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Bend Chamber Weekly
August 21, 2009
By Courtney Linville, Communications Coordinator
This Week's Highlights
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Swing into Fall with the 12th Annual Member Invitational Golf Tournament
Time is running out to sign up for the 2009 Bend Chamber Fall Invitational Golf Tournament on September 14. Join fellow golfers at Brasada Ranch for a great day of networking, breathtaking views, and of course ... golfing!
Make sure to secure your spot for a team of four, or just yourself today at www.bendchamber.org/golf.
If you don't golf, consider becoming a sponsor. There are still a few open positions that will give you a chance to gain great exposure for your business!
But wait... there's more. You can also highlight your business by donating a prize for the raffle drawing or placing items in the golfer's tee bags.
If you are interested in donations or sponsorship opportunities, call Gayle Najera at 382-3221.
The 12th Annual Member Invitational Golf Tournament is brought to you by:
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Council looks at water upgrades
With an update and modernization to Bend's water system, Bend City Councilors learned Wednesday evening the project could cost up to $70 million.
During a work session, city officials and consultants related results from a study about the city's current water system and the various directions that could be taken. Tom Hickman, the city's interim public works assistant director, told councilors some of the biggest issues driving the study and the update include fire in the watershed, possible pipeline failure, and the new drinking water compliance of 2012.
The drinking water compliance comes from new regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency which requires cities to have a treatment system in place to kill cryptosporidium, a parasite which causes gastrointestinal illness.
According to a public official, cryptosporidium is a parasite that is resistant to medical treatment. It's carried by animals and people, it's very hard to filter, and it can survive in an environment for long periods of time.
So what are the options? Officials and consultants discussed alternative water sources instead of reinvesting in Bridge Creek. The options include drilling 9 more wells to replace Bridge Creek's capacity or placing a facility right on the Deschutes River.
City officials and consultants agreed the reinvestment in Bridge Creek was the best option for the city in the long run. The project would include 10 miles of new piping from the watershed to the treatment facility, the possibility of a hydro power plant, and either a UV or membrane filtration system.
Consultants and officials urged the councilors to go with the membrane filtration option because it would be able to handle any fire risk, lower overhead and maintenance costs, and supply the most benefits for future regulations.
The cost of this option is as follows: $25 million for the membrane filtration system, a new pipeline is estimated to cost around $28 to $30 million, and a hydropower facility would cost $18 million.
If the city council approves the option, the projects would be funded through grants, bonds, I incentives, and revenues from water fees. Officials did point out the hydropower plant could generate about $1.8 million in revenues each year which could be used to help pay for the system.
City Manager Eric King told councilors now is the time to move forward on this project with construction costs coming in at all time lows, and the possibility of taking advantage of stimulus funds.
Public Works Director Paul Rhealut also told councilors the city could take a "hard option" and purchase the piping and the hydropower plant materials now, while the market was low. He said this could save the city money in the long run.
The council was interested in making the upgrades, but wanted to hear from the public and investigate the options a little more. "To me, it's clear the piping project should go forward quickly and the hydro should go forward quickly... That seems really clear to me, now is a good time to get started," said Councilor Jim Clinton. "I am a long way, personally, from deciding among the treatment alternatives."
Hickman pointed out the council could decide to choose the membrane option at this time so design and planning could be started. When a formal presentation is made in May 2010 about the project, the council could make a decision at that time to change from the membrane to the UV option.
Councilor Mark Capell, who has hiked through the watershed, says he's ready to move forward now. "To loose half of the water supply potentially for years, scares me, every time we have lighting I look towards that area and worry," he said. "We would have people rioting if we lost that supply."
The council will now have two weeks to ask questions and hear from the public before it makes a decision at its September 2 meeting. |
City Council Highlights
City moves forward with amended ordinance for SDC Governing Appeals: The Bend City Council gave a unanimous nod of heads in the first reading of an ordinance that would amend the Governing of Appeals of the amount of System Development Charges (SDCs). The proposed ordinance has a two-step process. The first review would take place by the Community Development Department Engineer. The second step would be a review by a panel comprised of the Community Development Director, the Public Works Director, and the City Manager. City Councilor Tom Greene stated he was concerned there was not a citizen member on the panel. "This seems like a stacked deck of all city employees," he said. City Manager Eric King pointed out that often the issues are very technical and those who would be impacted were fine with the process. King also stated he has at times sided differently from staff. "We do intend to set up a local review board on other issues," he said. Greene stated he just wants to make sure all citizens are treated fairly. The council will have a second reading of the ordinance at its next meeting.
City staff to continue to update codes, ordinances: During Wednesday's Bend City Council Meeting, City Manager Eric King stated the staff will continue its efforts to update codes, policies and procedures, and ordinances. "We are going through an extensive process to do that at many different levels," he said. "Now is the time to make sure we have good systems and processes in place, so when we do turn around, we can make sure to provide good customer service, predictable processes, and be transparent." Over the next year to 18 months, city staff will provide council with the updates or "tune up packages." Some areas included in the update are the development code, a telecommunications ordinance, council policies that should be part of the city code, etc. King stated he would also like to see more city records available online along with intergovernmental agreements. |
Oregon Unemployment sees slight improvement
Oregon's July unemployment rate improved slightly to 11.9 percent. This is just a small decrease from June's revised figure of 12 percent.
