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In this Bend Current enewsletter you will learn about the City’s upcoming street preservation work, where to find updates on construction affecting travel and a PSU survey about Bend Police. You will find recent Council updates with regard to affordable housing, wildfire resiliency, murals, transportation and more. You will also get the latest on the Core Area Project, the Blue Sky Grant recently awarded to the City, fire and firework safety tips, pruning responsibilities and more.
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APRIL 2019
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STREET PRESERVATION 2019
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The City Council has authorized about $7.04 million for street preservation work this summer to improve 125 lane miles of Bend’s public roads.
This will include some high-use streets including Skyliner Road, Century Drive, Colorado Avenue and Olney/Penn/Neff. Some of this work will occur at night to minimize disruptions to the travelling public.
Why do we choose the streets we choose?
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.
The worst roads in the city need to be completely reconstructed, which is not an efficient use of maintenance funds. Since these roads are beyond effective maintenance, reconstruction would take place as part of a long-term capital improvement project. These types of projects typically are not funded with street maintenance dollars.
“We’re shifting our emphasis slightly more toward our residential roads, since most of our main streets are in better shape than a few years ago,” said Bend Streets and Operations Director David Abbas. Read more in a press release here. To learn about Bend’s street preservation see bendoregon.gov/streetpreservation, which includes a new interactive map that will help keep you up to date on road maintenance happening in your areas.
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WEEKLY ROAD REPORT
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The City issues a weekly road and traffic report on Fridays during peak construction season to help members of our community plan the quickest, safest and most reliable routes to their destinations. The weekly report is intended to provide information about various projects that impact public roadways within City limits.
This year we have also launched a new interactive, online map at bendoregon.gov/traffic that will be regularly updated to show the current and upcoming projects that may affect travelers. This map will show lane or road closures on arterials and collectors and full closures on residential streets.
You can get the weekly report emailed to you each week by subscribing to Weekly Road and Traffic Reports at bendoregon.gov/enews, or by clicking the following link:
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POLICE SURVEY
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The majority of Bend residents trust the Bend Police Department and believe the department provides good police services, according to a recent survey by Portland State University.
Most respondents rated the Bend Police’s performance as good or very good in 2019, particularly in being available when needed and reducing crime, dealing with community concerns and reducing traffic crashes. Eight out of ten people said they trust and/or have confidence in the department, and most respondents believe Bend police handle issues appropriately. Nearly all respondents said they’d cooperate and work with police.
Although nine out of ten people said they feel safe walking alone during the day, fewer people feel safe at night, particular downtown and in parks. See what the Police Chief said here:
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AFFORDABLE HOUSING
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The City Council approved a tax exemption for 48-unit Canal Commons, an affordable housing development near Butler Market Road & 27th Street, for people earning no more than 60 percent of Area Median Income. Exemptions will be passed through to reduce rents. You can find the affordable housing issue summary here.
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WILDFIRE RESILIENCY
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The City Council signed on to a plan with Deschutes County that will increase opportunities for prescribed fire treatments and enhance coordination and communication with the community about prescribed fire events. The multi-agency effort for proactive forest treatments intends to improve community preparedness and reduce wildfire risks in the forests around Bend. Read the issue summary here.
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MURALS DISCUSSION
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The Bend City Council wants to consider revising City codes to allow murals be painted all over town instead of only in the Maker’s District in the core part of the City. The Council discussed limiting murals outside the Makers District to cement or concrete buildings or retaining walls when the site abuts an arterial or collector road. The Bend Planning Commission will next take up this issue at its April 22 meeting. More information about the Planning Commission meeting, or a link to let you livestream the meeting from home, can be found here: bendoregon.gov/planningcommission
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TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH AND STRATEGY
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Councilors approved a $108,050 contract for public relations, research and strategy assistance with implementing a transportation vision for Bend that reflects community values and a community-supported funding package. Read the summary here.
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MURPHY ROAD PROGRESS
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Councilors approved $1.1 million for construction of a portion of the Murphy corridor improvement project. Read the summary here and get a map here. The transportation project includes improvements to the Murphy corridor from the intersection of Parrell Road to 15th Street, to be completed by mid-2021. The Council has prioritized this project which will enhance the transportation system in southeast Bend.
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MIRROR POND
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Councilors have scheduled a listening session about the future of Mirror Pond starting at 5 p.m. on Monday, April 22, at the Deschutes County building located at 1300 NW Wall Street, in the Barnes and Sawyer rooms. Please note this is not the usual City Council meeting location. Interested members of the community are welcome to come listen and speak.
