Retired scientist Dave Ganskopp honored during the day-long festivities held at experimental range headquarters

By Josie Davies
Burns Times-Herald

The 2009 Range Field Day held on June 24 was dedicated to recently retired range scientist Dave Ganskopp, who has been at the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center (EOARC) since 1982. The field day was held at the Northern Great Basin Experimental Range (NGBER) headquarters.

According to Tony Svejcar, research leader and rangeland scientist, Ganskopp has made several contributions to the EOARC program. Through his research, he has improved the understanding of rangelands and livestock behavior. However, Ganskopp still enjoys his line of work and will not give research up entirely.

Svejcar and Dave Bohnert, range animal nutritionist welcomed everyone and made the opening remarks for the field day.
Research projects and experiments were presented by several range scientists from the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center as well as visiting scientists.

Range scientist Pat Clark from the Northwest Watershed Research Center in Boise, Idaho, presented his research involving cattle and wolf interactions. His project objectives were to evaluate factors influencing habitat with the use and activity patterns of range cattle under varying wolf presence and cattle productivity responses under varying wolf presence.

Marty Vavra, a disturbance ecology and management team leader at the Pacific Northwest Station Forestry and Range Sciences Lab in La Grande,  talked about cattle, deer and elk interactions.

After a break, Doug Johnson, a professor in the department of rangeland ecology and management at the Oregon State University, presented his work on riparian grazing. His research was focused on his experiment on the Catherine Creek near Union.

Then Ganskopp, presented his research findings on his experiments involving pre and post burn cattle distribution in sagebrush steppe. He runs the cattle on the butte in the NGBER and tracks them with GPS collars. He uses the three largest areas on the butte with the lowest elevation of 4,500 feet and the highest at 5,500 feet.

The newest member at the EOARC, Reinaldo Cooke, is an assistant professor and beef extension specialist. His presentation focused on beef cattle temperament and performance.

Lunch was provided for all attending.

After lunch, Cooke and Bohnert gave a demonstration of cattle temperament and assessment at the butte handling facilities.
Range scientist, Jon Bates, Ganskopp and Svejcar ended the field day with a look at the post-burn cattle distribution and veg recovery above range 7, which is the stock water site.

For those who have questions regarding these topics,  call the EOARC at 573-8900 for more information.

Teague Motor Company will continue to be a Chrysler dealership but not GM

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

For Teague Motor Company, the bankruptcy restructuring of Chrysler and GM was a case of “win one, lose one.”

After Chrysler was forced into federal bankruptcy protection in early May, the decision to close 789 Chrysler dealerships around the country soon followed.

Fortunately for Harney County, Teague Motor Company in Burns was allowed to keep their dealership, which they’ve had for 43 years, and they will continue to sell and service Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brand vehicles.

Peggy Asmussen of Teague’s said she believes they kept their dealership because of customer service and location. “We’re pretty much always at 100 percent in customer service,” Asmussen said. “And we sell a lot of Dodge trucks.”

However, Teague’s will not retain their GM dealership, along with about 1,100 other dealers in the country. “It could happen as far out as October 2010, but I think it’ll be sooner,” Asmussen said.

Where the loss of the dealership will be felt the most, according to Asmussen, will be warranty work. “If somebody has a GMC vehicle that needs warranty work done, they’ll have to travel 145 miles to Payette, Idaho,” Asmussen said. “I guess that’s what upset me the most is that our customers won’t be able to get warranty work done here.”

She stressed the fact that they can do all other service work and have ordered a new machine that will allow the service department to work on just about every make of vehicle. “We’re here to take care of our customers,” Asmussen said.

Because GMC was the only dealership Teague Motor Company had from GM, they aren’t expected to see a big drop in sales, and believe they can make up the difference with Chrysler vehicles, such as Dodge pickups.

“Chrysler wasn’t that far in the hole, so they’ve come through pretty good,” Asmussen said. “But I don’t know if GM will make it.” She added that the Chrysler workers are doing what they can to make the company successful by taking pay cuts.