For the past five months, Oregon's unemployment rate has been close to the 12 percent mark. On Monday, Governor Ted Kulongoski stated though the numbers are remaining steady, they still serve as a reminder the state has a long way to go for a full recovery.
"Until we come out of these difficult times, we will continue to invest federal and state recovery dollars into projects that will put Oregonians to work. We will also make sure for those who rely on unemployment benefits that those benefits remain intact as they continue to look for employment," Kulongoski stated in a recent press release.
The national unemployment rate also remained steady at 9.4 percent for July compared to June's 9.5 percent.
Kulongoski said Oregon will continue to work with the federal government to make sure Oregonians across the state keep working on projects. "As more and more of these projects begin to break ground, I believe we will see more people back to work and Oregon once again on the road to economic prosperity." |
Kids Center Makes List of Top 100 Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon
Kids Center has been included in the Oregon Business magazine's first annual 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For In Oregon.
The list and rankings were based on the confidential input of the 6,700 employees from more than 200 nonprofits across the state. Employees responded to a 60-question survey about workplace satisfaction including benefits, management, trust, work environment, and development. |
The Bend Chamber is proud to offer dental and vision plans!
As a Chamber member, you will be able to create a plan that fits the needs of your employees. You will have over 200 combinations of plans and one to two year rate guarantees.
To find out more, contact Dave Johnson at 866-656-3232, dave@johnsonbenefitplanning.com or Bev Hinshaw at 541-382-3571, bev@johnsonbenefitplanning.com.
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In the News
U.S. Congressman Greg Walden to appear at Talk of the Town: Talk of the Town will host U.S. Congressman Greg Walden on August 28. Walden will share a brief update on current congressional matters, including an up-to-date highlight of federal forestry and wildfire issues, followed by community discussion. The town hall program will take place at 3:30 p.m. at Cascades Theatrical Company and RSVP's are required due to limited seating. This event is open to the public and free to attend. If you are interested contact Jamie Christman at talk@bendbroadband.com or call 388-5814. For more information on the event, go to www.talkofthetownco.com.
Central Oregon mentioned in National Geographic Traveler: Central Oregon was recently featured in the National Geographic Traveler's "50 Drives of a Lifetime." National Geographic picked several drives from around the country for people to take a time to take an old-fashioned road trip. Cascade Lakes was noted as an area that includes "forests, lakes, meadows, and prehistoric volcanoes."
City of Bend Hires New Accessibility Manager: The City of Bend recently announced this week the hire of Susan M. Duncan as the Accessibility Manager for the City of Bend. Duncan will start on August 24 and will coordinate the City of Bend multi-disciplinary efforts to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other related laws and regulations, including activities associated with the 2004 Department of Justice Settlement Agreement, 2006 Disability Rights Oregon (DRO) Settlement Agreement, and City ADA policies for public facilities, rights-of-way areas, programs, and communications. Duncan has worked with a variety of governmental and private organizations in Central Oregon and the State of Washington as an accessible design consultant through her business, The ABC's of Accessibility Inc, over the last 30 years. |
Upcoming Events
September 14 - 2009 Bend Chamber Fall Invitational Golf Tournament - The summer is starting to fly by and that means the 2009 Bend Chamber Fall Invitational Golf Tournament will be here before you know it. Join us at Brasada Ranch for a great day of golf. We pay out prizes for both the low net and low gross teams. Start making plans now. If you do not know the names of your players, take the first step of securing a spot in the tournament by signing up online today at www.bendchamber.org/golf. We also encourage you to register as an individual and we will create a team for you. If you are not a golfer, but would like to participate in the tournament we have options ranging from sponsorships to donations for tee bags, team prizes, and more. For more information on the golf tournament or sponsorship opportunities, contact Gayle Najera at gayle@bendchamber.org or by phone at 382-3221.
October 16-18 - 11th Annual Fall Home Show & Living Green Expo: Market your company to thousands at the 11th Annual Fall Home Show & Living Green Expo at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds on October 16 through October 18. The show is simply the most cost effective way to reach a targeted audience. The total attendance of the event is expected to exceed of 5,000 and is one of the largest fall events in Central Oregon. To reserve a space, visit the Show Web site, print out the Registration Information and send it into the Central Oregon Builders Association office, www.centraloregonshow.com/Registration/default.aspex. For more information or to reserve your location, contact Sonia Burns at the Central Oregon Builders Association at 389-1058 or soniab@coba.org, or online at www.centraloregonshow.com. If you your business centers around selling a product or service to homeowners, you can't miss out on this opportunity to be an exhibitor at the Central Oregon Fall Home Show & Living Green Expo.
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