HEPPNER
G T
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azette
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VOL. 137
NO. 47 6 Pages
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Plaque marks spot first power
pole was placed by Columbia
Basin Electric
It was in 1948 and 18-year-old Billy Gentry was there.
He dug the hole (by hand) to put in the co-op’s first pole
By David Sykes
So you think you got a
tough job? Well maybe you
should talk to Heppner’s
own Billy Gentry, who at
18 years of age was digging
holes for power line poles
- by hand. Working for the
newly formed Columbia
Basin Electric co-op Gentry
recalls what a hard job it
was. “We used a spade and
a spoon shovel,” he says
recently when he attended
the mounting of a plaque
honoring that first pole. He
says on a good day the crew
could dig and place four
power poles. On a tough
day? “One.” The holes all
had to be six feet deep, and
“when we got into rock,
we used the dynamite,” he
says.
The 89 year-old Gentry
took a walk down memory
lane last week and went
back to the very spot on
the old Glavey Ranch (now
belonging to the Qualls
family) on Upper Rhea
Creek where he helped
place that first pole. Gentry
came to Oregon from Mis-
souri with his family when
he was a young boy, riding
in the back of a Model A
Ford. “My mom and I sat
in the back with a blanket to
keep warm,” while dad and
two uncles rode in the front.
Some of the roads weren’t
very good back then,” he
recalls.
There were a lot of
people coming to Oregon
from Missouri to work back
then, Gentry relates. “They
came for the money. The
pay was better out here.”
He remembers his first
crew, one other man from
Missouri and “four Irish-
men.” “They were straight
from Ireland,” he says. And
how did that work out? “We
did fine once I learned how
to talk to them,” he said
not elaborating any further
than that.
He pointed to a near-
by bunk house where he
first lived and worked with
MCHD recognizes safety
champions
Bob Houser CEO presents safety awards to Nate Kennedy, Mike Snow, Danny Sharp and
Toni Young.
Morrow County Health
District recently recognized
employees for their out-
standing effort to enforce
safety activities across its
hospital and clinic loca-
tions. The third quarter
safety champion winners
were recognized for their
continued diligence to pri-
oritize the safety of its em-
ployees and community.
Toni Young, MA won
for her work in the endo-
scope room, ensuring that
all equipment is proper-
ly sterilized and safe for
patients. “This is a very
important job that ensures
that our equipment is up
and running and in good
working condition,” house-
keeping manager Tina Da-
vidson said.
Danny Sharp, Nate
Kennedy and Mike Snow,
Maintenance Department,
were honored for the job
they did remodeling the
emergency department and
the main nurses station to
accommodate the new Om-
nicell electronic medication
and supply management
system. “They all display
great attitudes when work-
ing on a project and are
willing to make last minute
changes if need be,” quality
manager Beck Sanders, RN
said. “They work very hard
to assure our buildings are
safe.”
Additional nominations
this quarter were: Tina Da-
vidson, housekeeping man-
ager; Mindy Smith, nurse
manager; Heather Smith,
CMA; Laurie Wood, phar-
macist and Jennifer Palmer,
pharmacy technician.
The Morrow Coun-
ty Health District safe-
ty committee consists of
Bob Houser, CEO; Dan-
ny Sharp, president; Terri
Brandt-Correia, committee
secretary; Toni Nichols,
Pioneer Memorial Clinic
representative and George
Nairns, Willow Creek Ter-
race representative.
Cutsforth gives up-date on
trust projects
Over $1.2 million given out in the community so far
Gentry stands next to a
bunkhouse where he lived
while tending sheep on the
old Glavey Ranch on Upper
Rhea Creek. He was 10 years
old when he first went to work
there, before getting on with
the electric co-op.
Right: Heppner’s Billy Gen-
try shows plaque recently
installed commemorating the
first power pole Columbia Ba-
sin Electric installed back in
1948. -Photos by David Sykes.
a crew tending sheep on
the ranch when he was
only 10 years old. A near-
by old barn housed the
thousands of sheep on the
place. Being on the ranch
last week brought back lots
of memories for Gentry,
and while telling a story
about a runaway wagon on
a nearby hill, he points to a
dilapidated house where his
parents lived and his mom
cooked for the crew. “Most
boys didn’t go to school
back then,” he recalls. They
started work early and that’s
what they did, work.”
From his job as a
ground man digging holes
and placing poles for the
co-op, Gentry studied and
learned through experi-
ence all about electrical
equipment, and he moved
up the ladder to eventually
become a supervisor before
he retired. During that time
he has done all of the jobs
needed to install and main-
tain the power grid for the
people in the service area,
including climbing poles
and putting in equipment.
