HEPPNER
G T
50¢
azette
imes
VOL. 135
NO. 2 8 Pages
Getting to
know your
exchange
students
Umedali Rajabaliev
Age 17, Senior, Ione
Where are you from?
Dushanbe,
Tajikistan—
the capital
city, with a
population
of nearly
800,000.
Umedali
Rajabaliev
H o s t
Family:
Mark and Taranna Patton
What do you think of
Ione and Morrow County?
“Small town. Smaller than
where we live. It’s more
fun when you play some
sports.”
How has the experi-
ence been for you? “It was
good. My goal was making
friends, sharing cultures. It
was also good to try some-
thing new like sports—
football, basketball, we
don’t have these games in
my country.”
What was the most dif-
icult thing about this ex-
perience? “The language.
It was difficult, scary to
talk to them. The irst few
weeks was dificult in class
because I didn’t know any-
one. The food was different.
In America, there is a lot of
pork.” (Editor’s note: As a
Muslim, Umedali does not
eat pork.)
What did you like best?
“Spending holidays with
my family. It was a new ex-
perience. Fishing. I’d been
ishing but not like this, in
a boat. We caught some re-
ally big ish. The best was
making new friends, learn-
ing about them and their
culture. And I hope I can
learn more.”
Did you have the
chance to attend any spe-
cial events? What did you
think of that experience?
“Most of them were Ameri-
can holidays—Halloween,
Christmas. It was my irst
experience with them. I
liked it. And celebrating my
birthday in America for the
irst time.”
Anything else? “I am
a FLEX (Future Leaders
Exchange Program) stu-
dent. It was the irst great
goal in my life. It gave
me a chance to experience
other cultures. I really ap-
preciate the people running
this program for giving me
the chance. I want to say
thank you to my teachers,
my friends, my host fam-
ily—they really gave me
a chance to be part of their
family.”
Editor’s note: ASSE’s
Future Leaders Exchange
(FLEX) Program provides
youth from the former Sovi-
et Union the opportunity to
live and study in the United
States.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
City, ire district seal
ire hall construction deal
By David Sykes
The City of Heppner
and the Heppner Rural Fire
Protection District have
inked an intergovernmen-
tal agreement to guide the
upcoming financing and
construction of the new
$975,000 ire hall approved
by voters in November.
Both the city council and
ire district board approved
the deal at their respective
Monday night meetings.
The agreement puts the
city in charge of construc-
tion and payments during
the building process, but
requires the city to make
monthly reports to the rural
fire district about prog-
ress. The new ire hall will
be built on land donated
by Morrow County Grain
Growers on Riverside at the
edge of town.
The Bank of Eastern
Oregon has been awarded
sale of the close to $1 mil-
lion in general obligation
bonds for construction, with
the funds being placed into
a new account to be dis-
bursed during construction.
As spelled out in the bond
issue approved by voters
last November, the city is
funding 60 percent of the
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Chamber of Commerce holds
annual meeting, elects oficers
Cutsforth named 2016 president
The Heppner Chamber
of Commerce held its an-
nual meeting last Thursday
and elected Heppner City
Manager Kim Cutsforth as
2016 president. She will
replace outgoing President
Les Schwab Manager John
Gould.
Pictured right are (L-
R) Heppner Principal Matt
Combe, First Vice Presi-
dent; Wheatland Insur-
ance owner Nancy Snider,
Director; Owner Murray’s
Drug Anne Murray, Direc-
tor; Morrow County Grain
Growers Human Resource
Director Tawny Miles,
Treasurer/Director; Kim
Cutsforth, President; and
Heppner Les Schwab Man-
ager John Gould, Director.
Administering the oath of
ofice is Bank of Eastern
Oregon Heppner Branch
Manager Tricia Rollins.
Not pictured are Bank of
Eastern Oregon President
and CEO Jeff Bailey, Di-
rector, and Heppner Fam-
ily Food owner Bert Hou-
weling, Director.
In a special award
Heppner Chamber of Com-
merce Executive Director
Sheryll Bates recognized
Doris Brosnan for her help
with chamber projects.
“Doris Brosnan has
always been involved in
whatever events or activi-
ties that I am working on.
She serves on several com-
mittees and does her part to
bring success,” said Bates.
“She helped with the
Parade of Lights to make
sure everyone was lined
up and ready to go. She
construction cost and the
rural district 40 percent.
Also included with the
agreement is the contract
spelling out how the city
provides protection to resi-
dents and property located
in the rural fire district.
The protection contract
is one that has been in
place since the 1980s, and
previously renewed every
ive years with sometimes
minor changes. As part
of the current intergov-
ernmental agreement the
protection contract will last
-See HEPPNER CITY
COUNCIL/PAGE SIX
Getting to
know your
exchange
students
Pablo Ramos
Age 15, Sophomore, Ione
Where are you from?
