EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Caliene Smith receives July Yard of the
Month recognition
Above: An irrigated sagebrush is a dominant feature of
Caliene Smith’s home on Jones St. in Heppner. Inset: Smith
stands by one of her huge hanging baskets, which she pur-
chased at MCGG/Green Feed & Seed. -Photo by Kay Proctor
By Kay Proctor
A home with an irri-
gated sagebrush by the front
steps has earned July Yard
of the Month recognition.
Caliene Smith rents
her home on 570 Jones
from her son Dave Jaca and
daughter-in-law Jennifer
Hughes Jaca, who lived
there previously. They jok-
ingly refer to the large plant
as a “Bonsai Sagebrush”
since it requires continuous
trimming to hold its growth
in check. It’s worth the
extra work because of its
welcomed shade and earthy
scent after a good rain.
The house was built in
1893 and survived the Hep-
pner flood of 1903. It was
a rental for a time before
Caliene moved in six years
ago. She has personalized
the yard in several ways
with help along the way.
Dave, Jennifer, and grand-
sons Tim and Mike pitch
in. Leon Bowles mows and
does some yard work. Char-
lie Grabeel planed lumber
for construction of the tall
wood fence.
Every square inch of
the yard and every sin-
gle flower container are
watered by an extensive
drip system that Caliene
envisioned and Charlie
installed. It runs the entire
length and width of the
lot, with varying heights.
Consistent irrigation from
the automatic system has
resulted in healthier trees,
shrubs, flowers, and lawn.
Large hanging baskets
thrive on the regular wa-
tering.
Chamber lunch
meeting
The next lunch meeting of the Heppner Chamber of
Commerce will be an all entities report on Thursday, Aug.
3, in the Heppner City Hall conference room.
Cost of lunch is $10; Willow Creek Diner will cater.
RSVP is required at 541-676-5536 no later than the Tues-
day before to guarantee food and seating.
The meeting location is accessible to persons with
disabilities. A request for an interpreter for the hearing
impaired or for other accommodations for persons with
disabilities should be made at least 48 hours before the
meeting to Sheryll Bates at 541-676-5536.
Are Your Kids
Looking For Extra
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some during this past school
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customers can earn money for
their good grades with our
Earn While You Learn Program!
The soil seems “pretty
good” and she has used
Miracle Gro in a hose-end
sprayer. Deer have been a
challenge and even broke
a portion of a wood fence
trying to jump in. A taller
wood fence keeps them
out now, but they bed down
right next to it. Watchdog
Agnes does her best letting
them know that they are not
welcome.
A side patio with deep
shade, cool breezes and
privacy is Caliene’s favorite
area. It’s paved with bricks
from the house’s original
chimney, and a barbecue
grill sits nearby that Caliene
“burns things” on.
Tomatoes take up a row
in the back while straw-
berry plants fill up a side
yard bed. The many flower
beds Caliene has added
or expanded are full of
old-fashioned annuals and
perennials such as holly-
hocks, zinnias and poppies.
Her favorites are peonies,
and she grows some of an
extraordinary flame-red
color with gold centers.
Geraniums do well under
her care, too.
Growing up on a ranch
in Arock, OR, Caliene
moved to Heppner about
10 years ago. She worked at
Heppner Family Foods for
seven years and has been
the drive-up teller at Bank
of Eastern Oregon for the
past three years. Previously
she worked at Cortex Gold
Mine in northeast Nevada.
She remembers “al-
ways gardening and having
a yard,” probably because
she was raised in a farm-
ing/ranching community.
A sentimental reminder
of her high desert life is a
“Welcome” stone by the
front door carved with her
maiden name, “Stitzel.”
Every so often, Caliene gets
to watch her son J.T. partici-
pate in ranch rodeos in that
area, enjoy the company of
her other four grandchil-
dren, and sit with family to
listen to and tell stories.
Yard of the Month rec-
ognition is sponsored by the
This welcome stone carved
with her maiden name is one
of the distinctive features of
Smith’s yard. -Photo by Kay
Proctor
Heppner Volunteers, MC-
GG-Green Feed & Seed,
and the City of Heppner.
Contact Kay Proctor for
further information.
Youth volleyball
camp next week
The Heppner Mustang volleyball program will host a
youth volleyball camp for incoming fifth through eighth
graders Aug. 1-3 from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Heppner El-
ementary gym. The cost will be $25, and the camp will
focus on basic skills and having fun.
Anyone with questions, contact Coach Wilson at
541-256-0126.
Sheriff’s Report
April 11: -Morrow
County Sheriff ’s Office
and Boardman ambulance
responded to an 18-month-
old in Boardman who had
a needle containing meth
break in his arm.
-Morrow County Sher-
iff’s Office and Boardman
ambulance responded to a
male “going a little crazy”
in Boardman; RP advised
they were trying to keep
him calm. The patient re-
fused transport.