On the drive up Rhea Creek
he points out not only all
the poles he helped place,
Howard and Beth Bryant Trust Administrator Kim Cutsforth gives a run-down to the Heppner
Chamber of Commerce last week on the many on-going and completed projects funded by the
charitable trust. -Photo by David Sykes.
but a sub-station he de-
signed and work he had
done on transformers and
other equipment during his
long career with the co-op.
Gentry remembers the
attitude of the people in the
brand-new electric co-op’s
service district. “Some of
them didn’t think we would
ever get power out to these
ranches,” he recalls, “and
they refused to pay the $5
membership fee.” But it
happened, and the farms
and ranches from Hardman
to Lonerock, and all in be-
tween, got their electrical
service. “They said it was
going to take five years. We
got it done in three.” Gentry
remembers.
Next year the co-op cel-
ebrates its 75 years of oper-
ation, and yes, they do now
have powered hole digging
equipment, but it’s still the
hardworking dedicated peo-
ple like Billy Gentry, who
keep that electricity flowing
day and night to the homes,
ranches and businesses in
our service area.
Clay target team approved
By David Sykes
The Howard and Beth
Bryant Trust has been busy
this past year giving out
grants to worthwhile local
projects, Trust Adminis-
trator Kim Cutsforth told
the Heppner Chamber of
Commerce last week.
Since its inception one
and a half years ago the
trust has given out over
$1.2 million to various local
projects including money to
the schools for classroom
and sports improvements,
the little league for field
improvements, OSU ex-
tension for equipment, the
city of Heppner for a new
gazebo and a new roof on
the St. Patrick’s Center
and to the Health District
for ambulance equipment.
Cutsforth says money has
also been given to the cem-
etery, Ag Museum, Oregon
Trail Pro Rodeo, Heppner
Daycare and to the Willow
Creek Park District. She
said here has been a total
of $619,000 grants given
out so far this year.
However, the most am-
bitious project scheduled
to receive funding from
the trust, is the renovation
of the old run-down Gil-
liam-Bisbee building in
downtown Heppner into a
community activity center.
Morrow County recently
donated the building to a
newly formed Heppner
Community Foundation
that will handle the ren-
ovation. The county set
aside $235,000 in funds to
help with the upgrade and
the Bryant Trust plans on
providing an as-yet undis-
closed amount toward the
project. However, Cutsforth
has said in the past the
donation from Bryant will
be “substantial.” “We are
going to restore the building
‘back to look like the origi-
nal’,” she told the Chamber
luncheon last week. “We
are going to make it some-
thing that everyone will be
proud of.”
Cutsforth said plans
for the restored building
include a large area down-
stairs for the community to
hold various events, both
public and private, such as
weddings. She said there
are plans for a full commer-
cial kitchen and bar with
enough tables and chairs
to seat 245 people. The
upstairs will be complete-
ly gutted and remodeled
into four suites and space
to accommodate up to 40
overnight guests.
There will be open
rooms with kitchenettes and
a social-type gathering hall.
Some rooms will have pri-
vate baths and extra baths
will be located outside the
rooms. A fitness center with
exercise equipment will
be built for the guests. An
elevator will be installed to
access the upstairs.
To begin the renova-
tion, all asbestos will be
removed from the building
and engineers will complete
floor plans on the project.
Local builder David All-
stott has been selected as
the main contractor on the
project. Cutsforth said they
hope to have the building
done by November of 2019.
The building has a wa-
ter problem in the base-
ment, which Cutsforth says
they hope to alleviate by
changing the way storm
water is removed from the
property. She says presently
rain water from the 4,000
square foot roof drains
directly into the basement,
which they will divert to the
-See TRUST UPDATES/
PAGE FOUR
G-T closed for Thanksgiving
The Heppner Gazette-Times will be closed in observance of the Thanksgiving Day
holiday Thursday, Nov. 22 and Friday, Nov. 23. Normal business hours will resume
Monday, Nov. 26. We wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend.
Sam Boardman Elementary kindergarten teacher Anne
The Morrow County Coleman (right) demonstrates a kindergarten science project
Erika Patton (left), MCSD business manager and Marie
School Board, at its reg- to
Shimer, SBE Principal.
Erin Hansell-Heideman
ular meeting Nov. 13 at
Sam Boardman Elemen-
tary School, gave the go-
ahead on a proposal for
Heppner and Ione schools
to enter into a cooperative
agreement to create a clay
target/marksmanship team
under the Oregon state High
School Clay Target League
with the proviso that insur-
ance is provided.
Presenter Erin Hansell-
Heideman said students in
sixth through 12 th grade
are eligible to participate if
they have a league issued
Student Athlete Firearm
Education certificate or a
Hunter’s Safety Card and
meet all school activity eli-
gibility requirements.
Cost for participants
-See CLAY TARGET/PAGE
FOUR
Morrow County
MORROW COUNTY GRAIN
GROWER
Grain
Growers
Lexington, OR
541-989-8221
350 MAIN STREET
LEXINGTON, OR
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