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The "R" Word
There is a lot of talk in the media
about a "recession." However, when I
refer to my economic text books, a
recession is defined as, "a decline in
the country's gross domestic product
(GDP), or negative real economic growth,
for two or more successive quarters in a
year." Yes, we are experiencing reduced
economic activity in the new home
construction and a tightening of lending
in the credit markets. But, given the
definition of a "recession," we are a
long way from meeting this acid test. In
Bend and Central Oregon, now is one of
the best times in 20 years to make a
home purchase. Mortgages are still
available, even "no down payment" loans
can be found. And, the number of new and
existing homes in the market, our
inventory, has not been this good in
over two decades. So, don't panic, go
ahead and buy something: a new home,
car, household furniture, new office
equipment, etc. Take the spouse out to
dinner or lunch. If we don't let the
national media scare us, Bend and
Central Oregon will easily weather this
storm. I'm doing my part; I just
purchased a new car. Did I need one?
Yes. Could I have done without a new
car? Yes, but by making this purchase
I'm helping to make sure, in my own
small way, our local economic activity
continues to grow and expand. Do your
part today, go make that purchase. Okay!
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Public Participation – US 97 North
Corridor Study
– Let Your Voice Be Heard
ODOT is hosting an open house
tonight,
January 24th at Sky View Middle School
, 63555 NE 18th Street,,
from 5 to 8:30 p.m. The open house
is designed to collect comments on the
proposed long-term solution concerning
the stretch of US 97 between Empire Road
and Deschutes Market Road. The two
long-term solutions under study show one
resolution rerouting existing US 97
adjacent to the railroad tracks to the
east and the other possible solution
re-routing the highway from north of
Cooley Road running west to US 20. For
more information, go to the study Web
site at:
www.us97solutions.org/. Mike
Schmidt, the Bend Chamber's President
and CEO, is the Chair of the Citizens
Advisory Group for the ODOT North
Corridor Study.
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Chamber Emcees City Club Luncheon
Mike Schmidt, the Bend Chamber's
President and CEO will emcee the January
31st City Club luncheon. The
focus for the first City Club luncheon
for 2008 is entitled: "Central Oregon –
Whose Roads Are They Anyway?" Bob
Bryant, Region 4 ODOT Director and Bend
City Councilmember Jim Clinton,
representing the Bend Metropolitan
Planning Organization and the city of
Bend, will serve on the panel making
comments and answering questions. They
will discuss public process in
transportation planning and the overall
process used in transportation projects.
For more information go to the City Club
Web site:
www.cityclubofcentraloregon.com.
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Our Crumbling Roads and Bridges
WASHINGTON -- The numbers are
staggering. More than one in four of
America's nearly 600,000 bridges need
significant repairs or are burdened with
more traffic than they were designed to
carry, according to the U.S. Department
of Transportation.
A third of the country's major
roadways are in substandard condition, a
significant factor in a third of the
more than 43,000 traffic fatalities each
year, according to the Federal Highway
Administration. Traffic jams waste 4
billion hours of commuters' time and
nearly 3 billion gallons of gasoline a
year, the Texas Transportation Institute
calculates.
"Much of America is held together
by Scotch tape, bailing wire and
prayers," said Donald F. Kettl, director
of the Fels Institute of Government at
the University of Pennsylvania.
Fixing these problems and others
threatening the nation's critical
infrastructure would cost $1.6 trillion,
the American Society of Civil Engineers
(ASCE) estimates. And that doesn't
include what it will cost for new
capacity to serve a growing population.
"We have convinced ourselves that
infrastructure is free, that someone
else should be paying or that we have
paid our share," said Mike Pagano, an
urban planning expert at the University
of Illinois at Chicago.
Infrastructure is the
four-syllable jawbreaker that
governments use to describe the
concrete, stone, steel, wires and wood
that Americans rely on every day but
barely notice until something goes awry.
Broadly speaking, it includes airports,
the electrical energy grid, hazardous
and solid waste storage sites, navigable
inland waterways, public parks, schools,
dams and even the security to protect
all of those structures.
Federal and state officials share
the blame for shortfalls in America's
maintenance budget. Congress hasn't
raised the federal gasoline tax of 18.4
cents per gallon which pays for about 45
percent of all road construction since
1993, nor have many state leaders been
willing to charge drivers more at the
pump to pay for local road repairs.
