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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 2018)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 21, 2018 CHALLENGE Chamber announcements and events -Continued from PAGE ONE gram Jones did get breaks to see his family, but cell phones were not allowed. The staff would allow some television only if it was school related. “It seemed like a prison when I first got there, but I got used to it,” he says of the rules and discipline. No one is forced to stay and can quit if they want. He says out of the 60 who started in his platoon, 46 ended up graduating on December 13, 2017. Before Jones was ac- cepted into the program he was required to have a men- tor to correspond with the young person and help them through the process. Joe Jones grandparents, Dick and Sharon, asked their friend, Heppner rancher Jack Meligan, if he would be Joe’s mentor. Jack gladly agreed, filled out his mentor application, attended a day of mentor training and went on to write letters, encour- age and help Joe through the program. “I was very impressed with this and I would recommend it to anyone who is not sure what to do (about the direction of their life),” Meligan said. “It has been a real pleasure being his mentor and I am impressed with this young man and confident he will do well.” Jack says he no- ticed a marked improve- ment in Joe’s self-esteem when he went through the program. “They teach work ethic, organization and re- spect,” Meligan points out. The OYCP program is broken up in to two phases, - THREE the 22-week residential phase, which Joe has com- pleted, and then a 12-month active period when the cadets return to the com- munity to implement goals, objectives, placement and post-residential activities developed while in the resi- dential phase. Examples of placement may be returning to high school, going to col- lege, starting a fulltime job or volunteer work, enlisting in the military, joining Job Corps, or a similar voca- tional interest. For Jones he has chosen to enlist in the military and will start Navy boot camp at Great Lakes, IL in May. “I knew I wanted to enlist about a quarter of the way through the program,” he says. He scored high, 82, on the Armed Services Vo- cational Aptitude Battery, ASVAB, and says he wants to be an aviation diesel mechanic. His enlistment is four year active and four year inactive duty. Since he did not graduate from high school, dropping out when he was a sophomore, Jones had to get his GED first, before he could be accepted into the Navy, which he did. On the time and effort he has put into the OYCP program, Jones has good things to say. “It was dif- ficult and there were lots of challenges. I enjoyed the team work. It is one of the best things I have done in my life,” he says. And quoting his platoon leader: “Pain is temporary. Pride is forever.” Starting Sunday, Mar. 18, 5:30-7 p.m., a 10-week class on Love and Respect sponsored by Heppner Christian Church. This class is entitled The Love she Most Desires and the Respect he Desperately Needs. The class will in- clude videos, a book and supportive interaction. Cost is $10 for the book and childcare will be provided (those needing childcare are asked to sign up prior to the class to ensure that there is enough help). For more information or to sign up for the class or arrange for childcare, please call Ray at 831-578-6451. Friday, Mar. 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., WorkZone Traffic Control/Flagger Course. This course is for construction, utilities, tree trimmers, tow truck drivers, etc. and includes instruction and all reference books for the class. Upon successful passage of the exam, stu- dents will receive a flagger card, valid for three years from date of issue with- out renewal. The card is good in Oregon, Washing- ton, Idaho and Montana. This course will be held at BMCC Higher Education Center in Hermiston and the cost is $115 to register and the deadline is Mar. 19. To register or for additional information call 541-481- 2099 or email amorter@ bluecc.edu. Friday, Mar. 9 – Friday, Apr. 13, Willow Creek Val- ley Economic Development Group offers a grant for Community and Public En- hancements for south Mor- row County communities. The applicant organization must be a local organiza- tion, club, special district or a governmental entity who resides in the south Morrow County service area; must have at least a 50 percent match (may include in-kind and cash contributions from local and regional sources) for the total project budget committed before apply- ing. Contact the Heppner Chamber to receive a grant application and eligibility and exclusions information sheet at 541-676-5536 or via email at heppnercham- ber@centurytel.net. All grants must be received by the Chamber office, no later than Friday, Apr. 13. Monday, Apr. 2 from 12 noon to 2 p.m., ribbon cutting and open house for Community Counseling Solutions new building at 550 W Sperry St. Appetiz- ers will be provided. Saturday, Apr. 7 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Free Household Hazardous Waste Event at the North Morrow Transfer Station, 69900 Frontage Lane, Boardman. For more in- formation, please call Mor- row County Public Works at 541-989-9500 or email spointer@co.morrow.or.us. Heppner Public Library is offering Drop In Teen Time on the 2 nd and 4 th Thursdays of every month