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City Downtown Land Deal Falls Short
City Councilors
were stunned Wednesday night to learn
the sale of a piece of property downtown
has fallen through. Taylor Pickhardt
Developers withdrew their plans to build
a multi-story building on the corner of
Greenwood and Wall.
Councilors viewed the current parking lot as an
opportunity to develop an entry into the
downtown corridor. Two weeks ago, the
City Council questioned the terms and
conditions for the sale. The council was
unsatisfied with the terms of the sale
including the possibility of four
closing extensions and a parking
encroachment.
Under the Bend Urban Renewal Agency, the City of Bend
would have sold the site to the
developers for $3.5 million. Taylor
Pickhardt Developers won the original
bid process back in October.
“We like the project, and we like the site,” Jeff
Pickhardt said. “It’s just the timing at
hand and structuring something that
benefits both sides.”
Pickhardt also commended staff on trying to structure a
good deal for everyone, but again stated
economic conditions just aren’t right.
“In my mind, I would hold on to this (property) for a
while and wait to move forward,” said
Councilor Mark Capell.
Economic Development Director John Russell told the
council the real estate market is just
not good at this time and the city
should put this project on hold and see
what happens. “We still have an asset
there,” he said.
The council looked at ways to generate
money with the current parking lot. Some
possibilities include going back to long
term permanent parking or having a
Pay-n-Display Parking meter program like
the Mirror Pond lots. City staff will
come back with options for the lot.
The council was also informed the former Bulletin site
will soon be placed on the market for
$5.5 million. Buyers will have at least
six weeks to turn in their prospective
bids.
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Other City Council
Notables
Proposed Sewer Rate Increase:
During its work session Wednesday, the
City Council received an update on the
Water Reclamation (Sewer) Rate Study.
City staff requested the council start
to consider a proposed rate increase of
14.5 percent for the next four years.
This would increase the base rate from
$25.18 to $28.83. Staff stated the
increase would help to meet current and
projected improvements. Councilor Mark
Capell said he would like to see other
options, possibly just a 10 percent
increase and spread over a longer term.
Councilor Bill Friedman concurred and
said he would like to see all options.
The rate increase will be brought to the
council on June 18 as part of a fee
resolution.
Possible Water and Sewer SDC Increase: The City
Council received an update on the
proposed increases to the Water and
Sewer System Development Charges.
According to a staff memo, “the proposed
water and sewer SDCs will be increasing
27.3 percent and 37.4 percent,
respectively.” Currently, water and
sewer charges are at $3,496 and $2,038.
With the increase, water SDCs would be
$4,449 and sewer SDCs would be $2,800.
The proposed increases will be brought
to the council for a public hearing and
adoption on July 2.
Temporary Fund Plan for Transit: City Manager
Eric King asked the council to start
thinking ahead to November and the cuts
which might have to be made to transit
if the Transit District Resolution
doesn’t pass. “Since we deferred the
cuts, we will have to make deeper cuts
later,” King said. Councilors agreed
they would like to see all possible
options for an unsuccessful and a
successful vote. This way an accurate
picture could be provided to the
community.
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Update on US97 Bend
North Corridor
In a joint work
session Monday evening, the Bend City
Council and Deschutes County
Commissioners looked at different
options for the US 97 Bend North
Corridor.
The area of impact includes US 97 from Deschutes Market
Road/Tumalo Junction Interchange and the
Bend Parkway/Empire Avenue Interchange.
Rick Willams, Environmental Project
Manager for ODOT in Bend, stated a
change is needed due to worsening
traffic flows, increasing accident
rates, travel delays, and traffic
congestion during peak hours.
Out of 24 original plans, four different alternatives
were presented to the officials. Though
the plans vary, they all involve adding
a frontage road that would eventually
connect with Third Street and new
formation of roads north of Bend.
Alternatives “Existing A” and “East A,” US 97
would stay on its current track or move
slightly east running parallel with the
Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad
tracks.
Alternative “West A” would send the
alignment to the west of the mall and
Hwy 20/US 97 would be co-located in the
south. This plan would have access to
3rd Street and one section of Hwy 20
would be severed.