There may also may be changes in the vehicles offered by Chrysler, as most of their assets were sold to a new company run by the Italian car manufacturer Fiat. “I expect them to maybe integrate some of their engineering ideas into the Chrysler vehicles,” Asmussen said.

From the time the business started, Teague Motor Company has also sold Studebaker, Rambler, American Motors and Datsun models at one time or another, and they look forward to continue serving Harney County residents. “It’ll be 48 years in August, and we expect to stay here,” Asmussen said.

Harney County Farmers Market will set up in Hines Park each Saturday, starting in July

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

With the news that the Harney County Farmers Market will begin its second season on Saturday, July 4, there’s already anticipation of seeing John Watts driving into town in his 1925 TT Ford truck, the back loaded with fresh produce.

Watts, 78, lives in Princeton, and grows a variety of crops on his property. On the gentle sloping hillside next to his house, Watts’ garden is planted with corn, potatoes, lettuce, onions, turnips, parsnips, spinach, beets, cucumbers, dill, tomatoes, melons, strawberries, fruit trees and a whole lot more. “You never know what’s going to do well from year to year,” Watts said. “One year one crop will do really well, and the next year — nothing.”

Watts said he’s able to get a jump on the growing season because where his property sits, “spring comes a month earlier, and fall a month later.”

To water his garden, Watts uses a flood irrigation system of taps and hoses. Watts said he can’t use a sprinkling system because of boron in the water, which burn the plants’ leaves.

Less than a mile away from his home, Watts has a larger growing area planted with blackberries, asparagus, rhubarb, grapes and other crops. There is also an orchard of fruit and nut trees, including apricot, plum, pear, peach, apple, cherry, quince, walnut and butternut.

A tall wire fence surrounds the garden to keep animals away from the plants, but it’s not foolproof. Deer tracks are evident throughout, and Watts pointed out scratch marks on the trees where coyotes had climbed up to reach the fruit. Rabbits, squirrels and insects also damage the crops.

In the other direction from Watts’ home, his neighbor Randy Jackson has built a large greenhouse for growing produce. “I’ve had the greenhouse for the last three years,” Jackson said. “John’s been teaching me about gardening.”

Inside, the rows of crops include beans, swiss chard, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. Outside, garlic plants line rows of corn.

Jackson said he planted most of the crops in April and May, and is looking forward to a good harvest.

Transport

Along with his fondness for growing an abundance of food, Watts also has an obvious liking to transporting his bounty in his Ford truck.

“Henry Ford once said if you buy a new Model T, it’ll last you a lifetime,” Watts said. “This truck is still going strong.”

The bed of the truck is fashioned from seasoned maple, and covered with a cloth canopy. The inside of the cab is pretty much all original parts, except for the gear-shift knobs, which match the maple truck bed.

Watts and his son, Dave, are both avid Model T enthusiasts, and are more than capable of keeping the vintage vehicle in good shape.

They have several other Model Ts on their property and enjoy time spent working on them, as well as attending Model T rallies around the Northwest.

The market

The Harney County Farmers Market volunteer board of directors has announced that there will be a market at Hines City Park every Saturday, July 4 through Sept. 12, from 9 a.m. to noon.

The adult vendor fee is $2 per Saturday or $18 for the entire season, and the student rate (18 and younger) is $1 per Saturday or $10 for the season.

Watts has signed up with the Farm Direct Nutrition Program (FDNP), so seniors who qualify for the program may use vouchers to purchase fruits and vegetables from Watts at the market.

FDNP funds go to low-income, nutritionally at-risk pregnant women and young children enrolled in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program and to eligible low-income seniors. Eligible clients will receive these funds as checks in a fixed amount, which they can use from June 1 — Oct. 31 specifically to purchase locally produced fresh fruit and vegetables directly from authorized providers.

Last year, the market eventually grew to include 27 vendors, and the board is hoping to expand that number this year.
To reserve a space, call Kelly Hazen at 573-1809.

Catherine Fine and Ted Campbell will take their thrones Saturday, June 13, for the Pioneer Day festivities

Queen Mother Catherine Fine

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

“It took me 86 years to become a queen,” said Catherine Fine, who was named the Queen Mother for the annual Pioneer Day celebration to be held Saturday, June 13, at the Harney County Senior and Community Services Center.

