Unemployment rate takes
unexpected bump in July
Two of three counties in Central
Oregon saw their unemployment
rates climb more than expected
in July from June. Although
Crook and Deschutes counties
both saw their rates increase,
Deschutes County in July still
had one of the lowest
unemployment rates in the state
at 4.6 percent. That was up 0.2
percentage points from June, and
was 0.4 percent higher than July
of 2006. However, Deschutes
County still gained 150 jobs in
July, the sixth month in a row
that jobs were added. The county
has gained nearly 5,000 jobs
since January. Job losses in
July were mostly tied to
declines in local education,
which shed 960 jobs. Leisure and
hospitality gained 530 jobs,
professional and business
services added 230 jobs and
natural resources, mining and
construction gained 180 jobs.
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Who’s riding
the buses and where? BAT survey
finds answers
As part of a continuing effort
to improve mass transit in Bend,
the Bend Area Transit (BAT)
recently conducted an onboard
survey of riders to determine
rider travel patterns. Some of
the findings from the 241 forms
completed: Nearly 42 percent of
riders said they were on the bus
that day to get to work or to
seek work and 18 percent were
shopping. Fourteen percent said
they were students. Nearly 60
percent said they ride the bus
because they don’t drive or do
not have access to a car.
Twenty-five percent said they
ride BAT every day it’s in
service. Fifty percent of BAT
riders are under age 35, and
only five percent were at least
65 years old. Fifty-one percent
were women. Eight percent bring
their bikes, compared to a
national average of 4 percent.
Seventy-nine percent said they
would like BAT to offer an
annual pass. The city’s Transit
Division expects to conduct more
surveys in the future.
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Most support
a city-wide vote on Juniper
Ridge
Last week’s survey question was,
“Should Bend hold a city-wide
vote on the development plans
for Juniper Ridge?” Most
respondents, but not all, said
“yes.” Some comments:
“A vote on Juniper Ridge makes sense. The original
concept has been augmented with
input from councilors who do not
understand the space
requirements for industrial
lands. Beyond this, Juniper
Ridge has become symbolic for
what is wrong with the UGB
expansion process. Once again,
(former mayor Allan) Bruckner
has it right.”
“Yes. (The council) has completely circumvented the
citizens of Bend in the decision
making process on this project.
This is a huge issue for Bend
and should not have gotten this
far without our input or vote on
the subject. We will be the ones
stuck with the consequences when
things go wrong with this
project.”
“No. We have elected our city councilors to make those
decisions. Making public policy
decisions based on a popular
vote is wrong. The issues
involved in the development of
the property are far too
technical for most voters to
understand. In the end, the
developers who have financial
resources available to conduct a
public relations campaign will
win enough votes to support
their goals, and those goals may
not be consistent with city
goals.”
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Legislative Council, PAC
opportunities available
The next Legislative Council
Breakfast will be held at 7 a.m.
Friday, Sept. 14 at Bend Golf &
Country Club. If interested,
contact Lindi at the Chamber,
382-3221 or
lindi@bendchamber.org. Also,
the Bend Business PAC is gearing
up to ensure candidates in next
year’s Bend City Council race
understand business issues. If
interested in joining the PAC or
contributing to it, e-mail
jeff@bendchamber.org.
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Mark your
calendar for these coming events
There are no more golfing spots,
but a few sponsorships still are
available for the Bend Chamber’s
Member Invitational golf
tournament, scheduled for Sept.
10 at Bend Golf & Country Club.
If interested, call the Chamber
at 382-3221 or e-mail
gayle@bendchamber.org.
From 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 4, a partnership of the
Bend Chamber, the Central Oregon
Builders Association and
HousingWorks will host a
breakfast at Bend Golf & Country
Club to discuss solutions to
Bend’s need for workforce
housing, defined as rental or
ownership housing affordable to
area workers based on salaries
paid in an individual community.
Thanks to COBA, this breakfast
will cost only $15. To reserve
your spot, go to
www.bendchamber.org/Housing
or call the Chamber at 382-3221.
Plans are moving forward rapidly for the first Project
Homeless Connect day at the
Deschutes County Fairgrounds on
Oct. 13. Volunteers and local
non-profits will be on hand that
day helping an estimated 1,500
homeless persons in Central
Oregon gain access to food,
medical and personal care, and
on-site services that provide
self-sufficiency support to
break the cycle in each of the
nine basic root causes of
poverty. (You can read about
these at
www.copartnership.org There
will be teen services and child
care provided. A general list
of the services is posted at
www.cohomeless.org.
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This week’s survey question