Madrid, Spain—the capi-
tal of Spain
and the third
largest city
in the Euro-
pean Union,
with a metro
population Pablo Ramos
of around 6.5
million.
Host Family: Mark and
Taranna Patton
What do you think of
Ione and Morrow County?
“I thought it would be bor-
Above: Heppner Chamber of Commerce elected oficers at its annual meeting recently. (See ing. Now it’s not too bor-
story for names and titles.) Below: The Heppner High School choir, under the direction of
ing.”
Rick Drake, entertained chamber members at the meeting. -Photos by David Sykes
How has the experience
been for you? “Good. The
irst few weeks were hard.
When I need help, they help
me. When I need it, they
help me to be part of the
family.”
What was the most dif-
icult thing about this expe-
rience? “The language. You
don’t know if you ask well.
The schedule—in Spain we
eat later than here and go to
sleep later.”
What did you like best?
was a lot of help this year with
“New experiences, like to
our Christmas event; she helped
go ishing. New food like
to arrange for elves, she helped
elk or deer. The people from
set up, helped during the event
here are different from the
and helped to clean up after the
people in Spain, and I like
Christmas event.
it.”
“I can always can count on
Did you have the
Doris Brosnan to come to my res-
chance to attend any spe-
cue,” Bates said.
cial events? What did you
think of that experience?
Right: Doris Brosnan (left) received
“Halloween. It was my irst
special recognition from chamber ex-
ecutive director Sheryll Bates for her
time having that experi-
contributions to the chamber’s work.
ence. I went with friends to
-Photo by David Sykes
trick or treat. Christmas—in
Spain we don’t put (out)
presents before 25 th of De-
cember. Here they put pres-
ents before the 25 th .”
Anything else? “I
thought it would be harder
(than it is) to be one year
for each school, CAD/CAM be up and running fall of welding and manufacturing here. Thank you to all the
software, teacher training 2016,” he said.
facilities will include the people who helped me.”
and curriculum develop-
Fowler said that the Heppner High School agri-
ment, and will also support four career and techni- culture program, headed up gram directed by Fowler;
the local chapters of FFA cal education programs by teacher Beth Dickenson,
-See MCSD BOOSTS CTE
PROGRAM/PAGE EIGHT
and TSA. He said that the of study that utilize the the manufacturing pro-
end result will be to build
stronger career and techni-
cal programs, preparing
students for the next steps,
such as “Mechatronics” at
Blue Mountain Community
College, apprenticeships
Willow Creek Valley corn bread will be hosted by attending is asked to RSVP
or other post-secondary
Economic Development WCVEDG and prepared by to heppnerchamber@centu-
education.
rytel.net by Friday, Jan. 22.
He said that the grant Group (WCVEDG) will Alvin Liu.
Guest speaker Bruce
Anyone who would
cycle runs from this January hold its annual luncheon
to June of 2017, with bids Wednesday, Jan. 27, from Sorte will provide an up- like to become a member
to be let and scheduling noon to 1 p.m. at the Gate- date on business retention of WCVEDG may contact
and expansion projects as Sheryll Bates at 541-676-
of electrical and ventila- way Café in Heppner.
The meal of barbecued selected by the WCVEDG 5536 or David Sykes at
tion work happening this
541-676-9228.
winter. He said that order- ribs, grilled chicken, slow- board.
Anyone interested in
ing of equipment and sup- cooked beans, coleslaw and
plies will be ongoing, with
professional development
occurring this spring and
summer.
“Everything should
School district announces career
and technical programs grant
By April Sykes
The Morrow County
School Board, at its Jan.
11 meeting in Boardman,
learned that the district has
received a $390,745 grant
for upgrades to the school
district’s welding and
fabricating facilities and
equipment. Project man-
ager/Heppner High School
teacher Dave Fowler said
that the upgrades were very
much needed, since the
metal shops at Heppner
and Riverside were built
in the 1970s with no sig-
niicant upgrades since and
the Irrigon facility was not
fully equipped when it was
completed.
The funds will pur-
chase electrical and ven-
tilation facility upgrades,
computer-controlled plas-
ma cutting, welding and
fabricating machinery and
virtual welding simulators
G-T will be open next Monday
The Heppner Gazette- day, Jan. 18, and will not be
The deadline for next
Times will maintain normal closed for the Martin Luther week’s issue will remain at
business hours next Mon- King, Jr. holiday.
Monday at 5 p.m.
WCVEDG plans annual
luncheon
WINTER CLOTHING SALE!
INSULATED
COVERALLS
COATS & JACKETS
20 %
OFF
Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed & Seed
242 W. Linden Way, Heppner • 676-9422 • 989-8221 (MCGG main ofice)