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In this Issue of C.O. Local BUZZ…

🤔Local Trivia

🌄Bend, OR Weather

📅 Lots and LOTS of Events

🎸🍴🛍️🍂Downtown Bend Fall Festival

🎃DD Ranch 2024 Pumpkin Patch

📅Save The Date Section

💖🫴3rd Annual A Night to Remember - Bowties & Boots - Fundraiser

🎉New Event Calendar! Central Oregon Local Live!

📰Local News - What’s a Happening?

📰Redmond family says apartment complex threatened eviction due to repair complaints

🎼Dream to build Central Oregon performing arts center reaches new phase

🏫Central Oregon Education Faces Shifts Amid Growth

📰Former Summit High School art teacher John Kinder's teaching license revoked

Central Oregon Fire Info

Updates of Oregon Fires

🚧 Road Closures & Construction

🔥⛑️Fire & Rescue News

🚨💥Pickup driver topples power pole in early-AM crash on Hwy. 97 in Madras

🚨 Crime News

⚖️Redmond man convicted of bias crime after rocks thrown at mariachi band

🏘️Real Estate News

🏘️Central Oregon Market Report | October 2, 2024 by Reed Melton

🏆Empire Construction receives THREE Building a Better Oregon Awards

😃Residential Condos at Westmount Redmond - Make an Offer Today!

📰 Community News

 Got some news or know of news for our Community News Segment - share it with C.O. Local Buzz!

📲Sponsors & Partners

😁 MEME of the Day

🌆 On going Events COMING SOON - A NEW EVENTS CALENDAR JUST FOR “Fun N Games” in Central Oregon! Stay tuned!

This historic bridge in Bend, Oregon, has been a key crossing over the Deschutes River for decades. Which bridge is shown in this photo?

A) Old Mill Bridge
B) Newport Avenue Bridge
C) Reed Market Bridge
D) Drake Park Footbridge

Answer: B) Newport Avenue Bridge

Expanded Answer: The Newport Avenue Bridge is a significant structure in Bend, originally constructed in the early 20th century. It spans the Deschutes River, connecting the west side of the city to downtown. Over the years, the bridge has been renovated to handle increased traffic while retaining its historic charm. It's a vital part of Bend's infrastructure and history, reflecting the city's growth and development.

Excerpt from the story about the re-opening of the Newport Bridge in 2006:

“The 70-year-old Newport Avenue Bridge was closed in April for replacement. The new span is roughly 20 feet longer and 20 feet wider than the previous bridge, with sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides. The project cost roughly $5.9 million, most of which was paid for by a grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation.”

BEND

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What’s Up Central Oregon 

Downtown Bend Fall Festival

DD Ranch 2024 Pumpkin Patch

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Dream to build Central Oregon performing arts center reaches new phase

Steele Haugen, Reporter

The Central Oregon Center for the Arts is a nonprofit that aims to create a professional performing arts center -- an idea that became much more urgent following the unexpected demolition of the Bend High School auditorium last summer.

Recently, the organization surpassed phase one of the project and are now on to phase two.

"It just took a couple of people to give amazing donations and support the idea for this to really start rolling," said board member John Kish.

Kish is the creator and founder of Bend's newest theater space, The Greenhouse Cabaret.

"I think having that additional arts aspect is going to create a backbone," said Kish. "It's going to create jobs. It's going to create things to do in the evening. So many people say that Bend is sleepy past 7 p.m. Well, this is one of those answers."

Michael Gesme is the Conductor of the Central Oregon Symphony and Professor of Music at Central Oregon Community College. He says the problem is not the talent in Central Oregon. It is space and availability.

Thanks to the unplanned demolition of the Bend High's 1,400-seat auditorium, that need grew slightly louder.

"The renovation of Bend High ultimately turned into the destruction of the Bend High auditorium because of structural issues," said Gesme. "One of those is now completely offline, so it's completely crushed everything that we've been struggling with."

Board President Laura Thompson says the nonprofit officially completed the project's first phase and has raised enough money — around $250,000— to start on phase two. This phase consists of hiring a team of consultants and professionals, an architectural team, a construction team, an acoustical team, a planning and research team and a real estate advisor. A location is yet to be determined.

"I would say by the end of next February or March, we should have a full report on that and be able to really tell where the facility would be located," Thompson said. "How big it will be, what it will look like. How much will it cost and how much will it cost to sustain it."

The hope is that the venue will have around 1,000 seats, a rehearsal stage, a main stage, professional lighting and sound for all kinds of art performances.

Board members say they hope to open doors to the Central Oregon Center for the Arts by 2029.

VIDEO

Central Oregon Education Faces Shifts Amid Growth

The Oregon State University-Cascades campus is expanding with the Student Success Center taking shape, transforming a former pumice mine. This continues the 24-year-old vision to enhance local educational opportunities and keep talent in the region.

While higher education grows, K-12 schools in Central Oregon face challenges like stagnant enrollment and budget cuts due to declining birthrates and changing demographics. Redmond School District has expanded online learning and vocational programs, but maintenance and repairs are a priority. Similarly, Sisters School District's place-based learning programs thrive with expanded offerings. Bend-La Pine Schools, facing enrollment declines since 2019, is focusing on maintaining facilities and enhancing early literacy programs.

