At the Jan. 14 meeting, Eric King, City Manager focused on "Transportation issues in Bend". He shared the concerns the City of Bend has in keeping up with the transportation needs of its neighborhoods and businesses. He talked about the process of finding and implementing road improvement projects as well as how the City secures funding through bonds. "The City Council is very interested in community feedback and are wanting to collaborate with neighborhood associations as a way of finding out our needs in an orderly way," said King. He commented on the success of our outreach efforts.
King spoke to the ongoing and future needs which are funded by system development charges, bond funds, franchise fees, gas tax and the hopeful passage of an approximate 180M transportation bond. He cited the needs based on congestion, public sediment, city planning, Transportation Advisory Committee input and projected growth. Special emphasis was given to the implementation and construction status of the Empire extension and Murphy Road extension projects. He touched briefly upon transit and transportation safety improvement projects
Susanne Julber, Senior Policy Analyst helped us to understand process and timeline. She continued to give a general overview of how the City is working towards keeping up with growth in regards to transportation problems.
Mathew Boller, with SIMA Corporation (the company that revitalized Mountain View Mall into Cascade Village Shopping Center) explained the issues with creating access into the Shopping Center and Business Triangle at Robal Rd. and Hwy 97. He and his company have been raising awareness and suggesting ideas with ODOT to obtain the best outcome for shops and shoppers in the area.
Boller said his firm is impressed with the community involvement in a city of our size and the growth impact. He praised outreach from the City government and ODOT to make a workable plan that we can all live with. The scope and complications involved make it a very challenging project given the funds that are available.Our first Winter Party and Meeting was a wild success with 125 people participating. With free pizza for all and free jumping for 46 jumpers it made going to a meeting fun!!!
The next Boyd Acres meeting is Wednesday Feb. 12 at the Elks Lodge. Oregon Dept. of Transportation will share details of their proposal to remake the Parkway between Empire and Cooley. The Empire Extension Project Team will also be on hand to update on the Purcell Bridge and Extension construction.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Every Boyd Acres resident and business is eligible to attend.
Cindy King, BANA Chair