Fine hails from Frenchglen and has lived there for the majority of her 86 years. She and her brother, Finley, spent their childhood helping their folks, Joe and Jennie McDonald, run the Frenchglen Hotel. “Things were very primitive in the hotel in those days,” Fine said. There were no flush toilets. She remembers when it cost $.75 for a room, $.50 for a family-style meal and $1 to board your horse.

Fine attended grade school in Frenchglen and high school at St. Francis in Baker City. She lived in a dorm and rode the train back and forth from school to home, though students were only allowed to go home for holidays. While in high school she played basketball but noted that “there wasn’t much stuff for girls to do in those days.”

After high school, Fine wanted to go on to veterinary school. “But they wouldn’t accept women, so I got married. Next best thing, I guess,” she said.

She and her new husband, Jack, worked for Roaring Springs Ranch until they saved enough money to buy their own ranch.
The couple had four children, Annette, Joe, Susan and Ross.

Jack died in 1963 in a gun accident, and Fine chose to raise the four children and ran the ranch herself. Both daughters grew up to be registered nurses. Joe works in mining and Ross was in the Marines.

With her children grown, Fine turned her attention to creating a new business, Joe Mamma’s, an espresso stand in Frenchglen. Her son Joe built the drive-thru building, and Fine said the original idea was to help her grandsons (she has seven and one granddaughter) run the small business. “Then they grew too big and grew out of it. It was just me,” she said.
When she’s running Joe Mamma’s, Fine drives the 70 miles to Burns about once per week for supplies. Occasionally, she’ll get requests for odd coffee drinks. “Some of them I don’t know, but I just tell them (customers) to tell me how to make it, and I’ll do it,” she said.
Joe Mamma’s offers a wide array of espresso drinks, but that’s not what draws in the locals. “Hamburgers is what we specialize in. Big ones,” she said.

When she’s not running Joe Mamma’s, Fine enjoys watching the Portland Trail Blazers (“They finally shaped up and got their heads out of their butt this year,” she said) and once in a while likes to visit the casino.

Fine looks forward to seeing her family and friends during the annual Pioneer Day festivities on June 13 at the Harney County Senior and Community Services Center.

 •••

Pioneer President Ted Campbell

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

This year’s Pioneer President Ted Campbell’s history with Harney County actually began before he was even born.

Campbell said his grandparents were living in Missouri when they hired a “land locator” from Silver Lake to find them a place to live in Oregon. After rounding up the money to purchase the land, Campbell’s grandfather sent it off to the land locater, and the family headed west.

When the family, including Campbell’s father Edward, arrived in Burns, they discovered that the land locater had received their money, as well as money from others, and then had fled the country.

With no land and no money, the family went to John Day, where a rancher gave them a place to live.

Campbell’s mother, Ruth Winn, and her family were  living in La Grande at about the same time, and her parents decided to try their hand at homesteading in the Catlow Valley. “People told them there was water near-by, but what they didn’t tell them it was 300 feet down,” Campbell laughed.

The Winns then moved to Voltage, where Ruth’s father  freighted wool for the sheepmen.

They decided to move back to La Grande, but made it only as far as John Day before their stock wore out. As luck would have it, Edward Campbell would meet Ruth Winn and the two married and moved to Seneca in 1926 to work for a rancher.

The early years

Ted Campbell was born June 15, 1927, in Prairie City with a midwife present. “My birth certificate has Seneca listed as my official birth place, and Seneca wasn’t even a town until 1932, I think it was,” Campbell said.

While in Seneca, Campbell’s father drove a tie-truck for the railroad. “But he wanted to be a hunter,” Campbell said. “His friend Sam Wade had a cabin, and the two of them went hunting coyotes.”

His mother, however, decided cleaning coyote hides was, “no way to make a living,” and wanted them to get their own place. Campbell said his parents contacted Milt Davis, who lived near Drewsey, and leased some land about three miles past the present-day Pine Creek School.

