Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, November 29, 2017
O’BRIEN
-Continued from PAGE ONE
budgeting reasons. He says
over the next three years
they reduced again by two
more and were then down
to 17. He said at that time
the county received around
$400,000 from the state
gas tax and money was
contributed from the county
general fund. That changed
in 2012 when state law said
general fund money no lon-
ger could be used for roads.
O’Brien said he started us-
ing money from the Finley
Buttes landfill, and other
sources to say solvent.
One of the sources of
funds the Road Department
has tapped into very suc-
cessfully during O’Brien’s
tenure has been the use of
grant money. “We’re the
best at writing grant appli-
cations,” he says. He cred-
its his “good team” with
writing the applications, of
which “we have received
millions of dollars.” He
estimates the county has
received over $30,000,000
in grants over the past 18
years.
One of the distasteful
things he has had to do in
the county is return some
roads to gravel that were
asphalt. “We were the first
county in the state to return
roads back to gravel. It’s
not a fun thing to do.” But
he adds there were roads
in the county that should
never have been paved in
the first place, and over time
just could not be fixed with
the assets the county had
available.
Another accomplish-
ment O’Brien is proud of
is the establishment of a
“functioning road com-
mittee.” He says County
Judge Louis Carlson said,
“I want a functioning road
committee.” Judge Tallman
was also an advocate of a
good road committee, and
one that covered the whole
demographic of the county.
O’Brien points out that in
his first five years on the
job the road department
actually completed their
five-year plan, which was
not always the case. “Those
road plans (which are put
together by the committee
and the road department,
and then taken to the county
commission for approval)
are our guide,” on how
the county’s 1,000 miles
of roads (400 paved, 600
gravel) are cared for. He
said taking over the Wil-
low Creek highway from
the federal government and
then maintaining that road
is an example of a job the
county handles well.
O’Brien says one of the
biggest accomplishments
during his time here was
the realignment of problem
intersections in the county.
He points to the intersec-
tion of bombing range and
Highway 207. “I told the
crew when we were work-
ing on that: you just saved
someone’s life. You don’t
know who or when, but you
did,” he says of improving
the dangerous intersection.
With a crew now of
17 people, and the Pub-
lic Works able to receive
money from SIP (Strategic
Investment Program) en-
ergy projects in the county,
the Road Department also
has the responsibility of
maintaining the county’s
three parks, the OHV, An-
son Wright and Cutsforth.
“I take lots of pride in our
parks. There have been
upgrades and I think they
are getting better and better.
Also with the Road
Department is the respon-
sibility of the Lexington
Airport. He says over the
past 20 years they have seen
construction of new han-
gars, the turning into shops
of the old hangars and the
taxiways and runway has
been repaved. “That airport
gets more use than a lot of
people realize,” O’Brien
points out. “Guy (VanArs-
dale) started working on it,
and we kept working on it.”
Another area of respon-
sibility for the Public Works
Department is the mainte-
nance of the county’s 18
buildings scattered between
the south and north end.
He is happy that they were
able to save and rehabilitate
the clock and tower that
sits atop the courthouse
building in Heppner. “Gary
(Master Clock maker Gary
Kopperud) did a beautiful
job,” O’Brien says of the
restoration.
O’Brien says over the
years he has served on “so
many committees” and
groups, including a stint on
the school board, but says
he thinks it is important
officials do this to keep in
touch with people espe-
cially networking at the
state level.
As he prepares to leave
his job with the county,
O’Brien says the biggest
challenge he sees facing
Morrow County in the
future is the growth and
change in the north end.
“People have to understand
what is going on there,” he
says. “South County has to
understand how fast and big
this change is. An intersec-
tion in Boardman can get
4,000 cars per day, more
than Heppner gets in many,
many days.”
After retirement
O’Brien, 67, says he plans
to keep himself active in the
business he has known all
these years through some
consulting and maybe work
with smaller counties that
don’t have a large staff. He
also plans to spend time in
his woodshop doing what
his grandfather taught him
years ago. He says wood
working is definitely a gen-
erational love, since his
grandfather learned from
his father who brought the
skill to America from Swe-
den. A grandfather himself,
O’Brien says he also enjoys
fishing.
And as he now prepares
to depart for retirement
Nov. 30, there is one thing
he hopes will not change
in the future of Morrow
County, “I hope this county
doesn’t lose its character,”
he says. “I have worked
with people from Hardman
to Irrigon, and have found
them to be good people.
I hope the county doesn’t
outgrow its country nature.
This is a good place to live,”
he says.
Community lunch menu
Christian Life Center volunteers will serve lunch on Wednesday, Dec. 6, at St.
Patrick’s Senior Center. Lunch will include meat loaf, mashed potatoes and gravy,
roasted carrots, broccoli Waldorf salad, hot rolls and lemon bars for dessert.
