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Investors supposedly pull out
of Juniper Ridge deal
The Bend Chamber was told earlier this week, and
media reports this morning apparently confirmed the
information, that the main private financial backers of
the city of Bend’s Juniper Ridge development project
have pulled out of a deal with the city. Ray Kuratek,
who heads Juniper Partners, LLC, the master development
firm the city agreed earlier this month to work with,
told The Bulletin newspaper that the real estate
investment firm he’s been working with, Stockbridge
Capital Partners, LLC, no longer is interested in
investing $30 million in the Juniper Ridge project.
Kuratek said Stockbridge has changed its mind for
several reasons, including community opposition to the
project, the lengthy negotiations with the city, and too
low of a rate of return on its investment. Kuratek said
he is talking to other investors about stepping in to
help fund the project. It’s unclear this morning how
this week’s news will affect the city’s negotiations
with Juniper Ridge Partners to sign a binding
development agreement.
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Area groups concerned about city
bus system’s accessibility
Several groups
including Central Oregon Jobs with Justice, the Central
Oregon Council on Aging and Central Oregon Coalition for
Access, have expressed “grave concerns” to the city
about the launch of the city’s Bend Area Transit (BAT)
fixed-route bus system on Sept. 27. Specifically, the
groups say the new bus system is not fully accessible
under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
In a letter to the Bend City Council, Jobs with Justice
stated in part, “While we join everyone in welcoming a
new bus system … we think it is a very bad idea to start
this service up before it is fully accessible. Proposals
that call for para-transit to somehow 'make up the
difference' for people with disabilities who could
otherwise use an accessible system are inadequate,
possibly illegal and unfortunately reminiscent of old,
discredited 'separate but equal' rationales.” Under the
city’s new BAT system, as stated on the city’s Web site,
“Those who are unable to use a fixed-route bus due to a
disability or are a low-income senior not near a fixed
route are encourage to use Dial-a-Ride.” One concern
critics have is that while the BAT system promises that
on weekdays a ride across town or on any two routes will
take a maximum of 30 minutes, Dial-a-Ride requires
advance reservations and sometimes is unavailable
because of overwhelming demand.
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Smoke gets in your eyes and
lungs
Last week’s survey
question was, “Has the smoke from various forest fires
in Central Oregon affected your business or you
personally?” From the responses, this has been a bad
summer for smoke. Some comments:
“The smoke has increased the number of patients
that we have seen. Here, we deal with a lot of seasoned
citizens who have some respiratory problems to start,
and the smoke has not helped with their distresses.
Upper respiratory infections, asthma-related problems
and sinus infections have been the primary diagnoses.”
“This is the first time in the 26 years I’ve been
in Bend that I have noticed the smoke affecting my
health. The commute to work on my bicycle has become an
issue as the smoke settles in and around the city. My
asthma has flared up to the point where I need to take
my car to work. …”
“The smoke has made my signs and the large windows
at my business dirty every day. I clean them constantly.
Also, I can’t leave the windows open even when it’s cool
out because people work out in my facility and smoky air
is no good for that. As for myself, I’ve been congested
and my eyes have been irritated. I’ve thrown away two
pairs of disposable contacts since the fires started …”
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Member E-News available for you
Just a reminder
that the Bend Chamber’s Member E-News, which comes out
on or around the 15th of every month, is another tool
for you to grow your business. On a first-come,
first-served basis, we welcome informative columns on
subjects of interest to members such as finance, or
health. We also have a “What’s New” section where you
can announce new products or services or other big
changes for your business. Finally, we re-run the
“Members on the Move” section that also appears in the
monthly Business Journal. For information on how to get
your information into the “Member E-News,” contact Jeff
Nielson at 382-3221 or
jeff@bendchamber.org.
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This week’s survey question
Are you beginning
to see a slowdown in consumer spending at your business
(or are you spending less yourself)? Please e-mail your
responses to:
jeff@bendchamber.org.
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