On the whole, Bend residents are happy with their quality of life, according to a 2015 survey conducted by DHM Research. The results of the survey, which polled 400 Bendites by cell phone and landline, were presented during a work session at last night’s City Council meeting. They revealed a general upward trend in many […]
City of Bend
Posted inNews
Bills, Bills, Bills
Meet the woman who holds the City’s purse strings
When Sharon Wojda first joined the City of Bend’s finance department more than a decade ago, Facebook was just being born, President George W. Bush was finishing his first term, and Bend was three-quarters its current size. Starting in 2004 as staff accountant, Wojda was named the permanent finance director for the City in November. […]
Posted inNews
City of Bend Explains Snow Removal Priorities
Were you among the many Bendites cranky about the accumulation of snow and ice during our first snow of the season? Perhaps you wondered why the snow ploughs never made it down your street. Well, the City has responded via a video released its annual video explaining how it approaches snow removal, what methods it uses, and […]
Posted inNews
City Seeks Applicants for Vacation Rental Task Force
As concerns about vacation rentals—and the number of applications—continue to rise, the City of Bend is taking steps toward finding a solution by forming a Vacation Rental Task Force, comprised of residents on all sides of the issues as well as representatives from other stakeholder groups. The task force will “help shape decisions about vacation […]
Posted inNews
Access Denied
Local activists push City to prioritize accessibility
In July, the U.S. Department of Justice closed its decade-long Americans with Disabilities Act case against the City of Bend, even though work to make sidewalks and crosswalks more accessible was incomplete. A letter from the DOJ to the City of Bend said “(Bend) has acceptably progressed in compliance;” essentially saying, although not complete and […]
Posted inNews
City Government 101
A guide to Bend’s political machine
On a recent Monday morning, City Manager Eric King was visiting a local elementary school when the first grade teacher asked her students what they think a city manager does. For a parent who is a doctor or firefighter or grocer, the question would be fairly straightforward. But this question baffled the students for a […]
Posted inNews
Meet in the Middle
City proposes compromise with Crow’s Feet Commons
When the Source first reported last week that the City of Bend would not renew Crow’s Feet Commons’ lease on the 500 square feet of Mirror Pond Plaza adjacent to the historic building it also leases from the City, the public outcry caught owner David Marchi by surprise. “Public reaction has been quite impressive. I thought […]
Posted inOpinion
What Would Andy Griffith Do?
For the past year, under a lease with the city, Crow’s Feet Commons has managed Mirror Pond Plaza. But last Wednesday, the City of Bend unexpectedly declined to renew that lease. (See “Clipping the Crow’s Wings“) Were there specific complaints that Crow’s Feet Commons was poorly managing the space? Not really. Yes, a few grumblings, […]
Posted inNews
Clipping the Crow’s Wings
City denies Crow’s Feet Commons’ plaza lease renewal
It’s 9 a.m. on a Friday, and the Mirror Pond Plaza is already bustling with activity. Friends chat at the café tables over coffee and croissants. Children play on the steps between the square and Drake Park. Customers stop inside Crow’s Feet Commons to check out bikes. And tourists pass through en route to the […]
Posted inNews
To Catch a Fire Starter
Investigation into Two Bulls Fire raises arson suspicions
From the second story porch of their home on Tumalo Reservoir Road, Veronica and Les Hudson watched as the fire in the forested area on the other side of Bull Flat raged, jumping from hill top to hill top, burning through ponderosa pines like they were match sticks. As firefighters set up a base camp […]