Downtown improvement district
approved by council
Bend Downtowners Association
Executive Director Chuck Arnold
was all smiles at the Bend City
Council meeting on Wednesday –
the latest version of the
downtown Economic Improvement
District was approved by a
majority of downtown property
owners. The district stretches
roughly from Brooks Street to
the west to Lava Road to the
east, and from Greenwood Avenue
to the north to Louisiana Avenue
to the west. Commercial property
owners in the district will be
assessed 11 cents per square
foot each year for two years,
after which time the district
will have to be renewed.
Revenues are expected to be
approximately $93,000 per year;
Arnold will be paid for 30 hours
of work each week, the city will
keep 5 percent for
administrative fees and the
remainder will be used for such
projects as flower baskets
during spring and summer,
sidewalk snow removal and
sweeping, graffiti removal,
banners, benches and outdoor
music.
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So you think your neighborhood
traffic intersection is bad …
At a work session prior to the
regular Bend City Council
meeting on Wednesday, city staff
presented a five-year capital
improvement plan that covered
such topics as transportation,
water and sewer and Juniper
Ridge. The city is facing some
significant expenditures over
five years, such as $104 million
for sewer, $85 million for water
and $68 million for
transportation. While systems
development charges will pay for
part of the improvements, it’s
likely water and sewer rates
will have to be raised. And the
city hasn’t yet identified a
funding source for the majority
of transportation improvements.
An interesting part of the
discussion about transportation
was when city staff identified
some of the most congested
intersections in 2006. They
included Empire Avenue and Boyd
Acres Road, Empire Avenue and 18th
Street, Reed Market at American
Lane, Brookswood Boulevard and
15th Street, and 27th
Avenue and Neff Road. The city
already is working on improving
some of the worst traffic
bottlenecks, such as soon
installing a signal at Empire
Avenue and Boyd Acres and Butler
Market Road and Brinson
Boulevard.
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Spend money for jail, Chamber
members say
Last week’s survey question was,
“Should Deschutes County spend
$40 million to remodel and
expand the jail? A big majority
of those who responded said,
“Yes.” Some responses:
“The county should spend what it takes to have the
space to get the criminals off
the street. Every time they do a
matrix release, there is a 70
percent chance that the
individual will violate the law
within 30 days. The majority of
the released offenders are
drug-related offenders, which
leads to burglary and other
seemingly petty crimes. The more
often these criminals are
matrixed, the more emboldened
they become. The mugging that
occurred recently under the
Parkway underpass is a prime
example.”
“Our sheriff needs to mimic the approach taken by Joe
Arpaio’s Maricopa County Jail in
Phoenix. No frills, pink
clothing, they pay for their own
meals, they do regular labor for
the county, etc. There is plenty
of room here in our High desert
just like down in Arizona to put
them in big tents with a fence
around it. Tens of millions of
dollars to pamper these
law-breakers. Why?
“Forty million seems like a ton of money. Yes, expand
the jail but do some value
engineering to save some money.
We don’t want hardened criminals
running around. We also need to
get really tough with the meth
problem, which is the root of
most of the criminals’ problems.
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Legislature on last laps towards
late June adjournment
Monday was the last day that
bills in the 2007 Oregon
Legislature could be passed out
of standing committees. Bills
that originated in the House had
to pass out of committees in
order to move forward. Standing
committees will remain open to
hear bills from the Senate until
the end of May. House and Senate
floor sessions will convene for
extended periods over the next
few weeks to vote on bills. Some
of the key issues that still
need to be resolved are K-12,
community college and higher
education; transportation and
what to do about Measure 37. The
Legislature still has a goal of
adjourning by June 28.
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Businesses asked to help fund
child safety and drug prevention
education
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s
Office is rolling out its annual
child safety and drug prevention
education program for children
and their parents throughout the
county. The sheriff’s office
will provide materials designed
by the National Child Safety
Council to assist children in
learning to live safely, but
there is a cost. Businesses are
being asked to fund materials
and services at $1.90 per child.
For example, 30 children would
be $57 and 100 would be $190. An
acknowledgement of those who
support this program will be
listed on all activity manuals.
Anyone interested is asked to
respond by June 1. Information:
Bend station, 388-6655.
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