The final alternative is “West B,” which would have the
two highways running parallel to each
other. Williams stated ODOT would not
recommend this option.
Currently, 40,000 people travel Hwy 20
per day and 60,000 people use US 97.
Commissioner Tammy Melton questioned the
“problems” with the Empire interchange.
“Empire at US 97 still remains a problem
because we haven’t resolved what to do,”
Williams told Melton. “Empire Avenue
does remain at the top of the list.”
ODOT will hold another public meeting on July 19 at Sky
View Middle School to receive more
public commentary. From there, ODOT
hopes to start drafting the EIS. At
current projections, construction should
begin sometime in 2012.
For more information about the project and future
timelines go to
www.US97Solutions.org.
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National
Organization helps locals with
prescription assistance
The “Help is Here Express” bus
recently rolled through Bend, trying to
help uninsured or financially struggling
Central Oregonians find access to
prescription medication.
Sponsored by America’s pharmaceutical
research companies, the bus tour is part
of the Partnership for Prescription
Assistance (PPA) which is designed to
help raise awareness about patient
assistance programs.
The PPA is a clearing house of information for 475
public and private assistance programs.
“It’s a one stop shop for America’s
uninsured,” said Jennifer Page,
Communications Director for PhRMA. “It
helps them obtain free medicine.”
Page says this program is especially important right
now with the current economy. “It’s
harder and harder to get access to the
insurance they need for basic coverage
and prescription drug coverage,” she
said. “(Americans) can get access to the
medicine they need and live more
productive lives.”
The program has matched over 5 million people,
including over 70,000 in Oregon, to
various assistance programs. The program
also specializes in helping those who
suffer from chronic diseases like mental
health, diabetes, cancer, heart disease,
and asthma.
To find out what programs they are eligible for,
patients can call or go online and
complete a simple form within ten
minutes. Once the qualifying programs
are identified, patients will then
receive information in the mail about
the programs and complete another set of
forms. Page says there are no guarantees
about final approval.
For more information call 1-888-4PPA-NOW or visit
www.pparx.org.
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Road
Construction Update
Starting on June 6, roads located within
the Deschutes River Woods subdivision
will see some construction. The
construction road crews will work on the
asphalt overlay for Cinder Butte Road
from Baker Road to the end of pavement,
Cheyenne Road from Cinder Butte Road to
Navajo Circle, and Minnetonka Lane from
Cinder Butte Road to Cherokee Road.
Asphalt overlay will also begin to take place starting
June 16 on Johnson Road from Bend’s city
limits to Tumalo Reservoir Road.
Road construction is expected to continue until June 27
on all afore mentioned roads. According
to the Deschutes County Road Department,
traffic will be limited to one lane and
drivers can expect delays of up to 20
minutes during construction. Crews will
operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Road
Department advises drivers to use
alternate routes when possible.
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Upcoming
Chamber
events
June 17: “HAD YOUR 15 MINUTES? Get 15
insider tips to get your name in the
headlines.”
Newspapers, radio and television all
disseminate information, but each has
its own focus. You will get a brief
overview, along with the strengths and
weaknesses that each medium has when it
comes to reaching an audience. Also,
learn some great tips on what makes a
story stand out for local media as well
as how to give a good interview. Join in
the discussion with our panelists Anna
Johnson, Deschutes County; Jerry Upham,
KOHD- TV ABC; Robert
Berman, Cascade Concrete Solutions; and
Kristi Miller, BendBroadband/Good
Morning Central Oregon. Please RSVP by
noon on Monday, June 16 at
www.bendchamber.org or
call 382-3221.
Title Sponsor
June 23: Bend Chamber’s 2nd
Annual Team Challenge Golf Tournament-
Get your business known as a leader in
this competitive Team Challenge Golf
Tournament. Just one member of your team
needs to be an employee. Teams cost $600
per foursome. Sign up today at
www.bendchamber.org/teamgolf.
If you are interested in a sponsorship
or donation, contact Gayle at 382-3221
or by email at
gayle@bendchamber.org.
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