Milk is served at each meal. Suggested donation is $3.50 per meal. Menu is
subject to change.
SUV attempts to
elude Morrow
County Sheriff
Green SUV gets stuck after attempting to elude officers .
Lawrence Allen Perrin,
41, and Angelique Lanae
Kettlewell, 24, both of Ir-
rigon, were arrested follow-
ing a high speed chase and
subsequent crash on High-
way 730 and Powerline
Road on Nov. 22. Morrow
County Sheriff Kenneth W.
Matlack attempted to stop
a green SUV on Highway
730 outside of Irrigon by
activating his emergency
lights. The SUV immedi-
ately attempted to flee, trav-
eling east towards Umatilla
at speeds over 100 mph.
Umatilla PD attempted
to deploy spike strips, but
were unsuccessful when
the vehicle turned right onto
Powerline Road at a high
rate of speed. The driver
lost control of the vehicle,
spinning it around where it
came to rest on the south
shoulder. After attempting
to travel in reverse, the
SUV got stuck.
The driver and female
passenger were both taken
into custody by MCSO
and UPD without inci-
dent. Both were transported
and lodged at the Umatilla
County jail on numerous
charges.
Heppner library
announces new
books for November
The Oregon Trail Li-
brary District Heppner
Branch has announced the
following new books for
November 2017:
Fiction: Blowback
– Valerie Wilson, Death
Swatch – Laura Childs,
The Lovely Bones – Alice
Sebold, The Old Gray Wolf
– James D. Doss, A Col-
umn of Fire – Ken Follett,
Enemy of the State – Kyle
Mills, I Know a Secret
– Tess Gerritsen, Sisters –
Lily Tuck, Stay With Me
– Ayobami Adebayo, The
O’Malleys of Texas – Dusty
Richards, The Trapped Girl
– Robert Dugoni.
Non-Fiction: The Four
– Scott Galloway, The Lib-
eration of Kuwait, Country
Humor and Country Tears
– Jeanne King.
Mustang Basketball
kicks off with ‘Blue
and Gold Madness’
The Heppner Mustang
girls’ and boys’ basketball
programs will be holding
their “Blue and Gold Mad-
ness Night” on Tuesday,
Dec. 5, at Heppner High
School. Doors will open at
5 p.m.
Fans are invited to
come meet the teams and
watch them run drills, com-
pete in contests and partici-
pate in other fun activities.
There will also be a fun-
draising raffle for many
sport-related items and a
dessert auction.
Both Coach Wilson and
Coach Rosenbalm invite
the community to the HHS
gym to get a sneak peek of
this year’s teams.
Chamber chatter and community happenings
Now through Friday,
Jan. 12, nominations will
be accepted for Heppner
Chamber’s Annual Town
and Country Community
Awards. Pick up nomina-
tion forms at the Bank of
Eastern Oregon, Heppner
Chamber, city hall, Com-
munity Bank and the Post
Office to submit nomina-
tions for Man and Woman
of the Year, Business of the
Year, Youth Award, Citi-
zen-Educator of the Year
and Lifetime Achievement
Award. The nomination
forms can be dropped off
at Kuhn Law Office or the
Heppner Chamber of Com-
merce or emailed to hep-
pnerchamber@centurytel.
net. Contact the Chamber
office at 541-676-5536 for
more information.
Now through Thursday,
Dec. 14, the Rewards Cards
program starts for shopping
local. Start collecting your
rewards cards when you
shop local at participating
businesses. The denomina-
tions are $10, $20 and $50
and cannot be given on pay-
ments to accounts. Bring
your family and come out
to spend a great evening
on Thursday, Dec. 14 and
spend your rewards cards
on prizes that have been
donated by local and out
of town merchants. There
will be pictures with Santa,
a dinner available for pur-
chase and Scrooge will
also be there. Contact the
Chamber if you have any
questions at 541-676-5536.
Now through Wednes-
day, Dec. 20, Community
Bank Charity Drive Food
Bank. Drop off any mon-
etary donation to the Hep-
pner Community Bank and
they will match up to $500
at .50 cents on every dollar
collected. The donations
will support The Heppner
Neighborhood Center.
Saturday, Dec. 2 from
9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.,
Annual Artifactory Holi-
day Bazaar at St. Patrick’s
Parish Hall. This bazaar
is sponsored by Heppner
Day Care. Vendor applica-
tions can be obtained by
contacting Andrea Nelson
at 541-720-4399 or Petra
Payne at 503-507-9670.
Applications may also be
completed online by visit-
ing the Heppner Day Care
Facebook page.
Thursday, Dec. 7, Hep-
pner Downtown Merchants
Open House organized by
the Heppner Chamber.
Check out all that is going
on during the day by our
local merchants and plan
on staying after the light
parade until 7 p.m. to take
in the activities and pick
up a couple of Christmas
presents while you are at
it. Contact the Heppner
Chamber for more info at
541-676-5536.
