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NEWS Grandview Fire Nears Sisters
The fire was first reported on Sunday before spreading to over 4,500 acres
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By Jack Harvel
The Grandview Fire was first reported on Sunday afternoon and by Tuesday was raging over 4,500 acres of private land protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Crooked River National Grassland which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. It was visible from Sisters and Redmond on Sunday evening, but it didn’t enter Deschutes County until Tuesday.
The fire was extremely active after igniting and fire crews had to attend to several spot fires and group tree torching. On Monday the fire pushed west by an easterly wind and winds later pushed the fire south. Crews placed preliminary containment lines or retardant around most of the fire area 8 miles east of Black Butte and west of Whychus Creek. A task force of fire engines was dispatched to protect structures on Holmes Road and Squaw Creek Canyon Estates.
On Tuesday crews were manning the fire lines, aided by five large air tankers dropping retardant and two helicopters dropping water to cool hot spots. A level 3 (Go Now!) evacuation notice was given for homes north of Holmes Road in Sisters, and a level 2 (get set) notice for Mckenzie Canyon and the Lower Bridge Way area. As of Tuesday the fire was 5% contained.
“Fire crews had contacted me and let me know that the fire had jumped Whychus Creek; that particular creek was the buffer for whether or not we were going to increase from a level 1 evacuation to a level 3,” Jefferson County Sheriff Marc Heckathorn said on Monday evening in a Facebook video posted to the Sheriff’s Office’s page. “The concern was that once it got out of Whychus Creek it was really flat land, with a lot of fuel, that fire, if we got a lot of wind, if it was to blow hard and blow east this area would be threatened.”
Heckathorn said the wind calmed down after declaring a level 3 evacuation notice in northeast Sisters, and that the weather was favorable heading into Monday night.
Courtesy Inciweb
Firefighters worked overnight on Sunday trying to contain the Grandview Fire.
Courtesy Inciweb
One of five large air tankers dropping retardant on the Grandview Fire on July 11.
“The weather has been very favorable, the temperature out here has dropped significantly, there’s barely any breeze blowing, so as it stands here at 9:30 at night I feel confident that we’re in a good place, we’re definitely not out of the woods but I like where we’re at compared to what we were a few hours ago,” Heckathorn said.
Gov. Kate Brown invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act to clear the way for the State Fire Marshall to deploy firefighters and equipment to aid local resources.
“With several large fires burning throughout Oregon, I want to reiterate how important it is for all Oregonians to be prepared and to remain vigilant about fire prevention, especially with activities that could spark fires,” Gov. Brown said.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, but a fire that started around the same time and place, the Newberry Fire, was determined to have been caused by a spark from a chainsaw that ignited firewood while it was being cut, the U.S. Forest Service said. The individual who cut the firewood did so at a legal location and time and stayed in the area for an hour-long fire watch after shutting off the saws. A ban was placed on all firewood cutting and campfires in Central Oregon’s Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Lands.
The fire hadn’t burned any structures or caused any injury at the time this story went to press. Winds are expected to get stronger on Wednesday and Thursday, potentially pushing the fire into new areas. An evacuation site was established at Sisters Middle School.
Fireworks Banned Through August
The City extended the ban due to continued fire risk in the area
By Jack Harvel
The City of Bend is extending the state of emergency that banned non-professional firework use and provided services to unhoused communities until Aug. 31. The emergency order went into effect on June 28 and was originally set to expire on July 9, but was extended due to continued fire risk. “We appreciate the community’s assistance over the Fourth of July weekend in not using fireworks,” said City of Bend Chief Operating Officer and Assistant City Manager Jon Skidmore in a press release. “We had many fewer calls for service with only one citation issued for use of fireworks. Our community stepped up and helped keep Bend safe.”
Though temperatures cooled early in the week, they’re expected to rise again in the coming days and local fire risk remains high. The Bend City Council will most likely ratify the emergency declaration at its July 21 meeting before exploring more comprehensive firework regulations.
“It is likely that the City Council will engage in a conversation regarding fireworks regulations starting in August,” said Skidmore. “But through this summer, we are asking community members to refrain from lighting fireworks due to high heat, drought conditions, water curtailment and the extremely dry fuel conditions.”
Mohamad Trilaksono / PxHere
Noticias en Español
La ciudad prolongó la prohibición del uso de cohetes debido al continuo riesgo de incendios en la zona
Por Jack Harvel / Traducido por Jéssica Sánchez-Millar
La ciudad de Bend está prolongando el estado de emergencia que prohibió el uso privado de cohetes y ofreció servicios a comunidades sin hogar hasta el 31 de agosto. La orden de emergencia entró en vigencia el 28 de junio y en un principio vencía el 9 de julio, pero se prolongó debido al riesgo de incendio continuo.
