Greetings Old Bend Neighborhood!
The following is a summary of the Old Bend Neighborhood Association Board of Directors meeting on October 20, 2014. We hope you find this information to be useful and we’d love to hear from you regarding some of the issues and projects that affect our neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhoods and businesses.
All Board members were present:
- Juan Knutson – Chair
- Dyan Roth
- Spencer Dahl
- John Kelly
- Stan Roach
- Brett Yost
- Mark Weers
- Robert Almquist
- Jodell Born
New board member Ben Coffman was unanimously voted in
Please visit the OBNA website at www.oldbend.org. You may contact members of the board by emailing: board@oldbend.org
Topic: Galveston Corridor Project
Guest Speakers: Nick Arnis (City of Bend), Stephanie Serpico (HDR Engineering)
Recently, the City of Bend has been working with a community Task Force and Technical Advisory Committee to develop streetscape concept designs for Galveston Avenue.
Nick and Stephanie presented the preliminary concepts that have been developed with the vision and goals in mind. These include options to both improve safety and reduce congestion at the intersection of Galveston and Harmon. Other considerations include the possibility for additional on-street parking to help alleviate neighborhood issues concerning parking, congestion, and other problems associated with the popularity of the Galveston Avenue stretch between Harmon and 14th.
The Galveston Task Force is an effort by a variety of volunteers, property owners, and local stakeholders to improve the Galveston corridor. At least three concepts are being considered. The task force is now looking for feedback from interested parties. Anyone interested in providing opinions on the concepts should take an online survey located on The City of Bend’s website.
Topic: Vacation Rental Task Force (VRTF)
The VRTF was formed to help shape decisions about vacation home rentals in Bend. Task Force members will be expected to attend approximately seven meetings between mid-November 2014 and March 2015 to research, discuss and recommend this issue. The first meeting is tentatively scheduled for November 20, 2014.
Various stakeholder groups have been asked to assign a representative to the Vacation Rental Task Force including:
- Bend Planning Commission
- Old Bend Neighborhood Association (OBNA)
- River West Neighborhood Association
- Bend Chamber of Commerce
- Visit Bend
- Bend Economic Development Advisory Board (BEDAB)
During the meeting the OBNA Board appointed board member Spencer Dahl to be its representative. A recent appointee to the board, Ben Coffman, was selected to be the alternate member.
Topic: OBNA Meeting Calendar
The following is a preliminary schedule for meetings scheduled into 2015.
- December 1st: Board meeting
- January 12th: General membership meeting at the Environmental Center (more info coming)
- February 9th: Board meeting
- April 20th: Board meeting
- June 15th: Board meeting
- August 17th: Board meeting
- September 14th: General membership meeting (location and agenda TBD)
Topic: Troy Field
The Board voted to draft a letter to the school district in support of maintaining public ownership of Troy Field.
Topic: Deschutes River Trail Extension Update – Galveston to Miller’s Landing Park
The consultant is preparing to perform traffic counts on Riverside and Riverfront in an attempt to better understand traffic patterns in the neighborhood prior to recommending which street to focus on for design concepts. During the meeting Board member John Kelly communicated that it appears Riverfront Ave. will used for the extension. You can learn more by visiting the Bend Parks and Rec website at
www.BendParksandRec.org.