In January 1928, Campbell’s family loaded up their Willys Knight touring car, crossed a snow-covered Bear Valley, and moved into a two-story house on Davis’ property, where they lived for more than six years.

After deciding to homestead on nearby property,  the Campbells lived in a tent while building a log home. “I was 7 years old and was peeling the logs,” Campbell said. “Back then, if you could get to the table to feed yourself, you could work.”

Campbell’s brother Jack was born when Ted was 7, and two sisters, Virginia and Charlotte, came along in 1937 and 1945, respectively.

For elementary schooling, the Campbells rode about 10 miles on horseback to Wolf Creek, and in 1941, Campbell enrolled at Crane. “My junior year my dad pulled me out of school,’ Campbell said. “He thought that once a kid was educated, they wouldn’t work.” Campbell did eventually return, and graduated from Crane High School in 1947.

“Two years later, my dad and I had a disagreement, so I loaded up my car, had $20 in my pocket, and went to Portland to seek my fortune,” Campbell said.

It was a tough job market in 1949, but Campbell was able to land a job with Superior Cheese Co., a subsidiary of Safeway.

Campbell said the company had just one opening and there were a number of applicants. “I went in for the interview, and the guy asked me when I could start,” Campbell stated. “I told him I could go to work right now, and he said, ‘You’ve got the job.’ He handed me some keys and told me to open in the morning.”

The military calls

Hearing the Forest Service had a job opening, Campbell moved back to Harney County, and married Jeanette Frost in June 1950. Later that year, Campbell went to work at a ranch near Prineville.

“In 1951, with the Korean War going on, the U.S. military decided they operated without me for as long as they could,” Campbell smiled. He went to Portland for a physical, and then signed up for the Air Force before his draft notice could show up.

Campbell went through basic training at Laughlin Air Force Base (AFB) near Del Rio, Texas, was sent to Wichita Falls, Texas, where he graduated from aircraft and engine school, and then received orders to go to Korea. “Korea must have a lot of diseases because when I was told I was going there, I got I don’t know how many shots,” Campbell said. “But I was No. 11 on the list of those trained in our field to go, and they only needed 10.”

So rather than making the trip overseas, Campbell was sent to B-36 bomber school, and received orders for Korea a second time. “But there weren’t any B-36s in Korea, so they asked me where I wanted to go. I said, ‘Home?’ ” Campbell joked. “They gave me a choice of Spokane (Wash.) or Rapid City (S.D.), and because I wanted to be closer to home, I told them Rapid City. They did what I expected and shipped me to Spokane.”

Campbell arrived in Spokane in October 1951, where he served as Crew Chief, and was later promoted to Staff Sergeant.
In July 1954, his son Bruce Wayne Campbell was born at Fairchild AFB, and a year later, Campbell was released from active duty, and he returned to Burns.

Campbell worked as a police officer for several months until he got an offer from his dad. “My dad bought a bigger outfit and wanted me to help run it,” Campbell said. “He said if I helped, when my brother, Jack, got out of the Navy, he’d sell the place to us, which he did.”

Moving on

In 1966, Campbell sold the ranch to Buck Taylor, and moved to Seneca, where he took over the Standard Oil dealership. After he and his wife divorced, Campbell moved to Bend and went to work for Mid-Oregon Iron as a pre-fab man.

In December 1973, Campbell married Lavonne Mattis, and then took the manager’s job at Fort Rock Ranch, where he stayed for 10 or 11 years.

Looking for some long-term security for he and his wife, Campbell bought a home in Payette, Idaho, and began driving truck for Ore-Ida.

After two-and-a-half years in Payette, Campbell landed a job with the Bend Park and Recreation District, where he remained before retiring in 1993.

Campbell and his wife then purchased their home in Burns, where they reside today.

“That’s the quick version of my life,” Campbell said. “I can tell you a whole lot of other stories, like the time in 1966 when we were roping horses and one of them rolled over on me. I had a skull fracture, broken leg and numerous lacerations, abrasions and contusions.”

