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Worrell Park and Rec?
Deschutes County didn’t bite on a proposal to designate Worrell Park as an area of special interest, but floated the idea of transferring the park to the park district
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By Jack Harvel
Jack Harvel
Worrell Park in downtown Bend avoided a redesign that would’ve shrunk the park to make way for parking. Now, petitioners are seeking to designate the land as an area of special interest.
Deschutes County Commissioners rejected a proposal to designate Worrell Park, a 1-acre downtown park, as an area of special interest. Last month Deschutes County Commissioners reversed a plan that would have redeveloped the park, chipping away at some of it, to increase the number of parking spaces in anticipation of a courthouse expansion.
“Areas of Special Interest,” in Bend city code, are identified as important features that are intended to be preserved. Donna Owens, a recent appointee to the Bend Park and Recreation board of directors, submitted three requests to the commissioners: to allow a group of residents to apply to make Worrell Park an area of special interest, to create a master plan for Worrell Park and to create an operating plan for Worrell Park. Applications for new areas of special interest can be submitted in January of odd years.
“Time is critical for the ASI process and we realize this is likely not a high priority for the County. We are committed to stepping up to volunteer to file the application with your support; additionally, to work with your staff to develop a Worrell Wayside operating plan for 2023 assuming you will welcome our offer to adopt Worrell Wayside,” Owens wrote in her request to commissioners.
County staff noted there’s an irrigation system in parts of the park, which could make it ineligible as an area of special interest. Commissioner Tony DeBone noted that an ASI typically has geological features that aren’t present in the park. Both DeBone and Commissioner Phil Chang said they’re prioritizing other projects and that it could divert staff from higher-priority projects.
“I’m pretty lukewarm about this package of requests. I greatly appreciate the community concern for Worrell Park, it motivated us to revisit our parking needs and parking analysis and we decided not to do anything with that park right now. In my mind, that’s the work we needed to do around Worrell Park and I don’t want to use staff resources,” Chang said during the commissioners’ regular meeting on Jan. 11.
Though they didn’t accept the proposal, commissioners did say they’d be willing to engage in a discussion with BPRD about potentially trading the park to the district — though clarified it’d have to be pursued by BPRD rather than the county.
“That could even result in Worrell Park taking less of our precious staff time to manage and deal with, but I am concerned about the impacts on county resources for something that I’m not seeing as an urgent project,” Chang said.
Thornburgh Facing Appeals Over Water Use
The resort is once again facing opposition after a Deschutes County hearing officer rejected a new plan to mitigate water loss
By Jack Harvel
More hearings are ahead for Thornburgh Resort, the new development near Cline Buttes, after a Deschutes County hearing officer rejected a new fish and wildlife mitigation plan. Both the developer, Kameron Delashmutt, and a longtime opponent of the resort, Nunzie Gould, appealed the decision. The hearings officer cited a lack of input from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and insufficient oversite as reasons for the denial.
Delashmutt’s appeal asks the county to interpret the procedural requirements he needs to fulfill and to review the “no net loss” standard — which guarantees developments don’t degrade wetlands.
Gould, who’s battled the proposed development through legal processes for over a decade, also appealed the hearing officer’s decision, claiming a new conceptual and final master plan are necessary, that there are significant changes made that aren’t reflected in the master plans, that ODFW and the Bureau of Land Management must agree the “no net loss” standard is met and more.
Thornburgh’s new fish and wildlife mitigation plan claims it’ll use 30% less water than the current plan, which was approved in 2008, from 2,129 acre-feet per year to 1,460 acre-feet per year. The property itself is nearly 2,000 acres and the master plan consists of an 18-hole golf course, several lakes and 950 homes. The reduced water estimates come from a modified plan that is scaling back on resort amenities and modified landscaping.
On Jan. 3, 2022, ODFW Water Program Manager Chandra Ferrari and the Deschutes Watershed District Manager Corey Heath submitted a letter to Deschutes County planners arguing that the mitigation plan approved in 2008 is based on outdated information on how groundwater withdrawals would impact fish habitats in the Deschutes River.
“It is becoming increasingly unlikely that the mitigation agreed upon in 2008 will offset the loss or net degradation of fish and wildlife habitat quantity and quality and provide a net benefit to the resource due to ongoing declines in groundwater and streamflow,” Ferrari and Heath wrote. The issue will appear before commissioners first as a work session on Jan. 23, before a public hearing on Feb. 1
Jack Harvel
Year-End Giving Program Doubles Its Goal
Source Weekly’s Central Oregon Gives program brings in over $1 million; becomes an official nonprofit
By Nicole Vulcan
Nicole Vulcan
Winners in the 2022 Central Oregon Gives program, from left: Aaron Switzer, publisher of the Source Weekly; Lauren Grigsby of Central Oregon Veteran’s Ranch; Cassi McQueen of Saving Grace; Amanda Stuermer of World Muse, Megan Burton of the Source Weekly, standing in for Desert Sky Montessori; Ranae Staley of The Giving Plate; and Marianne Cox of Street Dog Hero.
Most nonprofits perform a fullcourt press at the end of the calendar year, aiming to garner tax-deductible donations to boost their annual fundraising. But the nonprofits that take part in Central Oregon Gives have one extra player in the arena, because the program itself awards thousands in additional funds to the nonprofits that raise the most in their respective categories.
