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Bend Chamber
Weekly
December 19, 2008
By Courtney Linville, Communications Coordinator
This Week's
Highlights
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UGB
process moves forward
The Bend City
Council voted 4-3 on Wednesday evening to send the
latest version of the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB)
map to state officials. Alternative 4A will remove
143 acres out of the Oregon Department of State
Lands (Section 11) and will add 91 acres to the Ward
property (Thumb) located on the south end of the
city.
At its last meeting, the council was divided on the
decision in a 3-3 vote. Councilor Mark Capell, who
was not in attendance at the last meeting, was the
deciding vote in this matter. He stated he watched
the last meeting and listened to the arguments on
all sides.
Capell stated he had a hard time justifying keeping
Priority 4 lands like the DSL land in the UGB map
and not putting in the rest of the Ward property
which is listed as Priority 2. After his comments,
Capell made the motion for staff to prepare the
ordinance and findings for the UGB for adoption and
first reading at a special meeting on December 22.
Councilors Linda Johnson, Peter Gramlich, and Jim Clinton
voted against the motion.
After the first reading on December 22, the ordinance
will go through its second reading at a special
session on January 5, 2009.
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Council allows some area
churches to help homeless
The Bend City
Council approved the Declaration of a Local
Emergency and a plan that will allow churches, who
are up to fire code, to open their doors to homeless
people who need overnight shelter in freezing
temperatures.
There are 79 churches in the Bend area and 26 of those
meet the fire code requirements stated City of Bend
Fire Marshall Gary Marshall. The 26 churches have
appropriate sprinkler systems. Marshall said there
are three churches that have requested to serve as
temporary shelters, and two are qualified.
The city did take away the timeline restriction.
Originally, the timeline was set for no more than 14
days in any six month period. But city officials
felt this could create a problem if only a few
churches were willing to keep their doors open.
Marshall stated he will also be working with the Red
Cross on regulations for other types of temporary
shelters. He said he hopes to create some
requirements and predetermine where some shelters
might be located. Marshall told councilors this
should be a part of the city’s emergency plan.
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City Council Highlights
Council
approves creative financing for future Bend Hero
Memorial: Plans are underway to construct a
memorial in Brooks Park for veterans and first
responders. On Wednesday evening, the Bend City
Council approved the move to go forward with the
project and finding “creative financing” to help
waive around $5,000 in permits and fees. City
Councilors Jodie Barram and Mark Capell agreed the
project was good and had merit, but they couldn’t
justify spending money on the project. “I’m new to
the project, but I’m not in favor of waiving the entire
fee,” said Barram. “Five thousand dollars in this
economic climate is difficult to justify. We are
getting pulled in a lot of directions, and this is
something, unfortunately to me that is a
nonessential item.” More than likely the funds will
be taken from the general fund. The Bend Metro Parks
and Recreation District has also expressed some
interest in helping to finance the project, but no
figure was given. Mayor Bruce Abernethy said $5,000
would be an appropriate investment on the part of
the city.
City stays in holding pattern on grant: The Bend
City Council decided to talk more with the Oregon
Department of Transportation (ODOT) and local
partners about the Connect Oregon II Grant for the
Intermodel Transit Center. The question was posed by
City Manager Eric King, if
the council will accept or deny the funds. The funds consist of $2.2 million
from the state that will be used to purchase the
Cascade Natural Gas facility for a regional
transportation hub that could support 21 different
organizations within Central Oregon. The only crux
to the grant is the city needs to come up with
$554,000 in matching funds to be able to accept the
grant. Mayor Bruce Abernethy said while he would
like to keep the grant money to move forward with
the project “there is something in letting it (the
grant) go to another community that can take
advantage of it.” King stated ODOT would really like
to move forward with the project and is willing to
work with the city on some creative options.