at 6 p.m. Contact the Hep- pner Library at 541-676- 9964 for more information. Friends Helping Friends has announced the door prizes, their spon- sors and winners for the Friends Helping Friends Remembrance Event held during the 2018 Heppner St. Patrick’s Festival. The winners were cho- sen from random drawings from those who pre-regis- tered and those that paid the morning of the event, said organizers. -ECCO shoe passes from Evan Weygandt $250 value: (two passes) Theresa Crawford and Jim Kenny -$25 Sinclair gift cards: (two cards) Barb Watkins and Jean Mary Healy -Pendleton Whisky: Curtis Cutsforth -Peggy Fishburn’s St. Patrick’s basket: Shirley Connor -$100 Hamley’s Steak- house gift certificate: Peggy Fishburn -$25 Circle K gift card (Devin Oil – two cards): Peggy Connor and Cyde and Rusty Estes -$25 2 Old Hags Piz- za gift certificate: Jessica Kempken -Starbucks gift card from Barb Watkins: Cathy Halvorsen -$25 Bucknum’s certifi- cate: Ben Price and Heather Hendricks -Breaking Coffee Grounds gift card: (two cards) JoyceKay Hollo- mon and Janice Bothum, FHFriends -Arbonne Sports and Nutrition package from Jan Huddleston: Jessica Britt -Roden $70 gift pack- age by Stephanie Hodges: Kelly Boyer -Friends Helping Friends gift: Veronica Foley -Wildhorse Resort & Casino package: Adam Doherty -Irv and Millie’s Mead basket donated by Chris and Cathy Rauch: David Gunderson -Nerf basketball sets donated by Mary Hague- wood: Keller Sweeney and Healy Hisler The city of Irrigon has been awarded a $2.5 million grant from HUD through the Community Develop- ment Block Grant (CDBG) program. This grant was awarded for improving the sewer system by fixing a large portion of an outdated and failing system. According to Mayor Daren Strong, the city has diligently been working to secure funds for conver- sions to the system since the summer of 2014. Irrigon has been under a Mutual Agreement Order (MAO) for multiple years and has continued to fail with per- mit requirements. The city has until December 2020 to be fully compliant, oth- erwise large fines will be administered. This $2.5 million grant must be matched by the city’s portion of $1.395 mil- lion for a conversion project total of $3.895 million. The project is to con- vert approximately 147 properties that have effluent sewer system (green sewer tanks) over to the standard conventional system and paving the various roads in the areas where the conver- sions will take place. It is estimated that the project will start soon after June 1, 2018, beginning with an engineer designing the project, with bidding to take place in the fall of 2019, construction to start around January 1, 2020, and completion in the summer of 2020. The plan calls for compliance with regulatory standards and requirements by December 2020. For more details re- garding the project or to view the grant application or facility plan, please con- tact City Manager Aaron Palmquist at 541-922-3047 or manager@ci.irrigon. or.us The next lunch meet- ing of the Heppner Cham- ber of Commerce will be held at noon on Thursday, Apr. 5, in the Heppner City Hall conference room. This meeting will be all entities reports. Cost of lunch is $10 and Gateway Café will be catering the lunch, serv- ing chicken alfredo pasta, garden fresh salad, a dinner roll and a cookie. RSVPs are required no later than Apr. 2. The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. A request for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or for other ac- commodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours be- fore the meeting to Sheryll Bates at 541-676-5536. Friends Helping Friends announces St. Paddy’s Festival door prize winners Irrigon awarded grant for Heppner Ranger District offers sewer system improvements summer job opportunities for local youth Students retrieve fish while working a previous summer The Heppner Ranger District is recruiting four students between the ages of 15 and 18 for summer employment in the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC). Work can include noxious weed removal, fence re- moval and construction, trail maintenance, meadow restoration, campground maintenance, slash piling, removal of tubing from tree seedlings and fire line construction around logged units on the Heppner Rang- er District. The program will last eight weeks beginning June 18. Youth are paid the Or- egon minimum wage rate of $10.25 per hour. No previ- ous experience is required. Applications are avail- able through the Forest Service office in Heppner and at local high schools. Applications will be ac- cepted Mar. 15 through 2 p.m. on Apr. 16. Successful applicants will be selected through a random draw at 4 p.m. on Apr. 16. Applicants must be at least 15 years of age on Apr. 16 and not reach the age of 19 during the term of employment in the pro- gram, have a social security number, or have made ap- plication to obtain one and obtain parental or legal guardian consent to enroll in the program. For more information about the YCC program, please contact the Heppner Ranger District at 541-676- 9187. For more information about the Umatilla National Forest, please visit www. fs.usda.gov/umatilla/. April Chamber meeting scheduled IT'S TIME !!! COME IN TO HEPPNER LES SCHWAB TODAY TO HAVE YOUR STUDDED TIRES REMOVED! STUDS MUST BE REMOVED BY MARCH 31! ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINES MONDAY 5:00 PM