Compounding this problem is the
price for steel, concrete and land.
Road-building costs are projected to
increase more than 70 percent between
1993, when federal gas taxes were last
increased, and 2015. It is estimated
that federal gasoline taxes would have
to rise 10 cents to 28.4 cents per
gallon by 2015 just to keep up with
maintenance. Given this is a
Presidential election year, have you
heard any of the candidates discussing
this problem, let alone defining their
approach to solving it?
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Grant Writing Workshop in Bend, OR |
March 13-14, 2008
City of Bend Fire & Rescue and
Grant Writing USA will present a two-day
grant writing workshop in Bend on March
13-14, 2008. Beginning and experienced
grant writers from nonprofit
organizations are encouraged to attend.
Tuition is $425 and includes all
materials: workbook and accompanying
220MB resource CD that's packed full of
tools and more than 200 sample grant
proposals. Seating is limited, online
reservations are necessary, walk-ins are
not allowed.
For more information including
venue location and maps, graduate
testimonials and instant, online
enrollment, please visit
http://GrantWritingUSA.com
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Chamber Member Helping Others
- What a Success!
Lyle Hicks from Jake's Diner tells
me the Chamber's membership has
responded like "gang busters." So don't
quit now, it is the middle of winter and
this is the time when most people need
help. Jake's Diner and the Salvation
Army are now collecting coats, jackets,
blankets, and sleeping bags to help the
needy. Please make sure they are clean
and in good shape. Bring your articles
to Jake's and place them in the boxes
provided. All proceeds and items
collected will go directly to the people
who need it through the Salvation Army.
Lyle welcomes any businesses that wish
to participate and encourages them to
contact him at 419-6021.
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Coming
events
Feb 15, 2008
: Second
Community Affairs Council (CAC) – Town
Hall Luncheon
February's Town Hall will
explore what effect ODOT's Madras
decision is having on Central Oregon's
economic development. Is a state agency
interfering with individual property
rights and cities abilities to expand
their local economy? Or is ODOT just
protecting a state asset by controlling
the number of new trips allowed on a
state highway? Bob Bryant, Region 4 ODOT
Director, will be joining us and
presenting ODOT's view and answering
questions. Join in on the Q & A and
discussion. Is this a property rights
issue? Should a state agency have the
ultimate word on local highway access?
Is economic development in Central
Oregon going to be subject to who can
afford to pay for transportation
studies? Let your voice be heard at the
Bend Chamber Community Affairs Council
Town Hall.
The new CAC Town Hall luncheons
will be held at Touchmark at Mount
Bachelor Village in the Terrace Lodge
Forum Theater. The luncheons will be
held on the third Friday of the month
from noon to 1:30 p.m. To join the CAC
Town Hall luncheon series, call Lindi at
the Bend Chamber to reserve your spot:
382-3221.
Feb 25, 2008: Real Estate Forecast
Breakfast –
This year's speakers are: Sandy
Garner of The Garner Group Realtors
and Development, Dana Bratton of
Bratton Appraisal Group, and Stephen
Trono of The Trono Company. Please
join us to hear these experts talk about
the pulse of the residential and
commercial real estate markets and
marketing trends as they relate to
Central Oregon. Where are your real
estate investments headed in 2008? Be
sure to attend to hear the latest
predictions. Register online:
www.bendchamber.org/REFB or call
Lindi DeWolf at the Bend Chamber,
382-3221. Corporate Tables ($595) offer
reserved seating for ten and are the
best way to ensure you and your
co-workers sit together. Individual
seats are just $45 and are first-come,
first-served, open seating.
Business Showcase
Only once a year, the Bend Chamber
offers the opportunity for Small and/or
Home-Based Businesses to co-host a
Business After Hours. These extremely
successful events "showcase" small
businesses that would otherwise be
unable to "host" a networking event due
to the size of their facilities. This
event gives great visibility as well as
an opportunity to highlight their
products and services while networking
one-on-one with potentially 200+ new
clients. The next Business Showcase is
coming up on Tuesday, March 11, 2008
at the Bend Golf & Country Club, and
we have openings for hosts. The cost is
$125 for new Chamber members or
non-profit organizations, and $150 for
all others. We have a limited number of
booths, and last year they filled up
fast, so if you are interested in
participating, please contact Lindi
DeWolf at
lindi@bendchamber.org or 382-3221.
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