Higher education institutions like Central Oregon Community College and OSU-Cascades are focusing on improving student experiences and expanding programs despite fluctuating enrollments.

Updates of Oregon Fires

Link to: Air Quality Index map

Another AQI Map

Link to: Northwest Large Fire Interactive Web Map

Pickup driver topples power pole in early-AM crash on Hwy. 97 in Madras

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A pickup driver left southbound Highway 97 at the south end of Madras and knocked down a power pole early Thursday morning, leaving lines across the road. A detour was in place for several hours while cleanup occurred and a repair crew worked to replace the pole.

The driver, a 71-year-old Vacaville, California man, was at the wheel of a Dodge pickup heading south on Fourth Street (Highway 97) around 5:45 a.m. when he left the road and hit the pole, Madras Police Chief Timothy Plummer said.

The driver was uninjured and no other vehicles were involved, Plummer said.

ODOT said it established a detour for southbound traffic to get around the blockage, and the police chief said Pacific Power crews were called in to replace the pole and reattach the wires. Pacific Power’s outage map indicated the crash knocked out power to just three customers; utility spokesman Simon Gutierrez said the pole was replaced and power restored at 2:15 p.m.

The two-lane roadway reopened shortly after 1 p.m.

Assisting Madras Police at the scene was Madras Public Works, ODOT and Jefferson County Fire and EMS.

Redmond man convicted of bias crime after rocks thrown at mariachi band

A Redmond man accused of throwing rocks at a mariachi band last spring has been convicted of a bias crime. The incident was caught on video.

Banda Costa de Oro was in town to play a concert at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds. While shooting a promotional video at their rental, a man started throwing rocks over the fence and made racially-charged remarks.

Michael Gumm, 64, pleaded no contest late last month and was convicted Thursday of a bias crime in the second degree and criminal mischief in the second degree.

He was sentenced to five days in jail and two years probation. He is not allowed to contact the victims.

Central Oregon Market Report | October 2, 2024

by Reed Melton

Buyers across Central Oregon are re-engaging the market with robust activity and dips across the board in inventory. This morning, the 30-year average for a fixed-rate conventional mortgage is 6.20%, unchanged from the last several days. I suspect many motivated buyers recalculated loan preapprovals over the previous few weeks, found homes and took action. Market conditions have considerably more impact than presidential elections, and buyers are stepping up. 

This morning, 1192 single-family homes are listed in Deschutes County, down from nine the previous week and the lowest number since June. Pending and closed transactions were both at 89, with the average pending sale price at $864,318 and the sold at $742,675. Inventory trends fluctuate over the seasons, and last week's flatline looks like an anomaly. 

Crook County wasn't excluded from the activity, with 179 listings this week, down three from the previous week. Pending and closed transactions also aligned, with nine in each category. The average pending sale price was $914,422, with the closed at $602,221. Prices are especially firm, with the sold-to-list ratio at 101.99% and the sold-to-original-list-price ratio at 100.38%.

Jefferson County inventory dropped four to 116 single-family homes listed. Six pending sales, at an average of $679,141, and four closed transactions, at an average of $516,500, are in line with the past several weeks. The average price reduction on the closed transactions was only 1.17%.

As the Federal Funds Rate declines, the velocity of money increases, putting upward pressure on inflation and hard asset prices. This dynamic is compounded by supply and demand in housing, and we are beginning to see an increase in activity after the recent decline in mortgage rates. With several more rate decreases telegraphed in the Fed dot plots, activity in the Central Oregon housing market should pick up through the remainder of the year and start with a bang in the spring. The increased activity will bring inventory down, increasing competition. 

There is little doubt that more homes on the market, seasonal price declines, and lower rates have created one of the best buying opportunities in a few years. However, targeting any particular time as "buy now!" or attempting to time the market is generally a poor strategy. The most critical component is your situation, especially if you plan to hold property for the long haul. Real estate in Central Oregon is on a steady upward trajectory, as is our population. 1997, there were 103,180 residents, and the average home sale price was $161,108. In 2007, those numbers increased to 150,113 residents, and the average sale price was $427,466. Last year, Deschutes County's population increased to 212,141; the average sold home price was $812,271. 

"Don't wait to buy real estate; buy real estate, and wait."

Active Listings

Empire Construction receives THREE Building a Better Oregon Awards

Empire Construction is honored to be the recipient of three BBO awards presented by The Central Oregon Association of Realtors. Congratulations to Subaru of Bend, Leading Edge, and Central Oregon Veterinary Referral Center on their excellent buildings. We are thankful for your partnership!

Residential Condos at Westmount Redmond - Make an Offer Today!

Enjoy Lock-and-Leave, easy living in these luxurious condos with breathtaking Cascade Mountain views and a 7 minute commute to the airport! Indulge in the ultimate relaxation on the 5th floor rooftop deck with a Backporch Coffee or Bonta Gelato from the 1st Floor. Discover the ultimate blend of comfort and convenience at Westmount, where sweeping vistas of the Cascade Mountains await! Come visit soon!

Deschutes Public Library Events

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