TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
The Oficial Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
U.S.P.S. 240-420
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
Published weekly by Sykes Publishing, LLC and entered as periodical matter at the
Post Ofice at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Periodical postage
paid at Heppner, Oregon. Ofice at 188 W. Willow Street. Telephone (541) 676-
9228. Fax (541) 676-9211. E-mail: editor@rapidserve.net or david@rapidserve.
net. Web site: www.heppner.net. Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner
Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $30 in
Morrow County; $24 senior rate (in Morrow County only; 65 years or older); $36
elsewhere; $30 student subscriptions.
David Sykes ..............................................................................................Publisher
Andrea Di Salvo ............................................................................................ Editor
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Op/Ed
Boyer graduates
with master’s degree Community economic
Tyler Boyer graduated in August with a three-year
master’s degree in professional mental health counseling development: results
from Lewis and Clark College in Portland. He is currently
employed with Cascadia, Portland.
require taking risks
Boyer attended Heppner High School and obtained a
Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Linield Bruce Sorte
Editor’s note: Bruce Sorte worked for many years
College, McMinnville.
He is the son of John and Kelly Boyer of Lexington. with Oregon State University as an Extension Community
Economist in the Rural Studies Program. He recently
worked with the local community to develop strategies
for economic development. Some of his insights are de-
tailed here.
Last February, Sheryll Bates asked me
to do a luncheon talk for the Willow Creek
The Elks annual Hoop Shoot Free Throw Contest Valley Economic Development Group
will take place this Sunday, Dec. 13, at 3:30 p.m. in the (WCVEDG). A great group showed up
Heppner Elementary School gym.
and tolerated my yammering for longer
The event is free for youth ages eight through 13, or than they were promised. A few days after
those who will be those ages on or before April 1, 2016. the lunch, the WCVEDG asked, if they
For information, contact Corey Sweeney, 541-256- funded a month’s salary and some travel, Bruce Sorte
0355.
would I postpone my June 30 retirement,
do some interviews and give them some ideas for eco-
nomic development projects.
I had my plans laid for getting back to some serious
hunting and ishing this fall, yet as I considered the area
and the discussion after my comments at the lunch, it
seemed worth putting off hunting and ishing for a while
This Thursday, Dec. 10, the Holly Rebekah Lodge longer.
will host a Bunco party at the lodge hall in Lexington. Play
“Experts” in economic development, including me,
starts at 7 p.m.; cost to play is $5. Everyone is welcome. are not particularly effective. One reason is businesses,
and more and more global markets drive almost all
economic development. We do not know enough about
speciic businesses and their customers to ask a business
to gamble on our recommendations.
Another reason is, although we get around quite a bit
and may be able to suggest to agencies and volunteers a
A irst annual community-wide Christmas Music Fest
few projects that might help, it requires leaders in the com-
will be held at Hope Lutheran Church (corner of Alfalfa
munity to risk their reputations or neighbors’ goodwill on
and Cowins in Heppner) on Sunday, Dec. 13, beginning
projects that at best have a 60 percent chance of succeed-
at 3 p.m.
ing. That is why the last three sets of recommendations
The event will be a celebration of the season featur-
for the Willow Creek Valley over the last 20 years, while
ing special music and concluding with a carol sing-along.
very thoughtful, were mostly quite general and certainly
Admission is free, but donations of canned food or cash
not very controversial or risky.
for the Neighborhood Center will be welcome.
I have made about 200 suggestions to at least 20 com-
For more information, call the Shared Ministry ofice
munities over the last 15 years. A few have been used to
at 541-676-9970.
get and spend other people’s money—federal, state and
foundation grants. Only two or three have been used to
spend local money. Leaders often agreed the suggestions
could be useful, yet they also saw they were risky.
Over the last few months I have visited with many
of you and you have taught me a lot about the region—
thank you. I do not use very sophisticated measures for
success—just total population and student population.
All the rest—jobs, median income, building permits,
Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District and aging—come down to current population and the hope
Morrow County Livestock Growers will co-sponsor an (students) for future population.
afternoon program next Tuesday, Dec. 15, beginning at
My grandparents were Norwegian and Irish home-
1:15 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Parish Hall in Heppner.
steaders and small business owners in northeast Montana.
The MCLG annual meeting will follow the joint However, most of all they were tireless promoters for their
program.
communities—one of them took his interests in the region
to the capitol as a state legislator. The stories they and my
mom and dad told me at the dinner table started my inter-
est in this ield at a young age. I never once heard any of
them discuss the politics of another community member,
and they regularly helped people get across tough times
and tried to recruit outsiders to the community for their
skills and creativity.
Oregon has 138 small towns and 108 urban places.
Oregon Trail Library velop, a basic knowledge Over the last century, 52 incorporated or unincorporated
District is seeking a person of inancial reports and Or- small towns started, grew, declined, and are now gone.
within the district to ill a egon’s public meeting and County seats do not disappear though they can wither.
public records laws. The Construction of the new Bartholomew Building, as well
board vacancy.
The five members of board’s regular monthly as the state-funded road and walkway improvements,
Oregon Trail Library Dis- meeting is held on the third are great votes of conidence in the Willow Creek Val-
trict Board of Directors are Wednesday of the month at ley. Still, reversing total and student population trends
elected at large from around 7 p.m., rotating locations requires reinforcing local businesses and looking outward
the OTLD District, located among Boardman, Heppner for businesses, customers and neighbors.
within Morrow County and and Irrigon. Occasionally
Most of my recommendations are focused on sup-
serving the communities of the board will hold special porting people who are already in Heppner, Lexington
Boardman, Heppner and meetings to address urgent and Ione and then recruiting outsiders, particularly from
Irrigon. When there are business that cannot be de- cities like Hermiston, the Tri-Cities, Bend, Albany, Hill-
board vacancies between layed until the next regular sboro, etc.
elections, the board may meeting. Board activities
People move to rural communities for three re-
appoint someone to ill the may also include weekend lated reasons—reduced congestion, safety and quality
vacant position until the or daytime workshops, and of schools. You do a good job in all three; the rub as you
events at the community know quite well is to differentiate yourself from other
next election.
