Category: Central Oregon Daily

$2.4 million in credits going to Central Electric Cooperative members

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December 8, 2023

More than 12,000 current and former Central Electric Cooperative members will be sharing nearly $2.5 million in capital credit payments, the not-for-profit utility announced Friday.

CEC will mail checks to 12,113 members totaling $2,481,482, The average check will be $204.

The cooperative said it has returned more than $46 million in capital credits to its members since 1981. CEC says it has sent credits to members in 40 of the last 43 years.

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Here is the full announcement from CEC, including an explanation of how members receive credits: 

REDMOND, Ore. – Central Electric Cooperative announced today that 12,113 current and former members will receive capital credit payments totaling $2,481,482. CEC will mail members their checks next week.  

Individual checks to current and former CEC members who purchased power in 1999 will average $204. The difference between the $3.5 million capital credits retirement and the $2.5 million paid to members is for members for whom CEC does not have a current address. Members can inquire regarding unclaimed capital credit payments by checking the list on the coop’s website, which is updated frequently.

Since 1981, Central Electric has returned more than $46 million in Capital Credits to its members.

As a not-for-profit utility, Central Electric has two options for raising capital, borrowing, or raising capital from its members. The cooperative lowers its capital costs by melding member capital credits funding with borrowed money on which CEC must pay interest.

Cooperative members share in the benefits of margins annually earned. CEC’s bylaws authorize its board of directors to pay capital credits to members when the utility’s financial condition permits. CEC has issued Capital Credits to members in 40 out of the last 43 years.  

2 weeks of pile burning begins near Skyliners Road

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December 8, 2023

The Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District firefighters began pile burning west of Bend on the north and south sides of Skyliners Road Friday. That work may continue for another two weeks as conditions allow.

“Smoke and flames may be visible from Skyliners Road and trails within the Phil’s Trailhead network. Residents in communities near Skyliners Road are encouraged to keep doors and windows closed to help decrease smoke impacts,” the Deschutes National Forest said.

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Here are more details from the Forest Service.

Firefighters select pile burning units for ignition based on moisture levels, forecasted weather and conditions predicted to move smoke away from communities where possible. Piles may smolder, burn, and produce smoke for several days after ignition. Once ignited, firefighters monitor piles until they are declared out. Please do not report ignitions.

While smoke may linger in the area, removing these large accumulations of woody debris during the winter months minimizes fire danger. The landing piles are concentrations of leftover materials associated with vegetation management activities being done to reduce hazardous fuels loading adjacent to communities.

High Desert Happenings: Dec. 8 – Dec. 10

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December 8, 2023

It’s Friday! Which means we have another set of events going around the High Desert this weekend. 

Friday

Holiday Open House at Revival Vintage from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Boujee Bingo at the High Desert Music Hall from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Sno’d In Winter Party at Bend Brewing Company from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Saturday

Local Makers Holiday Market at Cascade Lakes Brewing Pub on Century from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Locavore Holiday Gift Faire at Unitarian Universalist Church from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Christmas in Powell Butte from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Also on Friday from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) 

Sunday 

Sounds of the Season Concert performed by Redmond Community Choir at Redmond High School starting at 4:00 p.m.

Craft-O-Holiday Bazaar at The Workhouse in Bend 9:00 a.m. to  5:00 p.m. (Also on Saturday starting at 9:00 a.m.)

▶️ Bend awarding $1.2 million in block grants for affordable housing

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December 8, 2023

$1.2 million from the City of Bend is going to block grants for developers who plan to create affordable housing.

The city says this year’s applicants are proposing a large number of affordable housing units

“We received six applications totaling 333 proposed units. So that’s really exciting,” said Mellissa Kamanya, City of Bend Affordable Housing Coordinator.

The applicants have to present their plans before the city’s affordable housing advisory committee, which will decide how the money is distributed.

The decision likely won’t be official until January.

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▶️ BPRD hosting annual Hollinshead Homestead open house Saturday

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December 8, 2023

Saturday, the Hollinshead Homestead is hosting a holiday open house. You can learn what living in Bend back in the early 1900s was like.

The small museum will be all decorated for the season and ready for guests to walk through.

A woman who grew up on the homestead is giving the tours, and you will hear how different life in Bend was during that time.

>>> Have you checked out Central Oregon Daily News on YouTube? Click here to subscribe and share our videos.

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“A lot of folks who live in Bend today don’t know the history of our area, and that agriculture was a big part of Bend in the first part of the 1800s and early 1900s,” said Kim Johnson, community engagement supervisor, Bend Park and Rec. “We’ve evolved away from that now.”

The open house is from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Saturday. This free opportunity only happens once a year.

If you can’t make it, you can schedule a tour for another day through Bend Park and Recreation.

▶️ Quilters raise $23,000 for food insecurity through Bend Food Project

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December 8, 2023

The Bend Food Project is giving $23,000 to The Giving Plate to address food insecurity for kids.

They raised the money by partnering with local quilters across Central Oregon, who donated more than 250 quilts for the cause.

Many who donated are already looking ahead.

>>> Have you checked out Central Oregon Daily News on YouTube? Click here to subscribe and share our videos.

RELATED: COCC students donate refurbished SUV to Meals on Wheels

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“The quilters are pretty excited about making more quilts, as that is what quilters like to do,” Quilter Sandra Henderson said. “Having it go to such an incredible cause makes it only that much better.”

Henderson says the partnership between Bend Food Project, The Giving Plate and quilters helps spread the word and feed kids, so that no one goes hungry.

 

▶️ Oregon launches app for people to manage state benefits

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December 8, 2023

The Oregon Department of Human Services on Friday announced the launch of a new app for people to manage medical, food, cash and child care benefits they receive from the state.

