SROA is seeking Requests for Proposal for a cafe concession operator at SHARC. The deadline to apply is December 16
Page 10
INSIDE THIS ISSUE SROA Board.................. 4 Calendar ..................... 13 SHARC News ............... 22
Public Safety ............... 27 Classified .................... 38 Letters to the Editor .... 39
New owners of the Mavericks property to reopen as Sunriver Fitness and Aquatics while pursuing assisted living option
Page 15
S U N R I V E R
S C E N E A NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSOCIATION
NOVEMBER • 2016
VOLUME XLII • NUMBER 11
Retail marijuana: Sunriver recognized for five years of wildfire mitigation By Susan Berger, Scene Staff County land use SROA NEWS – Sunriver has achieved five years of active application filed participation in the National Fire Protection Association’s Firewise Communities/USA program. During that time for Sunriver residents have committed time, effort and resources to mitiBy Susan Berger, Scene Staff With reasonable regulations in place, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners lifted the prohibition on marijuana-related business in rural Deschutes County. On Sept. 1, the county started accepting land use applications to allow and regulate the following: • Medical and recreational marijuana production and processing • Medical marijuana dispensaries • Recreational marijuana retail and wholesale In less than two months, the county has conducted 30 pre-application meetings with people interested in starting, and received 10 applications for production/processing operations but only one for retail marijuana sales — which is proposed in Sunriver. If approved, the proposed business will occupy a 1,000 square foot retail space in the Mountain Resort Properties building on Beaver Drive. In the Sunriver Commercial District, a recreational marijuana retail use or medical marijuana dispensary is a “conditional” use. Regulations include the operation be located a minimum of 1,000 feet from all of the following: • A public, private, or parochial elementary or secondary school including any parking lot and property used by the school. • A licensed child care center or licensed preschool including any parking lot and any property used by the child care center or preschool. This does not include licensed or unlicensed child care which occurs at or in residential structures. • A youth activity center. • National monuments and state parks. • Any other marijuana retail facility licensed by the Oregon Liquor ContTurn to Marijuana, page 3 SUNRIVER SCENE SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSN. VOLUME XLIl • NUMBER 11 P.O. BOX 3278 SUNRIVER, OR 97707
gate the risks to their homes and landscape from wildfire. As an active participant in the national program since 2012, the community has completed a wildfire risk assessment, developed an action plan and met an annual per capita mitigation investment. Since Sunriver’s inaugural year in the program, a set of annual renewal criteria to maintain active status has been completed. “We’re proud to have Sunriver as an important and valued part of the national program’s more than 1,300 recognized sites throughout 40 states,” said Cathy Prudhomme, Firewise Communities/USA program manager. “We look forward to hearing about Sunriver’s future mitigation accomplishments.” The program formally acknowledges local mitigation actions that residents are completing in their efforts to increase the survivability of properties when wildfires occur. Communities develop their individual risk reduction objectives with cooperative assistance from state forestry agencies and local fire staff. Fire-prone communities throughout the U.S. are eligible to receive Firewise Communities/USA status when the following criteria is completed: • A risk assessment is created and used to develop a plan that identifies mutually agreed-upon achievable solutions that will be implemented by the community and its residents. • A board/committee is established that initiates and Turn to Firewise, page 5
SUSAN BERGER PHOTO
Patti Gentiluomo, SROA Natural Resources Director, places the five-year recognition sticker on the Firewise sign located on Abbot Drive near Sunriver’s main entrance.
After 41 years in Sunriver, food server looking forward to retirement Recalls early days of mosquitoes, Pandora moths and hot pants By Susan Berger, Scene Staff 1975. That’s when Roberta Beck first started working in Sunriver. At that time Sunriver Resort’s Lodge, and the community at large, were only a handful of years beyond the first groundbreaking. Lot sales were underway in Meadow Village, and sold at a bargain-price of $7,500. Today, an empty lot will cost you around $140,000. Put a house on it and the value jumps to $350,000 or more. Originally from New Jersey, Beck began her long journey in the food service
industry during high school and college. With a degree in secondary education, Beck’s original career plan was to teach. “A lot of teachers end up in the food service business. We do it for the money,” she said. “But I also love people, the freedom and I can do this anywhere. I go on vacation and don’t come back to a stack of papers.” First impressions Beck and her first husband had the romantic notion to “go west and homestead.” They hopped on a bus and chose Eugene as their first destination to check out its university and any potential teaching positions.
Along the way, there was a brief stop in Bend. While waiting at the bus depot (where Deschutes Brewing is today) they sat and watched tumbleweeds blow across the road and wondered… “where the heck are we?” After spending some time in the valley, they left Eugene and decided to explore the Oregon Coast — ending up in Depoe Bay. “It was solid rain for six weeks,” said Beck. “We were told if we wanted sunshine to go over to the other side of the mountains.” Remembering their bus stop in Bend, they packed up and drove over the Turn to Retirement, page 6 PRSRT STD. U.S. POSTAGE PAID BEND, OR PERMIT NO. 213