Councilor Jim Clinton stated he would like to see
the city figure out a way to get the over $550,000
for the project. “At some point we will need a
regional transportation system, if we do not do this then
we are setting ourselves back a long way,” he said
Council approves
proclamation of Peace Bridge: In a 5-2 decision
Wednesday, Bend City Councilors approved
a proclamation which designates the Portland Avenue
Bridge as the Peace Bridge of Bend. The proclamation
was sponsored by Councilor Peter Gramlich. Gramlich
stated this was a controversial topic the council
made a decision on, but he was glad to see the
proclamation finally coming forward. Councilors
Chris Telfer and Mark Capell voted against the
proclamation.
Council appointments to the Planning Commission:
The Bend City Council has reappointed Kevin Keillor
and appointed Douglas Knight to the Bend Planning
Commission. Dan Reesor was also appointed as an
alternate.
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Last call for 2009 Annual
Recognition Nominations
The 2009
Annual Recognition Awards are just around the corner
and it's time for you, the membership, to help select
the 2009 Citizen of the Year, two Distinguished
Businesses of the Year, and the Outstanding
Organization of the year.
Take the time to nominate a business, individual, or
nominate yourself. The guidelines, criteria, and
official nomination forms are available on the
Chamber’s Web site at
www.bendchamber.org/awards. The final deadline
for all nominations is Monday, January 5 at 3 p.m.
(Please note the Chamber offices will be closed from
December 24 through January 2).
Don’t delay, make your nomination today.
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Chamber offers annual passes
for popular events
It’s the
start of a new year, so make a resolution to save
money and get your annual pass now for these great
sessions:
New! The Professional Development
Series Annual Flex-Pass is available for $275
and will confirm your spot in all 22 breakfast and
luncheon sessions. By registering in advance, you
can save up to $220! Click
Here to download registration from.
The Young Professionals Network yearly
membership is just $50. This fee includes 10 monthly
networking meetings plus the annual social. Instead
of paying $7 in advance or $10 at the door, save
over $60 and buy the yearly membership! Click
Here to download registration from.
If you are looking at a way to stay in touch with
issues facing our community, sign up for a yearly
membership to the Town Hall Breakfast Forums
for $220. This pass covers 11 breakfast sessions and
offers a savings of $55. Click
Here to download registration from.
Don’t wait sign-up today by contacting Lindi DeWolf at
lindi@bendchamber.org or call 382-3221.
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Chamber Holiday Hours
On behalf of
Executive Director Tim Casey and the staff of the
Bend Chamber, we would like to wish all members a
Happy Holiday season. It has been a wonderful year
and we look forward to helping guide businesses to
the top throughout 2009.
The Chamber offices will be closed on December 24 to
January 2. The Chamber will reopen for business at 9
a.m. on January 5.
Also, please note, this will be the final Chamber
Weekly of the year. The next Chamber Weekly will
appear in your Inbox on January 9.
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In the news
Bend
Featured in Seattle Times: Bend, Oregon was
recently featured in the Seattle Times as a place
where a person has no “excuse to be bored.” The
article highlighted Bend’s recent accolade as one of
the best little ski towns in America by Travel &
Leisure magazine's December issue. Several area
businesses were named in the article including Mt.
Bachelor, Deschutes Brewery, Merenda, Wanderlust
Tours, Seventh Mountain Resort, Working Wonders
Children’s Museum, and the Old Mill District. The
article stated, “A logging town that hasn’t
forgotten its roots, the earthy, laid-back community
has Craftsman-style architecture, a buzzing
downtown, and an exceptional culinary scene.”
Bend Fire & Rescue promote prevention: As
Central Oregon has been hammered with snow and cold
temperatures over the past week, the Bend Fire &
Rescue Department reminds businesses to take
preventative measures to prevent fire sprinklers
from freezing. As has been the case with several
businesses and the Deschutes County Health Building,
bursting pipes are a reality. The department says
most sprinkler systems freeze due to a lack of
maintenance. According to a press release, Bend Fire
& Rescue asks businesses to make sure periodic
maintenance has been completed, there is adequate
heating, and if a remodel has occurred insulation
has been reinstalled correctly. If you have any
questions about how to prevent your system from
freezing, make sure to give the fire department a
call. |
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