads
of Morrow County, but that
will end—at least in an of-
ficial capacity—this Thurs-
day. Feb. 5 will be Nairns’s
last day as Assistant Public
Works Director for Morrow
County.
Nairns, 53, has spent 34
years working for Morrow
County Public Works. His
responsibilities now include
three county parks, two
garbage transfer stations
outside Boardman and Lex-
ington, and the Lexington
airport. However, the bulk
of his work, and his greatest
love, is working with the
road crew to maintain the
county roads.
That may be because
that’s where Nairns started
his long relationship with
Morrow County. Born in
Springfield, OR and raised
in Bend, OR from the age of
two, Nairns was a member
of the first graduating class
from Mountain View High
School in Bend in 1980.
He didn’t envision a
career in public works.
Rather, he took the U.S. Air
Force entrance exam right
out of high school, but then
decided to take the summer
and think over the decision.
When his father took the
More
vehicle
thefts in
Heppner
City warns citizens to
be vigilant
Increase in area thefts means
residents should be on guard
A recent increase in
illegal activities in our com-
munity prompts a reminder
from the City of Heppner
to its citizens to guard their
valuables.
There are several ways
to secure homes and ve-
hicles against theft:
-secure all property,
-lock doors,
-park vehicles in front
of trailers,
-lock trailer hitches,
-do not leave keys in
vehicles,
-lock vehicles, and
-do not post on Face-
book or other social media
outlets that you are out of
town.
The City of Heppner
also encourages residents
to watch out for their neigh-
bors and report any sus-
picious activities to the
Morrow County Sheriff’s
Office immediately, 541-
676-5317.
While this warning
comes from the City of
Heppner, where several of
the thefts have occurred,
the concern is not limited
to Heppner. An increase
in thefts has been noted
throughout Morrow and
Umatilla counties.
These thefts appear to
be targeted and not random.
So please: Report any sus-
picious activities, people or
vehicles immediately to the
police by called the MCSO
at the number above or dial-
ing 911.
Be on the lookout for flying boots
this March in Heppner
The boots are set to fly
at the annual “Welly Toss”
during the St. Patrick’s Day
Celebration on Saturday,
March 14. Local and visi-
tors are invited to get their
teams entered and, if pre-
ferred, come by and throw
as individuals. Children are
invited, as well.
As in years past, the
event will be held on Wil-
Right: The Golden Boot
award. -File photo
low Street between Mur-
ray’s Drug and The Artisan
Village.
Team play begins at
10 a.m. and continues un-
til 12 p.m. (noon). Teams
are invited to come when
they can; the Welly crew
-See FLYING BOOTS/PAGE
FOUR
-See WARM WINTER CON-
TINUES/PAGE SEVEN
Not the end of the road, but a crossroad, for retiring Public Works employee
Fire Chief and Emergency
Medical Services Coordina-
tor for the EMT association,
said the two entities have
not finalized plans for the
funds but do have a few
things on their wish lists.
“It’s gonna be kind of
‘wait and see,’ except, for
the fire department, we are
looking at some hand-held
gas meters,” said Estes.
Estes said the gas me-
ters detect different kinds of
gases when firefighters go
into fires. The meters have
Heppner man Seth Mo-
ses reported last Thurs-
day that a 24-foot ATV
trailer was stolen from his
property on NE Center
Street in Heppner some
time Wednesday night. Ac-
cording to Morrow County
Sheriff’s Office, the trailer
did not contain any ATVs.
An MCSO representative
says the case in under inves-
tigation but was unable to
reveal whether police have
any suspects in the incident.
The theft comes about a
week after the reported theft
of a trailer and ATVs be-
longing to MCSO Deputy
John Bowles. That incident
is still under investigation
by MCSO.
high temperature stayed
below 32 degrees.
Precipitation totaled
0.47 inches during Janu-
ary, which was one inch
below normal. Measurable
precipitation of at least .01
Nairns retires from county after
34 years
Coordinators of the
annual Remembrance
Walk/5K Run have an-
nounced that this year’s
proceeds will be divided
between the Heppner Vol-
unteer Fire Department and
the South Morrow EMT
Association.