Campbell is honored to have been selected as Pioneer President and is ready to share his tales with everyone. “I’m at that age where there’s very few left that can contradict me,” he laughed.

•••

PIONEER DAY

WHAT: Annual event that honors community pioneers with a program and potluck.
WHEN: Saturday, June 13; registration begins at 10 a.m., the potluck at noon and the program at 1 p.m.
WHERE: Harney County Senior and Community Services Center, 17 S. Alder

The Kids Club of Harney County is set to open on June 15 with new director at helm

Formally known as the Boys & Girls Club, the Kids Club of Harney County will open its doors on June 15.

Ater many hours of meetings and soul searching, the board of directors decided that it was in the best interest for Harney County to break away from the national organization and form their own private club. “The Boys & Girls Club of America is an excellent organization and is truly dedicated to kids and giving them opportunities and a safe place to go after school and during the summer,” said board member Ron Wulff. However, living up to the minimum standards and paying the yearly dues was becoming increasingly difficult financially, which ultimately resulted in closing the doors until more additional funding came in.

The board now feels they have a sustainable operational plan that should relieve a lot of stress on both the board members and the community. They will now be able to open the club with a much lower operating budget, and still provide all the programs and activities the kids love to do. The monthly operating expenses will be a fraction of what they were last year due to the changes put in place.

Carrie Winstead was selected to be the executive director of the club. Winstead was chosen because of her experience with working with children and the business aspect she brings to the club.

Board member Wulff said, “Winstead has a great deal of passion for the kids and is determined to make the club a success and provide a welcoming environment for the kids to come and enjoy themselves.”

Winstead has already been working on an operation plan that will rely more on volunteers and less on paid staff members. She has been spending a great deal of time talking to various educational programs that require internships of the students to obtain work experience. So far, there has been a tremendous number of inquiries of people wanting to volunteer their time to be part of the club.

The club will open Monday, June 15, and provide a safe place for the kids to go and interact with one another. Winstead plans on having a weekly theme to give the kids focus. She hopes to introduce them to a wide variety of activities and learning experiences. “Many of the programs will be structured but there will be plenty of time for the kids to just be kids and have a good time,” Winstead said.

By the time the doors open, the club will have a new look. New fencing has been put up; there are plans of landscaping the premises, including planting trees and bushes. A new logo for the club has been chosen, and a fresh coat of paint should make the place look like new.

The board is very excited about this new beginning. This year’s Diamonds in a Glass fund raiser raised enough money to pay off all of the club’s debt and put some money into the bank. Thanks to some additional donations from various community members, and especially the Commission on Children and Families, enough money has been raised to get the club through the summer after which the next big fund raiser starts.

The Kids Club has taken over the Burns/Hines 5K walk/run race which will be held Saturday, June 20, and with the support of Valley Golf Club, a golf tournament will be held July 10. Winstead is currently taking classes to learn how to write grant requests, and she is also working with grant writers from out of the area to obtain funding to grow the club.

The board of directors would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the club. The board would like to bring on additional board members and is asking for people who are interested and willing to making the Kids Club grow and prosper to contact Winstead and express your interest.

The Kids Club office is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The public is encouraged to stop by or call 573-7036.

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

A resolution in Harney County Court that was approved in 2005, was finally implemented on May 6.

Resolution #2005-23 created an economic growth incentive fund, and was passed by the Harney County Court on Dec. 21, 2005. The resolution created a fund that could be used to award county residents for creating or adding jobs.

“This new business recruitment and job bounty program is just another tool in our economic development toolbox for Harney County,” said Mark Maliwauki, County Economic Development Director. “We want everyone to be thinking about how they might be able to participate in bringing new businesses and through them, new jobs and employment opportunities to the county.”

To receive the incentive award, a person must identify themselves early on in the process, preferably prior to jobs being created. If the minimum job requirements are met, the person named will be given an award at the end of the first full year of job creation. If 3-10 jobs are created or added, the award will be $1,000; 11-20 jobs, $3,000; and 21-plus jobs, $5,000.

All of the specifics of the resolution are available from Maliwauki at 573-1638, or e-mail at econdev@harneycounty.org; or from Judge Steve Grasty at 573-6356.