ODHS says the Oregon ONE Mobile app is available for free in the Apple and Android app stores. Before using the app, people will first need to apply for benefits online, in person or by phone.

The app’s development was partially funded by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, ODHS said.

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Here are details from ODHS about how to use the app and manage benefits.

People in Oregon can use the free app to: 

  • Create a ONE Online account.
  • Access their existing ONE Online account.
  • Report changes to household information including address, contact information and income.
  • Upload requested documents using a smartphone camera.
  • Get updates on application status and check if it is approved, denied, or pending, and what actions might need to be taken.
  • See and download notices that were mailed.
  • Find the next renewal date for their benefits.
  • Get important, time-sensitive alerts and notifications about benefits on mobile devices.
  • View benefit issuance history for food and cash payments.

People who serve as Authorized Representatives for people with benefits are also able to use the app.

How to manage your medical, food, cash and child care benefits: 

  • By phone at: 1-800-699-9075. All relay calls accepted.
  • Online at: benefits.oregon.gov
  • Through the free Oregon ONE Mobile app available on Apple and Android app stores
  • In person at an office near you: Find an office.
  • In your language: Help in Your Language
  • By mail at: ONE Customer Service Center, PO Box 14015, Salem, OR 97309
  • By fax at: 503-378-5628

Resources to help meet basic needs

 

Weather Discussion

by
December 8, 2023
Happy Friday morning, everyone!
 
Greetings, Central Oregonians! Over the next three days, we have a weather system on the horizon set to influence our region, particularly during the weekend.

As we head into Saturday, there’s a possibility of rainy conditions, with temperatures expected to reach the upper 30s and low 40s. Winds are expected tomorrow which will make it feel a bit colder than that, with wind chill temps in the 20s and 30s.

Overnight, higher elevations may experience some accumulation of snow, while those in Bend will stay in the clear of the snow. Rain/snow chances for Sunday will be higher, especially in the Cascades and elevations above 3500-4000’.

Keep bundling up, and maybe check out one of the ski resorts in the area, as many of them have received fresh snow in the past 24 hours. Happy holidays!

 
— Katie Frazier

▶️ Scaled back Redmond Recreation Center plans shared with public

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December 7, 2023

Redmond citizens got their first look Thursday at the new plans for a voter-approved recreation center which now has to be scaled back. The Redmond Area Park Recreation District (RAPRD) said the effects of inflation left it no choice but to change its original plans.

“Definitely, like, hard to hear, but it makes sense,” said Kirsten Burch of Redmond. “Inflation was crazy last year, too, so it makes sense. But I hope to see that all the main amenities and recreation opportunities are still there that the community voiced during those initial meetings.”

Burch and several other Redmond residents attended a RAPRD public meeting to discover precisely what scaled back means.

“We live just a couple of minutes walking distance away,” Burch said. “So I’m super excited to see what it’s all about.”

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“Kind of waiting to see when their construction starts and what they’re going to do about the streets and stuff since we live in the neighborhood,” said Don Dessart of Redmond.

Voters passed the $49 million bond measure in November 2022. But with the effects of inflation, designers told the RAPRD to factor in a 36% cost increase.

“We’ve been changing the facility with an eye to keep the fundamental pieces that we heard the community wanted,” said Keith Hayes, the architect on the project. “So we still have an eight-lane pool. We still have a great, warm water aquatics facility and a leisure pool. We still have a great gym.”

Those changes include moving from a two-story building to a ground-level one. The leisure pool is scaled down by 1,200 square feet and the lounge and game areas, bouldering walls and outdoor plaza space are also eliminated.

“It’s still going to be a great project,” said Hayes. “All the pieces are going to be there. It’s going to be a great place to recreate. And we think it’s going to look great and will show what the exterior renderings look like as those are developing. And we hope it’s a building that represents Redmond and people will be proud of.”

Construction is expected to begin in June with a ground opening in the winter of 2025.

The operation levy in 2022 did not pass and voters can expect to see another attempt for that on the ballot as early as next fall. The RAPRD is also hoping private donations can further offset costs.

▶️ Neff-Purcell intersection reopening Monday after 10-month project

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December 7, 2023

After nearly 10 months of construction initially slated to last about five, the intersection at Neff Road and Purcell Blvd. in northeast Bend is set to open Monday at noon.

The City of Bend made the announcement Thursday.

The intersection has been closed since February to make improvements. Those include the addition of separate left-turn lanes, new southbound and westbound right turn lanes, wider shared-use paths, street lighting, accessible curb ramps and sidewalk improvements.

The project was initially supposed to wrap up last summer, but it was delayed after the City said workers found old, unmapped infrastructure remnants, gas, communication and power lines deep under the road.

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The re-opening of the intersection will improve access to St. Charles Medical Center and Pilot Butte Middle School.

The City is asking people to drive carefully after the road re-opens because the contractor is finishing sidewalks, landscaping and more. Expect intermittent lane shifts with flaggers.

“In addition to the intersection, the project includes completing a modernized Purcell Boulevard from Full Moon Drive to Courtney Drive, including widening the roadway, building sidewalks, and also adding bike lanes on Purcell Boulevard between Butler Market Road and Robinson Street. The Purcell extension is anticipated to open late December, connecting Purcell between Neff and Butler Market,” the City said in a statement. “Travelers accustomed to using Daggett Lane for cross-town travel will be able to instead use Purcell, a collector street designed for higher traffic volumes. Please drive slowly and stay alert: this new section of Purcell is a residential collector road with a 25 mph speed limit.”