GBRC Weekly Newsletter

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February 26, 2023 Newsletter

Are you ready to unwind and have some fun with your fellow Greater Bend Rotarians? Mark your calendars for Tuesday, February 28th from 4:30 to 6:30PM We'll be gathering at Backside Kegs (740 NE 3rd St) to enjoy some drinks, snacks, and great company. And why not bring your spouse, significant other, or friend who's curious about Rotary? The more the merrier, right? Let's kick back, raise a glass, and toast to our shared passion for making a difference in the world. See you there!

What you missed last week
Last week we received an overview of how the city is addressing the transportation needs in our community, a summary is below.
Transportation Systems Plan

The City is working to implement the plans and programs the Community prioritized in our Transportation Systems Plan. The projects and programs aim to create a system that provides safe travel options (driving, walking, biking, transit, and micro-mobility) for people of all ages and abilities
- The tsp has maps of our road and low-stress bike system and a list of prioritized projects and programs
Providing a system with travel options and building, not just vehicle travel lanes but also walking, biking, and transit facilities:
- extends the capacity of our streets ( shifts some people to bike lanes, sidewalks, and buses)
- Enhances the economics, equity, and livability ( allows more people to get around using active transportation and not have to use a car for every trip)
- It helps us meet our climate action goals (transportation at 36% is our most significant greenhouse gas emission source)
The City works with many other local agencies and the development community to try and coordinate and connect projects (CET, BPRD, BLPSD, ODOT, Deschutes County, OSU, COCC, and community advocacy groups)
The TSP identified $942 M dollars in transportation projects to support our projected 20-year growth. Currently, we have $289M plus the $190M go bond-funded and are looking at options to fund the $463 M gap including increasing System Development Charges and a Transportation Utility Fee.
To get more information on The TSP go to : Transportation System Plan | City of Bend (bendoregon.gov)

GO Bond – a voter-approved general obligation (GO ) transportation bond is one of the ways TSP projects are built (capital improvement projects and development projects are the other two ways)

The 2020 Go Bond includes 29 projects and programs funded at $190M including:
- East-West Connections
- North-South Connections
- Intersection Improvements
- 12 Key Routes – Bike/Ped
- Support for Transit Hubs
- Parkway Connections - ODOT
- Citywide Safety Improvements
- ITS Improvements
Nearly half of the projects on our 10-year project list are underway
To get more information on GO bond projects
- Check out these two webpages
  - The Transportation Bond Oversight Committee (TBOC) meets quarterly and their webpage has project updates: Transportation Bond Oversight Committee | City of Bend (bendoregon.gov)
  - . A project dashboard summarizing the GO Bond work completed: 2020 Transportation GO Bond - Thank You Voters! | City of Bend (bendoregon.gov)

Transportation Questions and Requests – If you have a request for a transportation-related issue (pothole, sign down, signing, striping, etc) complete an online service request at Service Request Form (arcgis.com) or call 541.307.3000 x 3

We are excited to announce that preparations for this year's duck race fundraiser are underway! As a crucial part of this event, we will soon be actively seeking nonprofit organizations to apply as potential recipients of the funds we raise.

If you are involved with a nonprofit organization that could benefit from a donation, we encourage you to give them a head up that we will be distributing applications soon. This is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness for your cause and receive much-needed financial support.

Consider being a host family next year!

Host Family #1 – approx mid-August arrival to Thanksgiving
Host Family #2 - roughly Thanksgiving Break to Spring Break
Host Family #3 - roughly Spring Break to late-June

There is no compensation for hosting, but students receive a monthly allowance, and some large expenses (e.g. ski pass or comparable) are covered by the Rotary club. Many club members have been host families and have developed lifelong friendships!

If you're interested in learning more about this great opportunity - to expose your own family members to another culture or just wanting to help a young student from another country - please contact Bruce via email at Bruce Abernethy or call 541-771-0463.

Thanks to fellow Rotarians who captured the spirit of service and community by preparing a delicious dinner for families staying at Ronald McDonald House.

Making Dinner @ Ronald McDonald House Here's how to sign up
We are committed to serving dinner once a month in 2023 :)

Healing Reins Work Project Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 8th 10AM - until we finish. These new arena doors need to be stained inside and out. There are a total of 4 large doors. We need some additional ladders if you can bring one which would be great. If you have some extra brushes that would be helpful also. Stain and some brushes will be available. Sign up here.

Save the Dates

February 28 Happy Hour at Backside Kegs
March 4 Celebration of Life for Les Stiles
March 7 Lunch hour Meeting

Red Badge News
Adam Osborn, Team Lead at Ryan Walker Insurance, has been approved as a proposed member by the board. Please provide feedback to Shannon or Mark.