“The reality is, economic development starts with each one of us,” said Maliwauki. “It is the factor of one that is critical. It takes one person to get something started but that one will lead to many others joining in and before we know it, we have new opportunities that we never had before.”

Determined to save lives and end breast cancer forever, the Oregon and Southwest Washington Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure has awarded nearly $2 million in grants this year to fund research, as well as to aid tens of thousands of medically underserved women and men in local Oregon and Southwest Washington communities. Funding for these programs comes from the annual Komen Portland Race for the Cure®, individual giving, corporate partners and other area fund raisers.

In order to ensure it is funding programs that address the specific unmet breast cancer needs of communities throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, the Affiliate works with local health care professionals and community leaders to conduct a comprehensive community needs assessment.  This community profile, a standard practice of all Komen Affiliates, is then used to establish a local grant application and review process consistent with the organization’s standards and mission.

Twenty-three organizations throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, including Harney District Hospital,  have been awarded a total of $534,967 in Community and Transportation Grants, which will help provide services to more than 24,000 men and women who are medically underserved due to challenges such as language and cultural barriers, financial difficulties and transportation issues. Support services are also provided to women going through treatment and survivors. Community Grants were given to organizations that support diverse demographics including Native American, Asian, Hispanic and Russian communities, as well as rural communities.

Harney County has an above average breast cancer mortality rate for Oregon.  Harney District Hospital works to provide support for survivors and breast health/early detection education to the women of Harney County. With the help of the Komen grant, support for breast cancer survivors will be provided through monthly support group meetings, team participation in the Komen Portland Race for the Cure, and the Breast Cancer Issues Conference. Educating the citizens of Harney County on the importance of early breast cancer screening and providing them with support and access to breast health services is critical in order to reduce deaths from breast cancer.

“The medically underserved population of Oregon and Southwest Washington is considerable during these tough economic times and Komen Community Partners make it possible to reach those most in need,” said Christine McDonald, Executive Director, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Oregon and Southwest Washington Affiliate.  “Our Community Partners make it possible for us to effectively communicate the message of early detection, support, and hope to the communities that we serve throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. These organizations are to be celebrated for their outstanding work in the fight against breast cancer.”

More than 180,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the United States this year, and the Pacific Northwest is among the highest rates of breast cancer in the country. Early detection is critically important. Women have a 98 percent five-year survival rate when breast cancer is found in its earliest stages in contrast to women with a late stage diagnosis (when the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body) who have a 26 percent five-year survival rate. Early detection saves lives.

The Paiute Tribe’s downtown building will be remodeled inside and out

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

Things are looking up in downtown Burns. Another prominent building is receiving a facelift.

The Burns Paiute Tribe’s building in the 500 block of Broadway will be renovated in three phases. According to the tribe’s interim general manager and transportation manager Kenton Dick, Creating Ways, a construction company owned by Lyle Stratton, will be doing the work on the exterior of the building. The work will include replacing windows, brick work and replacing the  awning in the front of the building.

The tribe received money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for phase one of the project. Phases two and three will concentrate on the interior of the building and will be paid for with grants and donations. Dick said that it was important to the tribe to use local contractors as much as possible.

Within the last year, the Smith building, which is in the 400 block of Broadway, received a complete renovation and now houses the Harney County Community Center and rents space to the chamber of commerce.

When the work on the tribe’s building is completed it will be used as an interpretive center, a place to sell arts and crafts made by tribal members and it will house offices and a small conference room. “The intent is to open it up for use by the community,” Dick said.

For more information on this project, call the Burns Paiute Tribe’s administration office at 573-2088.

Take Back the Night event in downtown Burns allows community members to rally around those hurt by sexual assault

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

More than 50 residents turned out for the Take Back the Night event sponsored by HHope women’s shelter on April 30 in the vacant lot on Broadway in downtown Burns.

Along with a team of volunteers, HHope case manager Renee Mize began organizing the event about a month ago as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month held annually in April. “It’s a hard topic to talk about. It’s so personal,” she said.