In the spirit of keeping
donations local and benefit-
ting local healthcare and
the elderly, Friends Help-
ing Friends has decided to
give event proceeds to the
two local emergency orga-
nizations to use as they see
fit. Rusty Estes, Heppner
-See REMEMBRANCE
WALK/PAGE FOUR
temperatures averaged 28.9
degrees, which was 2.1
degrees above normal. The
lowest was five degrees, on
the 1 st .
There were 23 days
with the low temperature
below 32 degrees. There
were two days when the
job as Heppner postmaster
that year, Nairns followed
and took a job as a summer
employee with the county,
“patching potholes and
helping out the road crews.”
“Just before my sum-
mer employment was up, a
heavy equipment operator
quit,” recalls Nairns. “So,
a job opened up and I took
the job.”
He started as a light
equipment operator…
though, to road crews, that
meant working “light”
equipment like dump trucks
and backhoes. He spent a
couple of years doing that
before moving into the
maintenance and repair
shop, where he eventually
became shop foreman. Af-
ter eight years as shop fore-
man, he moved to his cur-
rent job in 2000, where he
has spent nearly 15 years.
“It’s been a good place
to work, Morrow County
has. They’ve treated me
well. I’ve enjoyed working
for them,” says Nairns.
Aside from his relation-
ship with the county, Nairns
began another long-term
relationship in 1980, when
he met his future wife,
George. The couple mar-
ried in 1984 and have two
children and two grandchil-
dren. Son Kiel Nairns lives
in The Dalles and works as
Retiring Morrow County Assistant Public Works Director Bob
Nairns stands next to his pickup, where he spent much of his
time in the last 34 years overseeing the roads and other county
properties. –Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
a crew boss for the Oregon
Dept. of Forestry. Daughter
Krystal Seitz is currently
finishing up an internship
in occupational therapy in
Cheney, WA.
After so much time
working for Morrow Coun-
ty, Nairns says he has mixed
feeling about retirement.
“It’s both good and bad.
I will miss working on the
roads, keeping them in the
best shape we can. I’ll miss
the camaraderie of the daily
interaction with the crew…
but it will be nice to stay
home when it’s snowing
and blowing sideways and
below zero,” says Nairns.
“The best part will be that I
get to spend more time with
my grandkids.”
Nairns says he isn’t
ready to retire, per se, but
ready for a change.
“Thirty-four years is
long enough,” says Nairns.
“I’m going into the second
phase of my career. Not
sure what it is yet, but I’ll
figure it out.”
His immediate plans in-
clude work on their house,
resuming an old golfing
habit, fishing, traveling, and
general rest and relaxation.
“For a little while,”
he adds. “Then I’ll prob-
ably get bored and look for
something to do.”
Road bowling returns to
St. Pat’s weekend
Heppner’s Irish Road
Bowling will draw the St
Patrick’s Day weekend
celebration to a close on
Sunday, March 15. Par-
ticipants in this event will
gather on Sunday afternoon
before the 1:37 p.m. activity
commences.
This Irish sport that
dates back to the 1600s was
played in America by the
Irish troops in West Virginia
during the Civil War. In
recent years, a resurgence
of interest in the sport has
developed in both Ireland
and the United States. Hep-
pner’s event has gained
popularity since it was first
offered in 2006, and entries
are limited (maximum of 20
teams), so interested per-
sons should pick up entry
forms at the Chamber of
Commerce office and return
them (with payment) soon.
Teams of two to four
members compete over a
course of approximately
one mile by tossing the
iron-and-steel “bowls,”
A participant in last year’s road bowling launches the “bowl”
down Balm Fork Road outside of Heppner. -File photo
which weigh 28 ounces and
are slightly smaller than a
tennis ball. The team that
completes the course with
the fewest tosses wins.
Each participant must pay
$5 to play. The purse is
then divided, with half go-
ing into the St. Patrick’s
Weekend fund and half be-
ing divided among the top
three teams. Names of the
winning team’s members
will be added to the trophy.
The starting point of
the course will be on Balm
Fork Road. Spectators are
welcome at the event but
are cautioned to remain a
safe distance from the ac-
tion because the bowls are
heavy and have been known
to break bones.
Sign up early to guaran-
tee a spot in the event. Pick
up forms at the chamber of-
fice or call 541-676-5536 to
have one emailed or mailed.
VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL!
20%
off
M ontana S ilver J ewelry
Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed & Seed
242 W. Linden Way, Heppner • 676-9422 • 989-8221 (MCGG main office)