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Buying illegal fireworks is a bad idea. Here’s what you need to know before you go find some.
Fireworks that explode, fly more than 12 inches in the air or move laterally more than six feet are Illegal to possess and use in Oregon. These incendiary devices are critically hazardous in areas that burn readily, such as Central Oregon.
Why are mortars, Roman candles and firecrackers so dangerous?
Once you light the fuse, you lose all control over where they go, what they do and the fuels they can ignite, yet you are still responsible for any damage they cause.
Here is what can go wrong:
- They can blow up in your hand, burning your fingers, skin or eyes.
- They can easily ignite dead grass and brush and start a devastating wildfire.
- Fireworks can ignite a shake roof or flammable landscaping and burn down a house.
- The noise from exploding fireworks can cause great distress to veterans and others suffering from PTSD.
- The sound of fireworks can upset dogs to the point where they run away, become lost and possibly get injured or killed by cars.
- The costs of damage done by fireworks, the fines associated with the legal infractions and the costs of suppressing a fire caused by fireworks are all the responsibility of the person who lit the fuse.
The use of illegal fireworks is a source of great concern for many in the Bend community. Make the right decision for yourself, your family and your neighbors, and decide not to buy illegal fireworks. The photo above shows the 2018 Pilot Butte Fire on July 4 which was started by the use of illegal fireworks.
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To help with street maintenance work, including street preservation, sweeping and snow plowing, property owners have a responsibility to prune trees and shrubs that have grown into the right-of-way (as shown) to accommodate street maintenance equipment.
It is the responsibility of Bend residents, per City Code, to:
- Maintain driveway approaches and adjacent to your property in good repair
- Keep sidewalks adjacent to your property clear of vegetation, such as low-hanging branches or overgrown shrubs
- Remove, cut and/or trim flammable vegetation adjacent to your property in the public right of way, and
- Maintain a clear vision area for intersections adjacent to your property.
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The City of Bend’s Water Filtration Facility will soon generate clean, renewable power thanks to funding from Pacific Power’s Blue Sky participants. A $60,341 grant will help with the installation of 360 solar modules at the water facility west of Bend and covers about 25 percent of the total expected project cost of $266,000.
The new solar modules are expected to generate an estimated 195 megawatt-hours of energy annually, which will help lower the City’s energy bill by saving approximately $12,000 per year in energy costs. The project will also help the City reduce its carbon emissions by nearly 180,000 pounds per year over 20 years. More information about the Blue Sky Grant can be found here.
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The City has started work on the Core Area Project, an effort to create a common vision and plan for the Core Area of the City. The Core Area includes four of the opportunity areas included in the 2016 Urban Growth Boundary expansion plan: the Bend Central District, East Downtown, Inner Highway 20/Greenwood and KorPine area. This project is an exciting opportunity to shape the heart of Bend.
To involve the community, the City will hold pop-up outreach events throughout the Core Area in the month of May. We’ll announce dates and locations for the pop-up events in late April and we’re planning a community open house on June 15. Follow us on Twitter to see where we’ll be for the Core Area pop-up events and open house, or keep an eye on the project web page bendoregon.gov/corearea where you can learn more.
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To prepare your house for a safe and fire-free summer:
- Clean your gutters of all dead needles and leaves
- Rake up dead vegetation
- Move woodpiles at least 30 feet from your home
- Limb up trees that are near your house so they don’t provide “ladder fuels”
- Clear a five-foot space around any combustible structural elements, like siding, decks, etc.
- Together with neighbors, clear dead brush in common areas around your neighborhood
During late April and early May, you can haul dead vegetation (fire fuels) to a number of locations around Bend for free. (Please, no rocks, lumber, trash, plastics of any kind.) Get locations information here. Visit the FireFree website at firefree.org for more information about how you can prepare your property for wildfire season.
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May is National Preservation Month. The Deschutes County Historical Society, Deschutes County Historic Landmarks Commission, Redmond and Bend Landmarks Commissions, Deschutes Public Library, Bowman Museum and the Deschutes land Trust and other volunteers partner each year to celebrate the many ways that historic preservation enhances our quality of life. With a full schedule of events, there are many ways to celebrate the heritage of Deschutes County. Visit deschuteshistory.org for a complete list of events.
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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.
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