The 2022 Central Oregon Gives campaign brought in $1,027,263 in donations during its seven-week run — doubling the $500,000 goal organizers set for the 2023 campaign.
Each nonprofit that takes part in Central Oregon Gives is placed in one of several categories, including education, family & children, arts and culture, animal welfare and health and environment. The nonprofit earning the most in donations in each category earns an extra $2,000 prize; in addition, the top-earning nonprofit earns a $15,000 prize from an anonymous donor. Yet another nonprofit – this year, Desert Sky Montessori – earns $2,000 for getting the highest number of donations of $25 or less.
The Giving Plate was the top earner in the 2022 program, making it a back-to back winner after taking home the top spot during the 2021 campaign. The nonprofit plans to put those funds toward its goal of opening a free community food store in the Bend Maker’s District.
The $1-million-plus in fundraising also represented a 30% increase over last year’s total – something of a surprise for Aaron Switzer, publisher of the Source Weekly and founder of Central Oregon Gives, because of a change in the way nonprofits were enrolled this year.
“We instituted an application process this year and that resulted in fewer nonprofits in the program,” Switzer said. “I had imagined we would receive fewer overall donations. However, the programs that did participate did an amazing job and collectively we more than doubled our goal. It was an outstanding year. I believe we are really seeing the beginning of what this online giving program can realize for the region’s nonprofits.”
The program is fueled largely by small donations from the community. This year, some 1,763 people donated, with 718 of those donations coming in at $25 or less.
Another key to the program is its partnership with local businesses, which offer incentive gifts to people when they
donate. For every $25 donation, participants can get a thank-you gift from a different participating business. This year, donating businesses included Avid Cider, Backporch Coffee Roasters, Barre3, Boneyard Beer, Crow’s Feet Commons, Crux, F45 Trainings, Fjällräven, Gear Fix, Healthy Fundamentals, High Desert Frameworks, High Desert Museum, Hayden Homes Amphitheater, Metalheads Boutiques, Powder House, Old Mill District, Roam, SCP Redmond Hotel, Silver Moon Brewing, Worthy Brewing and Yellow Brew Bus.
A new foundation
In 2022, the program that works to support local nonprofits also became a nonprofit itself. Switzer formed a non-
profit for Central Oregon Gives, “allowing for growth and financial stability,” according to a press release from Central Oregon Gives.
“This year was a turning point for Central Oregon Gives,” Switzer wrote. “We couldn’t be happier with the results and are excited to see what we can continue to achieve in partnership with nonprofits and the Central Oregon community.”
NOTICIAS El programa de donaciones de fin de año duplica su meta
El programa Central Oregon Gives de the Source Weekly aporta más de $1 millón; pasa a ser una organización sin fines de lucro oficial
Por / By Nicole Vulcan Traducido por /Translated by Jéssica Sánchez-Millar
Nicole Vulcan
La mayoría de las organizaciones sin fines de lucro realizan un ciclo completo a fin de año, aspirando obtener donaciones deducibles de impuestos para incrementar su recabación de fondos anual. Pero las organizaciones sin fines de lucro que participan en Central Oregon Gives tienen a otro protagonista en la cancha, ya que el programa por si solo otorga miles de fondos adicionales a las organizaciones sin fines de lucro que recaudan mas en sus respectivas categorías.
La campaña Central Oregon Gives de 2022 trajo consigo $1,027,263 en donativos durante la campaña de siete semanas, duplicanto la meta de $500,000 que los organizadores fijaron para la campaña de 2023,
Cada organización sin fines de lucro que participa en Central Oregon Gives se coloca en una de varias categorías, que incluyen la educación, la familia y niños, el arte y cultura, el bienestar animal y la salud y el medio ambiente. La organización sin fines de lucro que obtenga la mayor cantidad de donaciones en cada categoria recibe un premio adicional de $2,000; además, la organización sin fines de lucro con mayor ingreso recibe un premio de $15,000 por parte de un donante anónimo. Hasta la fecha, otra organización sin fines de lucro, este año, Desert Sky Montessori, recibe $2,000 por recibir la mayor cantidad de donativos de $25 o menos.
Giving Plate fue la que obtuvo más donaciones en el programa de 2022, ganando de nuevo después de llevarse el primer lugar durante la campaña del 2021. La organización sin fines de lucro planea usar esos fondos para trabajar en su objetivo de abrir una tienda de alimentos comunitaria gratuita en Bend.
La recabación de fondos de más de $1 millón también representó un aumento del 30% con repecto al total del año pasado, algo que sorprendió a Aaron Switzer, editor de the Source Weekly y fundador de Central Oregon Gives, debido a un cambio en la forma en que se registraron las organizaciones sin fines de lucro este año.
“Implantamos un proceso de solicitud este año y eso resulto en constar con menos organizaciones de lucro en el programa,” dijo Switzer. “Me habia imaginado que recibiríamos menos donaciones en general. Sin embargo, los programas que participaron hicieron un estupendo trabajo y en grupo duplicamos nuestra meta. Fue un excelente año. Creo que estamos viendo el comienzo de lo que este programa de donaciones en línea puede lograr para las organizaciones sin fines de lucro de la regíon.”
El programa en gran parte es impulsado por pequeños donativos por parte de la comunidad. Este año, unas, 1,173 personas donaron, con 718 de esos donativos de $25 o menos. SOURCE_THCHours.pdf 1 2/23/22 10:06 AM
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