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Conference speakers agree:
Transportation is a big issue
Transportation
difficulties in Central Oregon
clearly are affecting the
region's economy, and it's only
going to get worse as our
population increases. That was
the main message Wednesday at
the first Tri-County
Transportation Conference,
sponsored by the Tri-County
Council of Chambers. Speakers
agreed that something has to be
done to replace the current
situation of most people
commuting among cities in
Central Oregon, one person to a
vehicle. Not only is it clogging
area roads, but it's expensive.
Consider that it costs roughly
50 cents per mile to operate an
average car, when factoring in
fuel, insurance and maintenance.
That means the daily cost for
someone commuting from Redmond
to Bend each day, driving 17
miles each way, is $17. That's
about $350 per month, or $4,200
per year - a good chunk of
change for someone earning the
average hourly wage of $14.46 in
Deschutes County. A region-wide
mass transit system not only
would ease congestion on roads,
but would save workers a lot of
money. Bend Chamber President
and CEO Mike Schmidt told the
group that at least three
businesses who had inquired
about relocating to Central
Oregon decided to go elsewhere
because of concerns about
transportation. On a related
note, city of Bend Public
Transportation Mobility Manager
Heather Ornelas told the group
that ridership on Bend's new bus
system is ahead of projections.
She had expected the system to
carry about 250,000 rides a year
by the end of the first year,
but there were 22,500 paid rides
in the first month - that's
270,000 rides per year.
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Don't forget to vote
Yes, it's intimidating -
that thick envelope that arrived
in your mailbox with a ballot
for the Nov. 7 general election.
But it's important that you
exercise your right to vote. The
governor's race is as close as
it has been in several years,
and a spirited debate is ongoing
among candidates for the Bend
City Council. There also are
numerous ballot measures that
could shape Bend, Deschutes
County and the state of Oregon
for years, such as a bond
measure to build new schools in
Bend, another to provide stable
funding for the Deschutes County
Sheriff's Office and two
statewide tax-limiting measures,
41 and 48, that could
drastically reshape state
government. All registered
voters should have received
state and county Voters
Pamphlets by now. Ballots must
arrive at the Deschutes County
Clerk's Office by 8 p.m. on Nov.
7.
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Speaking of the election ...
Last week's survey
question was, "How much
attention have you paid to this
fall's election - a lot, little
or none?" We received some
interesting replies, such as:
"I am excited about our
local city council and Deschutes
County Commission races. I am
also hoping for the best on the
school bond and the sheriff's
levy. Nationally, it will be
interesting to see how the red
and blue states play out. I am
encouraging my kids to vote."
"I am paying a lot of
attention. This is a very
important election from any
perspective, local, state or
national. The ballot measures
are terribly difficult to
decipher from the information
provided. It's a good idea to
attend meetings and talk to
others to gain perspective on
which ones to support (if any).
"We have spent very little
time addressing the upcoming
election. This is primarily due
to the continuous rhetoric about
the pros and cons of each and
every issue and candidate. You
can't rely on ads or stance as
there appears to be none or they
change with the audience. ... We
will look at the candidates and
issues on their own merit right
before the election and try to
ignore the rhetoric in the
media."
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Ski for schools for only a
little cash
Tickets now are on sale for
$15 for the second annual "Ski
for Schools" day at Mount
Bachelor, which will be one day
prior to the official opening
day of the ski area. That day
currently is projected to be
November 17, but of course
Mother Nature has the final say.
All proceeds go to the education
foundations of the Bend-La Pine
and Redmond school districts.
For more information, go to:
www.mtbachelor.com/calendar/2006/november/ski_for_schools.
Tickets also are available at a
wide range of businesses in
Bend, Redmond, Sisters, La Pine
and Sunriver.
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Bad news on U.S. home prices: A
record decline
Some
sobering news this morning from
the National Association of
Realtors: The median price for
an existing home nationwide in
September, which includes
single-family homes and
condominiums, dropped 2.2
percent from $225,000 from a
year ago, which is the biggest
drop on an annual basis in
monthly housing prices ever
recorded. In addition, sales
compared to a year ago were off
14.2 percent. Some economists
are predicting that the housing
market won't recover until the
second half of 2007.
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This week's survey question
Have
you tried to buy or sell a house
in Bend lately, and what has
been your experience? Please
e-mail your response to:jeff@bendchamber.org.
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