Traffic safety has been one of the most talked about issues in Summit West. Now, there's a way to do something about it. The City has set up a new program to allow residents to nominate problem areas for attention.

This is a new program for small-scale, local, residential street projects to address pedestrian and bicycle safety, safe routes to school, speeding, intersection control and crossings, and other local street traffic safety-related issues. 

The Neighborhood Street Safety Program website is now live! Click through to learn more about the program, view program documents and review informational resources. Beginning Aug. 5th, links will be available to fill out the online application or download a paper application.

Starting the week of July 22, the City will begin converting over 2,000 existing public street lights to 3,000 Kelvin energy-efficient, light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures to reduce the City’s energy costs, maintenance costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

The project replaces existing high pressure sodium street light fixtures, and is one of several Strategic Energy Management projects happening in 2019-2021 to help achieve the City Council Climate Action Goals.

The LED conversion project is scheduled from July to December 2019. Work activity will take place during weekdays and may include weekends. Work hours will generally be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., targeting evening hours for arterial and collector streets.

Multiple crews will be working to complete an estimated 30 to 40 fixture conversions per day, taking 20 to 30 minutes per light. Work will be performed in a moving operation that may require temporary traffic lane restrictions.

Hydro Flask, at 525 NW York Dr, has requested a variance from the Bend noise ordinance for a 10-Year Party on August 9th.  The event would start at 4:00 pm and end at 10:00 pm. They have requested a decibel level of 85 dBA (the maximum allowed). (The normal limit is 65 dBA in residential zones.) The city manager takes comments from neighbors who may be affected into account when determining an appropriate decibel level for a variance. See the attached application for more information.

[Analysis: For comparison, 85 dBA is roughly twice as loud as TV-audio in your living room. It takes 600' to 1,200' from the source for concert music to drop to a level of 85 dBA, depending on sound levels at the stage. In this case, if the stage faces north, east, or south, homes in NWX near Clearwater & Fremont, those in Skyliner Summit on Outlook Vista, and those in The Reserve near Lakemont & Champanelle may experience sound levels above 85 dBA. If the stage faced west and a sound-dampening curtain were used behind the stage, it is unlikely that homes in the area would hear anything, even with a limit of 85 dBA. Most events Downtown, in Drake Park, and in Northwest Crossing that receive variances, do so at a level of 75 or 80 dBA.]

Comments should be directed to Eric King, City Manager, at eking@bendoregon.gov and Joshua Romero, Community Relations Manager, at jromero@bendoregon.gov.

The City will hold a public hearing on proposed fee changes at 7 p.m. on June 19 in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 710 NW Wall Street, Bend. The proposed fee changes will be effective July 1, 2019.

Increases are proposed for System Development Charges, ambulance charges (the phase-in of fee increases approved by Council in 2017), utility fees (stormwater 3%, water 1%, sewer 6%), and building and planning development fees (3%).

To see the agenda for the Council meeting for more information, click here.

The City is planning to pair Police officers and Fire inspectors for an Illegal Fireworks Task Force to respond exclusively to illegal fireworks calls in late June and early July. The task force will patrol areas where data have shown a higher use of illegal fireworks.

The task force, being scheduled for the nights of June 27 and 28 and July 3, 5 and 6, will focus on problematic areas identified by data, but will also respond to calls as able.

The City Council prioritized increasing illegal fireworks enforcement activities as part of a comprehensive wildfire resilience plan.

Fireworks that explode, fly more than 12 inches in the air or move laterally more than six feet are illegal to possess and use in Oregon.

​Those who witness the use of illegal fireworks can call non-emergency dispatch at 541-693-6911. Please do not call 911 to report fireworks unless there is a confirmed fire or injury.

The City is asking residents to participate in a brief online survey about transportation. The survey will be available until July 19th. To access the survey: click here.

The City of Bend is considering making strategic investments to reduce traffic congestion and improve the safety of neighborhood streets. These improvements could require an increase in local taxes or fees. Nothing has been decided yet – there will be many opportunities to engage in community discussions in the coming months.

The online survey complements and supplements a statistically valid phone survey that was recently conducted, and is one of many inputs that the City is taking as it updates the transportation system plan. To learn more about what’s going on with Bend's Transportation Plan visit www.bendoregon.gov/tsp.

Good Morning Summit West Neighborhood Association:

The NorthWest Crossing Saturday Farmers Market will be held each Saturday beginning June 8 and ending September 22, 2019. 

We anticipate that the following may affect your residence/business/transit.

• NorthWest Crossing Drive (Mt. Washington to Compass Park Circle)
• Ft. Clatsop St. (Ordway Dr. to parking lot behind Bend Pizza Co., on Ft. Clatsop Dr.)

Submit comments/questions/complaints to specialevents@bendoregon.gov for up to three months after the event has ended. Special event permit requirements may be found at www.bendoregon.gov/specialevents.

Visit www.NWXFarmersMarket.com to learn more. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you might have and we hope you'll join us at the market this summer!

Thank you,

Michelle Berg
C3 Events

Preparation beats panic! So, please join your neighbors in becoming wildfire-ready on Saturday, May 11th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm!

Bend’s westside is particularly vulnerable to wildfire. The Two Bulls fire five years ago had large parts of our neighborhood on notice to evacuate, while recent fires in California quickly overtook the cities of Santa Rosa, Redding, and Paradise.

Century West Neighborhood Association and OSU-Cascades are sponsoring an important event to help us be better prepared. CWNA has kindly invited residents of Summit West NA to attend the meeting. (This takes the place of a Spring meeting for SWNA.)

All events are free, but OSU asks that folks register for the event so they can estimate space needs. To register, click the button above or click here.

When:  Saturday, May 11, 2019 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Where:  OSU Cascades Campus — see check-in info below
Program:  attend two of the following sessions

1. FireWise Communities/Defensible Space
   Jodie Barram (FireFree)
2. Emergency Management & Evacuation Planning
   Dave Howe (Deschutes County Sheriff's Office)
3. Two-week Preparedness Plan
   ​Althea Rizzo (Oregon Office of Emergency Management)
4. FireWise Landscaping
   Amy Jo Detweiler (OSU Extension Services)

The first three sessions will be offered twice: from 11-12 and again from 1-2.

• All events will be on the OSU-Cascades campus (1500 SW Chandler Ave).
• Check-In under the OSU-Cascades tent between Tykeson Hall and Obsidian Hall.
• Parking for this event is FREE!
• Lunch or snacks will be available for purchase in Obsidian Hall (the dining pavilion).

Bring the kids! You’ll find resources to take home, including a property self-assessment, a fire-resistant planting guide, and more! The Bend Fire Department will have the Community Engine on campus.

(Note to FireWise communities - this event satisfies your annual education event for FireWise re-certification.)

Please lend a hand to help your neighborhood! The relocation of two Board members out of our neighborhood has created openings that we’d like to fill. The Board meets at least quarterly, and holds at least one Membership/Annual meeting each year. Board members can expect to put in 3-4 hours per month on behalf of the Neighborhood Association.

If you're interested or want to learn more, email bendsummitwest@gmail.com and a current board member will be in touch.