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!
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