Thursday, Dec. 7 at
5:30 p.m., Parade of Lights
organized by the City of
Heppner. Pick up a parade
entry form at city hall. The
parade will be start at 5:30
p.m., with all participants
at the city park by 5 p.m. to
line up. Contact the Hep-
pner City Hall at 541-676-
9618 for more information.
Sunday, Dec. 10 at
6:30 p.m., Free Community
Concert with Christopher
Duffley. This event is being
sponsored by Community
Counseling Solutions and
will be held at Heppner
High School. Concessions
will be organized by the
FBLA Club and will offer
light dinner selections and
will open at 5 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 14 at 6
p.m., Heppner Christmas
Event at Morrow County
Fairgrounds. A spaghetti
dinner prepared and served
by the Track and Cross
Country Team parents will
be limited to the first 200
people (you will receive a
$10 reward card for each
meal purchased). There
will be pictures taken with
Santa and his elves from
6-7 p.m. for $5. Scrooge
will be around to grump-
ily hand over $10 rewards
cards and drawing of the
rewards cards, raffle and
penny board winners will
wrap up the evening.
Thursday, Jan. 18 from
12 noon to 1 p.m., Heppner
Chamber of Commerce an-
nual luncheon in the Senior
Center dining room. The
Chamber Board decided to
move the annual luncheon
to Jan. 18 instead of right
after the holidays. Mark
the date and time on your
calendar and plan on join-
ing us. There will be more
information available closer
to the event.
Thursday, Jan. 25,
Business Education and
Training seminars co-
ordinated by Boardman
Chamber of Commerce.
The Boardman Chamber is
coordinating a seminar pre-
sented by Paul Hutter. The
seminar will include morn-
ing and afternoon sessions
with morning to be Health
Care Update, marijuana in
the workplace and Oregon
overtime rules for manufac-
turers. The afternoon ses-
sion will include discussion
on motivating and retaining
your employee. Cost for
a half day as a Chamber
member is $200, $250 for
a non- member. Heppner
chamber members will re-
ceive the member rate. Cost
for a full day is $350 as a
member, $400 for a non-
member. Small businesses
with 10 employees or less
are offered a $50 discount.
Multiple employees from
the same company may at-
tend for one price. Contact
the Boardman Chamber
at 541-481-3014 for more
information. Registration
begins on Nov. 13.
Thursday, Feb. 8 at 6
p.m., Heppner Chamber’s
Annual Town and Coun-
try Community Awards
Event at Morrow County
Fairgrounds. Nomination
forms are available now
and tickets will be available
for purchase soon. Plan to
come and spend a great
community evening as we
celebrate our recognition
of the Man and Woman of
the Year, Business of the
Year, Youth Award, Citi-
zen-Educator of the Year
and Lifetime Achievement
Award.
- THREE
First
Friday
Friends
of Jesus
to meet
First Friday Friends
of Jesus will meet Friday,
Dec. 1 from 8:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m. at the All Saints
Parish Hall on the corner of
Church and Gale in Hep-
pner. All children, ages
four to 12, are welcome
and there is no cost to at-
tend. The morning will be
filled with Bible stories,
games, music and crafts.
A free lunch is served. For
more information call the
Shared Ministry office at
541-676-9970.
Firewood
season
ends for
winter
Personal-use firewood
cutting on the Umatilla
and Wallowa-Whitman
National Forests will end
Thursday, Nov. 30. Fire-
wood permits will not be
available again until May
2018.
The public is asked to
take additional precautions
when cutting firewood late
in the fall when road and
soil conditions become
slick, soggy and saturated.
Firewood cutters should be
prepared for winter weather
conditions. Mountain travel
will require extreme care to
avoid getting stuck in the
mud or snow and causing
resource damage to the land
and vegetation.
Another concern for
late season firewood cutting
is the misidentification of
live or dead western larch, a
highly prized firewood also
known as tamarack. Larch
needles turn yellow and fall
off at the end of the growing
season, which can cause the
tree to appear dead when in
fact it is only dormant. Tips
on identifying live larch
are located in the firewood
guide that accompanies
each firewood permit.
Firewood permits can
be purchased at any Uma-
tilla or Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest office or
at several local businesses
in the community. Permits
cost $5 per cord with a
minimum purchase of four
cords for $20. A maximum
purchase of 12 cords total,
per household, is allowed
from National Forest lands
during the calendar year.
HJSHS
to make
holiday
wreaths
Heppner High School
will be accepting orders for
holiday greenery for the work-
shop being held Dec. 11-14.
Volunteers are also welcome
to assist with the project.
Wreaths, swags, candy
canes and crosses will all be
available for $20 each. Cen-
terpieces are $10-$20.
Contact Beth Dickenson
at dickene@morrow.k12.or.us
or call 541-676-9138 for more
information.
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Heppner Gazette