The evening included a march down Broadway as well as readings by teens and others who have been affected by sexual assault. “They put so much emotion into it,” said HHope domestic violence advocate Rosie Richburg.

Mize noted that it is heartbreaking to hear teenagers talk about sexual assault. “I think it’s so sad that they have those words in their vocabulary,” she said. “At 16 and 17 they shouldn’t even know about sexual assault.” However, the reality is that sexual assault happens to people of all ages, and it happens right here in Harney County.

According to the district attorney’s office, in the past year alone there have been 33 sexual assaults in Harney County. Six of those occurred in the last four months. “We like to believe we are sheltered here in Harney County, but we’re not,” Mize said. She noted that most sexual assaults are perpetrated by an acquaintance, close to home and occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and midnight. “It’s not some stranger lurking in the bushes,” Mize said.

The April 30 event wrapped up with refreshments and cake served to the 50-some people who attended the event. “There was a spectrum of ages,” Mize said. “It was just wonderful. I was so impressed.”

As part of the event, Mize contacted Burns High School art teacher Lisa Blake regarding having students design posters for the event with the theme “Shatter the Silence,” and Mize was absolutely blown away by the students’ creativity. The posters were put up around town and copies were made for signs to be held during the Take Back the Night event. “I was so impressed with the teenagers and their participation,” Mize said.

HHope director Laura Van Cleave said the posters were so good, they will be included in a newsletter to be sent out from Salem.

Mize was really pleased with the way the Take Back the Night event turned out. “It was one of the best things I’ve ever attended,” she said.

FAA to put additional funds toward runway resurfacing at airport

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

The Burns City Council received updates on several ongoing projects at their regular meeting on Wednesday, April 22.

City Manager Don Munkers told the council that he and Burns Mayor Len Vohs had traveled to Seattle to meet with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials on April 21 to discuss projects at the Burns airport. Munkers said the city is on track with the runway resurfacing project, and during their visit to Seattle, they learned the FAA would be putting an additional $200,000 toward the project.

Vohs stated they also visited with the FAA officials about the city’s vision of the airport and possible future projects. Vohs said the infrastructure at the airport, such as water and sewer, is a key issue, and there have been discussions about including the airport in the city’s water and sewer systems. “Water at the airport is an issue,” Vohs said. “If we do a Band-aid on it, in a few years you’ve got to do it again.” Vohs added that putting in water and sewer at the airport could cost anywhere from four to five million dollars, and the city would explore a number of different funding options.

Vohs said the city is still pursuing the idea of having an industrial park established on West Monroe. “I don’t see anything from the state, county or our level which would prevent us from moving forward on this,” Vohs said.
Councilor Bill Renwick asked if the park would be zoned exclusively industrial, or inclusive, so it could include commercial business. The council agreed it should be zoned an inclusive area. Vohs then reminded the council that the area does sit on a water aquifer, so any business locating there could not produce waste that  could enter the aquifer. “We will have the final say as to what goes in,” Vohs said.

Vohs reported that the Oregon Department of Transportation is continuing to work on the Monroe Street intersection. “It’s pretty much a matter of dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s,” Vohs said. He added that the intersection is crucial to both the industrial park and the new housing project proposed by the Burns Paiute Tribe.

Munkers rendered an administrative decision regarding the auto body painting area at Burns Ford Garage. He said he had reviewed the city codes, and he believed the phrase “auto repair facility” includes painting, so he agreed with the planning commission that the facility could continue operation.

Munkers also told the council he had reviewed the franchise agreement the city has with CenturyTel, and he recommended a couple of minor changes. The council was instructed to look over the changes, and Munkers would have a final draft for the next meeting.

Councilor Linda Johnson said the community should be focusing on the positive aspects of the city and they were working on a project to select a “Yard of the Month.” She said a lot of people go to great lengths to make their homes look nice and they could be rewarded by being selected as “Yard of the Month.” She suggested they could possibly get sponsors who could donate prizes for the winning yards. “Maybe we could get their picture in the paper, too,” Johnson said.

The next council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, at city hall.