Bend Current. News from The City of Bend.

City of Bend Streets crew resurfacing a street

STREET MAINTENANCE SEASON IS WINDING DOWN - CHECK OUT NEW FRESH STREETS ALL OVER TOWN!

A busy summer street maintenance season is coming to an end! Street maintenance is one of the core services the City provides.

The Streets and Operations Department’s skilled and dedicated employees maintain roads, bridges, ADA ramps, street lights and more. Our Keep Good Roads Good philosophy means we maintain and preserve streets with the most cost-effective treatment—the right treatment at the right time. Regular maintenance of good roads and complete reconstruction of the worst roads is the most efficient use of funds.

During this 2017 construction season, they City’s Streets and Operations Department preserved 94 lane miles of pavement:

Slurry Seals: 56 lane miles
Chip Seals: 15 lane miles
Overlays: 23 miles

Crews also repaired 1,561 potholes, swept 2,987 lane miles, built 169 ADA ramps, painted 128 miles of yellow center line and 478 miles of white fog line.

bendoregon.gov/streets

City of Bend employee tilling soil at Hollinshead Park

WATER CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP

There’s a new, low-water demonstration garden full of native and non-native plants that are suitable for Central Oregon’s dry climate located next to the popular community garden at Hollinshead Park.

The City of Bend, in partnership with Oregon State University Extension Service, Central Oregon Master Gardeners and Bend Park and Recreation District installed the Hollinshead Water-wise Garden at Hollinshead Park.

The garden also includes a highly-efficient, four-zone irrigation system designed and installed by City water conservation staff. Each zone demonstrates a different irrigation technique. The garden opened to the public this month.

Learn more about the low water landscape demonstration garden and find other landscape and irrigation resources at:

WaterWiseTips

RV in driveway sticking out over sidewalk

KEEP SIDEWALKS CLEAR FOR EVERYONE

We all play a role in helping our neighbors get around safety by keeping sidewalks clear.

City Code requires adjacent property owners to maintain their sidewalks and keep them free of obstructions. This includes trimming vegetation so it doesn’t protrude or extend into a sidewalk, or within eight feet above a public sidewalk. City Code also prohibits parking on a sidewalk, even if the adjacent street is not obstructed.

Obstructions can include:

Parked Cars
Trailers
Vegetation
Material storage

Garbage cart placement can be tricky, given the desire to keep lanes clear for street sweepers or snow plows. However, it’s important that garbage carts don’t block sidewalks, so you may need to place garbage and recycling carts on the street. If you have a bike lane in front of your house, carts can be placed on the strip between the street and sidewalk or on your driveway apron to try to keep the bike lane clear as well.

COUNCIL UPDATES

DOWNTOWN SAFETY

As our community grows and changes, the City has heard a number of concerns about security and comfort for people downtown. Councilors recently approved a multi-pronged strategy to help address the issue and to keep downtown vibrant, safe and fun for everyone.

Short-term approaches include:

Installing security cameras at high Police call areas
Increasing daily foot patrols downtown
Increasing private security in cooperation with the Downtown Bend Business Association

Long-term strategies include efforts to partner with other agencies and organizations on a respite center and “housing first” model to focus on chronic offenders and provide opportunities to address chronic homelessness.

City Council

CITYWIDE TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The City Council recently approved forming the Citywide Transportation Advisory Committee to help get public input as the City updates the City’s Transportation System Plan.

The Transportation System Plan is a long-term planning guide, required by state land use law, that guides transportation plans and funding. It’s supposed to reflect the community’s priorities, and will address how we pay for the transportation system we want.

Applications are due October 6.

You can read the issue summary here for more information on committee goals and makeup.

Read the announcement here.

Citizen Committees

ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRESS UPDATE

One year ago, the Bend City Council adopted a Climate Action Resolution calling for collective action to improve energy efficiency in Bend. Access the resolution here.

A major component of the resolution was a goal to reduce fossil fuel use in the City’s own operations and buildings. Through analysis of our energy usage, the City determined that electricity and natural gas use make up the majority of our consumption of fossil fuels.

In the last few years, the City achieved a more than 10 percent reduction in electricity use in its facilities with existing staff resources and budgets, which has produced approximately $30,000 in annual savings for the City.

SEWER LINE PROGRESS IN NORTHEAST BEND

The Neff/Purcell Sewer Line Segment connects the current Southeast Interceptor project along 27th Street to the existing sewer collection system. This segment runs under Neff Road from Medical Center Drive to Purcell Blvd, under Purcell Blvd to the north, and then out of the roadway towards Moody Park. Completion of this segment is the final link of the Southeast Interceptor, which will help alleviate sewer capacity problems in our system. Please drive carefully in this area and follow posted detour routes. Visit bendoregon.gov/SEI for more information »

BEND IS A WELCOMING CITY!

Welcoming Cities are guided by the principles of inclusion and creating communities that prosper because everyone feels welcome, including immigrants and refugees. The City Council proclaimed the week of September 15 Welcoming Week in Bend. Read the proclamation »

(541) 388-5505
communications@bendoregon.gov

You are receiving this email because you have expressed interest in receiving news from one or more of the City of Bend departments or you subscribed via our website. If you received this email but don’t wish to continue getting Bend Current, you can unsubscribe here. If you know someone else who might want to get The Bend Current they can sign up at bendoregon.gov/enews.

Accommodation Information for People with Disabilities
To obtain this information in an alternate format such as Braille, large print, etc., please contact Anne Aurand at: communications@bendoregon.gov; Relay Users Dial 7-1-1.

Broken Top and the Three Sisters mountains footer image