A PLAN FOR TROY FIELD
Yes, there was a reason for the City to buy Troy Field. I was on the school steering committee, which recommended to the school board that they save Troy Field for part of a civic center, which was already in the planning stage. It was precluded by the recession but the plan still exists.
The current parking lots between the school admin building and City Hall were to be a grass field/covering/a parking lot, big enough for soccer, surrounded by a larger City Hall, apartments over stores on Troy Field (former cleaners on that site), school admin, and the library.
The school board voted to hold it for that purpose, but like everyone else in Bend, they wanted instant cash, never mind the buyer, who would change the zoning to suit his desires as always happens.
Personally, I am sorry the schools and City couldn't work this out. We all would have benefitted.
—Barabara McAusland
BEND'S INSATIABLE TOURISM INDUSTRY
The tourism industry is creating a cycle of events that is very destructive for the Bend community:
1. Advertising is increased to attract more tourists to Bend.
2. Increasing numbers of tourists contribute to traffic congestion and degradation of local recreation areas like the Deschutes River, Pilot Butte, and Smith Rock. Locals are increasingly forced to compete with tourists for camping space or park use. According to the Bureau of Labor, the tourism industry pays relatively low wages and many workers cannot afford to buy homes in Bend.
3. The presence of more tourists encourages corporations to build more hotels in Bend. Now, more advertising is needed to attract more tourists to keep the rooms full. There will never be enough tourists to satisfy the tourism industry and public agencies are not monitoring most recreation sites to determine their capacity to accommodate more people.
—Mike Miller
FRACKING VOLCANO ENDANGERS AQUIFER & CREATES EARTHQUAKES
We have until tomorrow, August 6, to comment on the Bureau of Land Management, Prineville District Office, finding of no significant impact for the Newberry Geothermal Leasing Project, designated: DOI-BLM-OR-P060-2015-0019-EA. Comments may be hand-delivered or emailed to: [email protected]. In our area—at high risk for seismic activity, volcanic eruptions, and drought—the BLM has determined that no significant foreseeable consequences could be caused. In contrast to 1994, fracking is now known to cause earthquakes in traditionally non-seismic areas (i.e. Oklahoma). Yet, the BLM bases its evaluation on an [Environmental Assessment] "piggybacked" to a more comprehensive Environmental Impact Study done in 1994. In 2013, a similar experiment was halted when a 3.0 earthquake was generated. This is the public's opportunity to voice their concerns; subsequent opportunities, at the Notice of Intent and Sundry Notices, are strictly limited, particularly if one has not already commented. In 2007, the proposed source for the huge amounts of water needed to fracture rock was the wastewater effluent from La Pine. All local aquifers eventually drain into the large Central Oregon Aquifer, upon which we all depend. No testing is being done to assure the quality of this water after the highly pressurized water and proprietary (i.e. undisclosed) chemicals are injected about 10,000 feet underground to widen and create fractures in volcanic rock. The wastewater created becomes more toxic after mixing with naturally-occurring elements present in this type of rock (i.e. cadmium, arsenic), and, I assert, will flow into the CO aquifer eventually.
—S. Whitefield
IN REPLY TO "FULL OF GAS" (7/29)
I would love to see the Source address the real problem behind our roads, studded tires. Everyone agrees that our roads are a mess and short-term patches are not working. What I'm amazed by is the attempt to convince us that the roads need repair due to traffic volume. Have you stood by any major road in town between November and May and just listened? Have you heard the loud, obnoxious, grinding, clicking and clacking of studded tires (oh yes, except for the 10 days a year when we might have snow on the roads for longer than four hours...)? Crossing Third Street at any intersection is worse than crossing the railroad tracks. This is NOT normal wear and tear due to regular vehicle traffic, this is clearly damage from metal tire studs grinding on pavement all winter.
So here we are, 100 percent of the people who drive a car will pay the price for the much smaller percentage of people who feel the need to drive with studded tires. And then next year, will you add another tax because the roads are mangled again? No road can hold up for long with metal spikes grinding over it all day, every day, every winter! I won't even get started on addressing the noise and the toxic dust caused by these tires! And how about safety and vehicle damage caused by massive ruts and potholes?
How about taxing/surcharging the folks at the source of the problem? #1- Les Schwab and all other tire dealerships who sell studded tires (and lobby with lots of $$ for that right) and #2 - the people who pay to put them on their cars every year. Better yet, Minnesota, Japan, and others banned studded tires for all the reasons above, why can't we?
I wonder why no one in this town is seriously discussing the "elephant" on the road. Could it be the power of lobbying? This is my plea for acknowledgement about the real reason our roads are damaged and a request for compensation from those causing the damage. Not everyone has the same level of responsibility nor should we all be punished for the excessive damage caused by studded tires.
—StudsAreAJoke
"IN REPLY TO "LETTERS: A DOWNSIDE TO THE CCC" (7/29)
Full transparency; I'm a big fan of the Cascade Cycling Classic. I've lived here since its inception, and have hosted riders for decades, so reading this opinion letter really gets my blood boiling. Here's the irony. The CCC is one of a myriad of events that make Bend so special that jack***es like Mr. Parish decide they want to move here, but when they get here, they do nothing but complain. Mr. Parish, I'm certain that frustrations like this show up for you in all aspects of your life, so perhaps now is a good time to take a look at them. In the meantime, here are a couple of suggestions for next year's race; take a vacation, or move.
—CCC Enthusiast
IN REPLY TO "MEETING ABOUT FUTURE OF TROY FIELD" (7/31)
I would prefer the City keep the public facilities designation rather than see yet another enclave for the wealthy be built. If Troy Field is not going to be kept as open space, then it would be much better for Bend if the zoning were changed to Multi-Family Residential, and see affordable apartments be built there. Bend needs affordable housing, not more rich-people housing.
Viki—We wholeheartedly agree. You know what's not an enclave for the wealthy? Palate Coffee. Grab a cup of joe on us and enjoy it on that quaint patch of grass
while you still can. —Viki Wooster
