HEPPNER
G T
50¢
azette
imes
VOL. 135
NO. 27 8 Pages
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
City continues to wrestle
with nuisance enforcement
By David Sykes
The city of Heppner
continues to grapple with
how to enforce property
nuisances such as trash and
junk cars on property, even
going as far as to hold a
meeting with law enforce-
ment and court officers in
search for solutions.
City Manager Kim
Cutsforth told the city coun-
cil Monday the problem is
that, even though the city
has increased powers to
deal with problems of trash,
junk, tall weeds and other
nuisances on private prop-
erty, getting the properties
cleaned up has proven to
be very difficult. Cutsforth
said violators of the nui-
sance ordinances refuse to
clean up their properties,
ignore fines, don’t show up
for court dates and flaunt all
efforts at enforcement.
Cutsforth said she re-
cently arranged for a meet-
ing between the district
attorney, justice court judge
and sheriff to discuss what
could be done. She told the
council that violators are
issued multiple tickets of
$250 for each violation,
but have discovered that
not showing up for court is
better than going. Cutsforth
said since the tickets for
Irrigon
Busy mama or babysitter...
plans
Watermelon
Festival
The City of Irrigon will
hold its annual Watermel-
on Festival on Saturday,
July 30. Several events are
planned throughout the day
beginning with breakfast at
6:30 a.m.
Funds raised through
this community event go
to benefit various areas
across the community of
Irrigon, including scholar-
ships, Cooley Sports Com-
plex, the senior center, food
baskets program, flags for
events, and more.
This year an array of
donated items will be raf-
fled; buy 50/50 raffle tickets
at many of the local busi-
nesses or on festival day.
Events and opportuni-
ties taking place at the Ir-
rigon Marina Park include
breakfast beginning at 6:30
a.m., a hearty breakfast
served for a nominal price.
The annual parade kicks
off at 10 a.m. and runs
down NE Main Avenue. At
11 a.m. is the opening cer-
emony at the Irrigon Marina
Park band stand. The day
will include on-going raffle
items throughout the day, as
well as an array of games,
contests, vendors (local
and out-of-town). Multiple
food vendors, besides the
hometown food shack, will
be available.
For more information,
contact Renee Couchman
at 541-922-1560 or Aaron
Palmquist, city manager, at
manager@ci.irrigon.or.us.
Boardman
water, sewer
go up this
month
A doe and four fawns take a break in the shade off Gale Street in Heppner Monday. -Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
Little Free Libraries promote reading
in city parks
By Andrea Di Salvo
Heppner City Park and
Hager Park have some new
additions in the form of lit-
tle red boxes full of books.
The boxes, which were
placed in the two Heppner
parks last week, were the
brainchild of Jamie Mul-
lins of Heppner, who had
seen similar structures on
the internet.
Many, if not most, li-
brary structures like these
are part of the Little Free
Library network. Little
Free Library is a nonprofit
organization with a mission
to “connect neighborhoods
around the love of read-
ing by placing free book
exchanges worldwide.”
Part of their plan is an ini-
tiative to place 100,000 of
their book exchanges across
America by the end of this
year.
The idea grabbed Mul-
lins’ imagination, and she
decided to bring it up to the
City of Heppner.
“I was in (city hall)
paying a bill one day, and
I said, ‘Hey, I have this
During its March 1
meeting, the Boardman
City Council approved res-
olutions for an increase in
the city’s water and sewer
rates.
The city’s garbage rates
will remain the same.
The rate increase is due
to future improvements to
the city’s water and sewer
system. This is the first wa-
ter and sewer rate increase
since 2008.
The water rates reflect
an increase only in the base
rate. Overage rates will
remain the same. All water
base rates will increase by
$1.50.
This brings the resi-
dential water rate to $16.50
for the first 7,000 gallons
used in a month, the com-
mercial and hydrant meter
base rates to $20.50 for the
first 8,000 gallons used in Mullins’ skills as an artist and
a month, the school water art teacher are displayed on
property trash violations are
for ordinances, the violators
cannot be sentenced to jail.