-An RP in Irrigon re-
quested contact from a
deputy at Irrigon City Hall.
The subject advised he
didn’t want the info to go
over the radio as it was a
major issue and he didn’t
want it going over the air
so they could run.
-MCSO received report
of a safe broken open and
dumped along Pole Line
Road in Boardman.
-MCSO received a
complaint regarding juve-
niles getting high in Irrigon.
-An RP advised MCSO
that her medication was
taken from her suitcase
sometime between Port-
land and Irrigon. Subject
requested phone contact.
-MCSO received a
complaint from a woman
in Irrigon who stated her
husband got a restraining
order against her and was
refusing to let her see the
kids.
NOW
HIRING
DRIVERS
EARLY LEARNING
CENTER
-Continued from PAGE ONE all the partners to make the
vice District (IMESD).
Funding for this collabora-
tion was made possible by
the Port of Morrow, with
some grants from the state
as well as partner contribu-
tions. The capital costs ap-
proached $2.1 million.
The center is named in
honor of Gary and Kathy
Neal, longtime residents
of Eastern Oregon. Gary
is the general manager for
the Port of Morrow, where
he has worked since 1989.
Through her 17 years of ser-
vice on the IMESD Board
of Directors, Kathy said she
has come to realize the great
importance of early learn-
ing in the lives of children.
“I really believe that
providing a strong foun-
dation for our youngest
children is what they need
to be successful in school
and life—data shows this.
We need to be giving our
kids the best opportunity we
can from the beginning,”
Kathy said.
Kathy Neal said the
center came to fruition
through a shared vision of
many individuals in the
area: business professionals
at the Port of Morrow, Mor-
row County commission-
ers, IMESD Superintendent
Dr. Mark Mulvihill, BMCC
President Cam Preus, Uma-
tilla-Morrow Head Start
Director Maureen McGrath
and the team there, other
educators and support from
the state of Oregon through
Representative Greg Smith.
“That’s the way we
get things done in Eastern
Oregon—it’s never one
person. We are really good
at collaborating and sharing
resources to accomplish
what we want,” she said.
The Neal Early Learn-
ing Center will be the site
for several programs. One
is a preschool program of
the Morrow County School
District (MCSD) for three-
and four-year-olds, a free
program open to any fami-
lies in the school district.
Dirk Dirksen, superinten-
dent of the MCSD, said
the new center offers a
positive step for educating
the youngest students in the
county.
“We are trying to shift
some of our resources to the
earliest learners, because
we know if they are ready
for kindergarten, they are
reading well in third grade,
freshmen are on track and
more students are graduat-
ing,” Dirksen said. He said
he appreciates the efforts of
center a reality and looks
forward to working togeth-
er to maximize the center
for community needs. The
school district also offers
preschool programs in Ir-
rigon and Heppner.
Umatilla-Morrow Head
Start will manage the facil-
ity and operations including
three classrooms, an adja-
cent infant/toddler room
hosted by BMCC, as well as
home visitors, parent edu-
cators and child and family
advocates. The IMESD’s
Early Intervention/Early
Childhood Special Educa-
tion program will have a
classroom, too.
“This site signifies how
deeply the community val-
ues its children and their
future,” said McGrath. “It’s
a place to learn, to grow, to
connect and ultimately to
succeed.”
The proximity of the
Neal Early Learning Center
to the Boardman Workforce
Training Center is not lost
on Kathy Neal and Dirksen.
They said having a place to
educate adults alongside a
place to educate the chil-
dren of those adults is a
definite asset.
“It’s all about sup-
porting a community of
learners, whether they are
three- or four-year-olds
or 35- and 50-year-olds,
the connection between
facilities and partners like
BMCC, schools and busi-
nesses is tying that effort
together,” said Dirksen.
Training and support-
ing employees for work in
the area is crucial, Kathy
Neal said, and having the
Early Learning Center for
those families makes a
stronger community, and
entices young people to
return to Morrow County
to work and live.
Gary and Kathy Neal’s
son and his family recently
moved to the area to raise
their family, and their three-
year-old grandson will be in
the first class at the center.
“We are 100 percent sure
the learning center is going
to make an impact in a re-
ally positive way,” Kathy
Neal said.
The Neal Early Learn-
ing Center will have its
official opening with a rib-
bon cutting ceremony on
Wednesday, Aug. 30, at 3
p.m. For more informa-
tion about Morrow County
School District’s preschool
program, visit www.mor-
row.k12.or.us.
LAST CHANCE!
Exhibit closes
this Friday
The annual program for 1st-12th
graders ends July 31st! Ask your
banker about it today or see
details online.
Local Money Working For Local People
Heppner
127 N Main St
541-676-5745
www.communitybanknet.com
Member FDIC
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