The board is now seek- libraries.
rural communities that are easier to reach. People will
Each Letter of Interest accept less income and convenience for other qualities
ing qualiied candidates to
ill a vacancy and is asking should include a statement of life—If you are willing to work together as a region to
interested persons to submit that the applicant resides teach them about your communities and help them feel
a letter of interest by Dec. within the boundaries of at home as soon as they arrive. I am staking out some
14. The board will review the Oregon Trail Library volunteer work for me in the recommendations; I hope
all Letters of Interest re- District and their contact you will do the same.
ceived by the deadline at information. Letters of In-
its next regularly-scheduled terest are considered public
meeting on Dec. 16. The document, so applicants are
board also asks that anyone asked not to include coni-
Morrow County Justice of the Peace Ann Spicer has
interested in the position dential information.
released
the following Justice Court report:
The board also requests
be present at that meeting
-Steven
C. Desart, 64, of Bend, OR was convicted of
and be prepared to discuss that Letters of Interest in-
Taking
a
Cow
Elk in Closed Season and was ined $435.
their interest in serving on clude a statement of why
-Gary
Dean
Gipson, 63, was convicted of Operating
the board in an open public each individual would
an
ATV
in
Violating
of Posted Restrictions and ined $260.
like to serve on the OTLD
meeting.
Board members must Board of Directors and
reside within the boundar- what skills and experience Follow Morrow County History
ies of the OTLD District they will share to further the
From the Beginning When You
district’s mission to “meet
to serve.
Members represent the informational, cultural, Purchase a $110.00 Value Pack of
the patrons of the district and recreational needs of the Morrow County Chronicles.
and provide leadership and residents of the district with
oversight of the district information resources….”
The Value Packs Will Be Available at Heppner City Hall
Each Letter of Interest
through the district direc-
The 2015 Morrow County Chronicles are available at
tor. The director handles must be received no later
various locations. There are 30 Editions.
the day-to-day operation of than 5 p.m. on Dec. 14 for The 1982 and 1983 Editions are out of print. The Morrow
the district and employee consideration at the meet-
County Chronicle was not printed in 2006 or 2007.
matters, and manages the ing to be held on Dec. 16.
Each Letter of Interest may
library branches.
In addition to attending be submitted to otlddirec-
monthly meetings, board tor@centurylink.net, or by
members are expected to mail to: OTLD P.O. Box
have, or be willing to de- 107, Boardman, OR 97818.
Elks Hoop Shoot this
Sunday
Holly Rebekah to
hold Bunco party
Community Bank
receives outstanding
First annual music
CRA performance
fest planned
rating from FDIC
Community Bank,
headquartered in Joseph,
OR recently received the
highest possible rating
from the FDIC for its most
recent performance un-
der the Community Re-
investment Act (CRA).
The Community Reinvest-
ment Act of 1977 requires
federally-insured deposi-
tory institutions to support
the borrowing needs of all
the communities where
they do business, including
low- and moderate-income
areas.
The “Outstanding” rat-
ing is based on Community
Bank’s performance under
lending, investment and
community development
tests. These tests measure
residential, small business
and community develop-
ment lending, community
development investments
and community develop-
ment services in the com-
munities the bank serves.
In Oregon speciically,
the bank achieved an Out-
standing rating for both
lending and community
development. Community
Bank is currently the only
active Oregon-chartered
bank to receive an Out-
standing in both areas. On
a national level, just 347
of 6,247 (5.5 percent) of
federally-insured inancial
institutions have an active
overall CRA rating of Out-
standing.
“We are honored to
receive this rating, which
demonstrates our commit-
ment to the communities of
Eastern Oregon and South-
east Washington where
our bankers live, work and
operate your Community
Bank.” said Tom Moran,
President and CEO of Com-
munity Bank.
The CRA performance
evaluation made specific
references to Community
Bank’s strengths, includ-
ing its lending efforts to
small businesses, farming
operations and participation
in community develop-
ment. Since the last CRA
rating, Community Bank
originated 14 community
development loans totaling
approximately $24.7 mil-
lion that directly beneited
the bank’s rural communi-
ties—including munici-
pal improvement projects,
economic development
loans and the construction
of medical facilities.
Additionally Commu-
nity Bank team members
and directors provided
4,227 service hours directly
relating to community de-
velopment and economic
development.
Community lunch
menu
Heppner United Methodist Church volunteers will
serve lunch on Wednesday, Dec. 16, at St. Patrick’s Senior
Center. Lunch will include navy beans and ham, broccoli
slaw, wilted spinach salad, corn mufins and lemon bars.
Milk is served at each meal. Suggested donation is $3.50
per meal. Menu is subject to change.
Marriage Licenses
The Morrow County Clerk’s ofice has released the
following report of marriage licenses:
December 3, 2015: -Michael Jay Palin, 59, of Heppner
and Melissa Kristine Reese, 38, of Heppner.
As your Aunts
we are ALWAYS in your CAMP
So PROUD you are
STATE CHAMPS!!!
Congratulations LOGAN & WYATT!!!
(Congrats to Teammates & Coaches too!)
Love, Julie (class of ’79)
Geri & Jana (class of ’80)
Morrow SWCD,
livestock growers to
hold joint program
Library district
seeks applicants for
board position
Justice Court Report
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.