It was discussed to
move violations from ordi-
nance to the criminal code;
however, city attorney Bill
Kuhn said then the offend-
ers would be allowed a jury
trial and legal representa-
tion, both of which the
city would have to pay for.
Kuhn also said any jail time
given the offenders would
also be billed to the city,
money it just doesn’t have,
Cutsforth said.
The city has the power
to go in and clean up the
properties, then bill the
property owners for the
work. If the property owner
refuses to pay then the city
can place a lien on the prop-
erty for the amount of the
cleanup; however, the city
has been reluctant to use
this authority—once again,
for lack of funds.
After receiving com-
plaints from multiple resi-
dents of Water Street, city
management applied for
and received a commu-
nity enhancement grant
to provide free dumpster
service there as an incen-
tive to offenders to clean
up their property. However,
Cutsforth said at an earlier
council meeting that while
the free dumping had some
success, it also caused fric-
tion with some other prop-
erty owners who felt it was
unfair the violators received
the free dumpster service
and they did not. She said
the city probably would
not use the free dumpster
program again.
Kuhn told the council
he would continue to work
on a legal solution to the
nuisance problem.
In other business at
Monday’s meeting the
council approved several
animal permits and dis-
cussion was held on the
number of the permits being
issued. Council member
Joann Burleson said she
thought the permitting “was
getting way out of hand.”
She said it used to be young
people would have a few
animals in town for the
fair, but now there were all
kinds of animals in the city
limits. Monday the council
approved permits for ducks,
goats and miniature horses.
Cutsforth said if a problem
with the animals comes up
then the permits could be
revoked.
“It is all complaint driv-
en,” she said, then pointed
out that the city receives
very few complaints about
animals.
ON THE INSIDE...
Obituaries.................
PAGE TWO
Jamie Mullins and children Charlie, Ella and Emma stand in Heppner’s Hager Park by one
the Little Free Library boxes they helped bring to fruition. –Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
idea…. How interested
would you be in putting
something like this in the
parks to promote literacy?’”
said 32-year-old Mullins.
City employee Judy
Healy loved the idea, and
told Mullins she would get
newspaper dispensers to
serve as library boxes.
“Judy has a lot to do
with it,” Mullins said.
They had to wait for
some time but, true to her
word, Healy procured two
boxes from the East Or-
egonian.
Once the boxes were
in Heppner, Mullins, who
had been an art teacher in
Wisconsin before moving
to Heppner almost five
years ago, took the two
-See BOARDMAN UTILI- the backs of the library boxes. boxes home to decorate
and stock them. She and
TIES/PAGE FIVE -Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
children Charlie, 4, Ella,
3, and Emma, 1, painted
and stickered the colorful
library boxes. She said she
then had the children look
through the family’s books
and choose some offer-
ings to go in each box as
a starter collection. Then
husband Shaun Mullins,
who works for the Forest
Service, dropped the library
boxes off at city hall for city
employees to place them
at the parks. In the several
days that the libraries have
been at the parks, Mullins
said she has already seen
them in use.
“Kids go in and they’ll
sit down and read a book in
a group and put it back, and
that’s great,” she said. “I’d
really encourage people to
a) use it and b) take a book,
leave a book.”
“You’re encouraged
to read at the park with
your family; if there’s a
particular one you like,
take it home but replace it,
either by bringing it back
or putting back a different
one,” she added. “Please
donate your kids’ books to
the Little Free Library.”
Weddings.................
PAGE TWO
Golf........................
PAGE TWO
Sheriff’s, DA’s and
Justice Court Reports...
PAGE THREE
Summer Events..........
PAGE FOUR
Classifieds & Legals....
PAGES SIX & SEVEN
Chamber Chatter.........
PAGE SEVEN
Real Estate.............
PAGE EIGHT
HARVEST HOURS
Mon-Fri 7am-6pm
Saturday 7am-5pm
After Hours Phone
541-256-0447 or 541-256-0330
Morrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396
For farm equipment, visit our web site at www.mcgg.net