“Agradecemos el apoyo de la comunidad durante el fin de semana del 4 de julio al no prender cohetes,” dijo durante un comunicado de prensa el Director de Operaciones y asistente del presidente municipal de la ciudad de Bend, Jon Skidmore. “Tuvimos mucho menos llamadas para estar al servicio, con solo un citatorio emitido debido al uso de cohetes. Nuestra comunidad dio un paso al frente y ayudó a mantener a Bend a salvo.”
Aunque las temperaturas bajaron a principios de semana se espera que vuelvan a subir de nuevo en los próximos días y el riesgo de incendio local se mantiene alto. Lo más probable es que el consejo municipal de la ciudad de Bend ratifique la declaración de emergencia en su reunión del 21 de julio antes de indagar regulaciones más detalladas en relación a los cohetes.
“Es probable que a partir del mes de agosto el consejo municipal entable una conversación relacionada con las regulaciones del uso de cohetes,” dijo Skidmore. “Pero este verano, le pedimos a los miembros de la comunidad que se abstengan de encender cohetes debido al alto calor, la sequía, el recorte de agua y a las condiciones extremadamente secas del combustible.”
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Need A Ride
The labor shortage has made it harder than ever to hail a ride in Bend
By Jack Harvel
Before the pandemic, when Bendites needed a ride, be it to the airport to avoid parking fees, home after a few too many at the bar or – for those without a car – to simply avoid the walk or bike ride to their destination, they could usually find it on a ridesharing app or one of several cab companies. Now as nearly every industry is seeking employees, the cars dotting the map on Uber and Lyft look barren compared to what it did before March 2020.
“Uber and Lyft never fully stopped operating, but the driver count was at an all-time high locally and the rides simply vanished once the state restrictions were in effect,” said Devin Linker, who’s been driving for Uber and Lyft since 2017. “A lot of drivers sign up for DoorDash and Instacart grocery delivery almost immediately to keep profits rolling.”
A lot of those drivers never returned to ridesharing and stuck with food. The appeal of food delivery was that people earned about the same and didn’t have to invite people into your car.
“You just have to worry about yourself and the food. Also, the wear and tear on your vehicle is much lower as the mileage is just within Bend mostly, and not area wide like Uber and Lyft are. Also, way more people tip with the food delivery, so it boosts your profits and your mood when you have a great night on food,” Linker said.
The problem extends beyond just ridesharing, and more traditional cab companies are also facing a shortage.
“We went from 11 drivers to three drivers within a week, it was rapidly announced and travel just stopped,” said Bill Calidonna, owner of Enviro Shuttle, an eco-friendly shuttle service that focuses on trips to the Redmond Airport. “We need at least 12, we’re having to turn away so many people, it’s ridiculous. We would be hitting record numbers now if it wasn’t for the shortage.”
Enviro Shuttle began in 2010 with just one Prius stationed at the airport
Jack Harvel
Melinda Calidonna poses in front of an Enviro Shuttle Prius. Melinda and her husband Bill said they’ve been working long days for months as they struggle to hire all the drivers they need.
—Bill Calidonna
waiting for customers. Through word of mouth the business and the fleet steadily grew until COVID-19 brought it to a screeching halt. Once vaccinations became available the demand for rides swung upward so quickly Enviro Shuttle couldn’t keep up. Job listings that at one point would get them 30-40 applications now only got them five.
“I mean, in 2010, obviously, I had people lining up for work, at the end of the recession, it was easy, in fact up until the pandemic it was easy to find employees,” Calidonna said.
Drivers earn an average of $18-20 an hour at the company, which puts them in the top 25% of cab drivers in the United States, according to ZipRecruiter. They’re one of the few cab companies that offer a guaranteed hourly wage rather than a lease agreement, provides the vehicle and pays for gas. Despite this, they still must turn down dozens of requests a day with their limited capacity. They believe the high cost of living in Bend is one of the reasons they’re having trouble finding workers.
“Cost of living is a factor in someone’s willingness to accept a job,” said Damon Runberg, a regional economist for the Oregon Employment Department. “If you need a certain minimum pay in order to sustain your livelihood in Bend, then you’re going to turn down a job that is paying below that. In theory, the cost of living is wrapped up into the market rate for wages, but it’s a little goofier than that.”
The market rate for workers can often be flexible for people who aren’t independently supporting themselves. People who live with their parents, multiple roommates and retirees could survive on sub-optimal wages. But with a workforce that was abruptly cut off from earning an income, some may have left, decreasing the labor pool.
“We saw something like this play out during the Great Recession, where Bend lost a ton of its construction workforce because the economy around housing cratered so badly and took long enough to return that the folks that worked in construction left,” said Ben Hemson, business advocate for the City of Bend.
There are signs that the abrupt shuttering and return of businesses may not be as extreme as what happened to construction during the Great Recession, at least for drivers nationally.
“Earlier this spring, as vaccines rolled out and people started moving again, we began to see the demand for rides outpace the number of available drivers,” Eric Smith, a Lyft spokesperson, wrote in an email. “We’ve added thousands of drivers in the past few weeks and it’s already leading to a better rider experience with wait times down more than 15% nationwide, and down 35% in some major markets.”
That statement tracks with Linker, who said the shortage doesn’t mean getting a ride is impossible, it just takes a bit more time.
“That lack of available drivers doesn’t mean there aren’t drivers out there, it means we are busy and will get to you asap. Also, while the rates are coming up for riders, the drivers are not getting the biggest chunk of that cost,” Linker said. “
The hope is that as school and child care come back, enhanced unemployment insurance closes and the surge of jobs that opened up as vaccines were made available get filled, then businesses can return to their normal operations. But Bend was already at record-low levels of unemployment before the pandemic, below 3.5%, and in that tight of a labor market even marginal changes can have a big impact.
“At the very minimum of at least six hours of every day I have two cars that are sitting empty because I can’t put a driver in the seat,” said Melinda Calidonna, who runs Enviro Shuttle with her husband Bill. “Not that I can’t put customers in there, they’re hanging out the windows.”
Jack Harvel
Turnkey Funding Awarded In Bend
After the purchase of the Old Mill & Suites was rescinded, Bend finds a new shelter for the unhoused
By Jack Harvel
Bend Value Inn will be converted into a transitional shelter for the homeless thanks to a $2.9 million grant through Project Turnkey, a state program that funds the purchase and renovation of motels into shelters for people who are experiencing houselessness or at risk of becoming unhoused.
The City of Bend originally sought to acquire the Old Mill & Suites for the facility in February, but it was abandoned after a feasibility study showed the building was unsuitable for the project.
“We continue to be committed to finding a property that could be eligible for Project Turnkey funding,” said Mayor
Pro-Tem Gena Goodman-Campbell after the purchase of the Old Mill & Suites fell through. “We need to take advantage of funding opportunities like this to provide much-needed shelter options for our unhoused community members.”
The latest grants come after the Oregon legislature funded an addition $9.7 million into the program on June 25, bringing total Project Turnkey funding to $74.7 million. Funds were distributed by the Oregon Community Foundation, which distributes more than $100 million in grants and scholarships annually.
“Project Turnkey is wrapping up with 19 total properties throughout 13 counties in Oregon, realizing approximately 900 beds/units with these latest two grant announcements,” said Megan Loeb, program officer, Oregon Community Foundation.
The Bend Value Inn will give unhoused people a place to stay and connect them with services through NeighborImpact, an organization that supports economically disadvantaged people in Central
Oregon. The programs and services at the motel are meant to give them the means to find longer-term solutions.
“We are thrilled to receive this funding from Project Turnkey,” said Bend City Councilor Megan Perkins. “Supporting our community members who are unhoused or at risk of losing housing is a top priority for City Council. This state funding will enable us to open
—Scott Cooper
Oregon Community Foundation
The Bend Value Inn will have 28 rooms to provide transitional shelter for unhoused people.
a much-needed transitional shelter in Bend and provide safe housing for our neighbors who need it most.”
The 28-room motel is expected to be fully renovated and operational by winter, after adding safety system upgrades to the property and renovating "three fully accessible units as well as three units with visual indicators and audio enunciators to serve guests with hearing and visual impairments," according to a press release.
Beyond accommodations, the shelter will have essentials like clothing, meals and hygiene products, on-site case management, health services, resource navigation and links to permanent housing solutions. There will be culturally specific support services dedicated to tribal members, veterans, domestic violence survivors and Latino communities. The funding for the shelter was provided just over two weeks after two unhoused people, Joseph Davis and Alonzo Boardman, died in a record-breaking heat wave at a campsite on Hunnell Road.
“Central Oregon has experienced recent tragic losses among our vulnerable unhoused neighbors,” said Scott Cooper, executive director of NeighborImpact. “This partnership is a first step in support of those at highest risk of succumbing to our harsh elements and who may not be welcomed into other shelters.”
Project Turnkey has funded over 900 units of emergency housing in Oregon, a 20% increase in the state.
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