WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2021 Redmond, Oregon • $1 • redmondspokesman.com a t n a S o Leters t A special good morning to subscriber RAPRD Activity Center ITION INSIDE TODAY’S ED Redmond appoints new city councilor BY KYLE SPURR The Bulletin The Redmond City Council ap- pointed Cat Zwicker, a real estate bro- ker and planning commissioner, to replace former councilor Jon Bullock, who resigned last month. The council made the unanimous decision at its Dec. 14 meeting, after considering 17 applicants for the posi- tion. The month-long search for a new council started Nov. 9, when Bullock left his seat to take on a larger respon- sibility in his role on the Southern Or- egon University board of trustees. Mayor George Endicott said the council narrowed the field down to three applicants, who all had expe- rience serving the city. The other two considered were Ron Osmund- son, a longtime Redmond planning commission and budget committee member, and Kath- ryn Osborne, chair of the Redmond Downtown Urban Renewal Advisory Committee. “Three outstand- Zwicker ing candidates,” En- dicott said. “It was a tough choice. We decided Cat was the best qualified.” Zwicker, a Redmond resident for the past 22 years, said in her appli- cation that her experience as a small business owner, planning commis- sioner, real estate broker and com- munity volunteer helps her identify the needs of the city and participate in conversations about its growth and development. “I believe I have more to offer in these regards and the experience and knowledge to contribute at a higher level,” Zwicker said. Zwickler, who owns Desert Sky Real Estate, is a Central Oregon Asso- ciation of Realtors board member and the incoming 2022 president of the Child Care Task Force in Redmond. She earned a Bachelor of Arts de- gree in Political Science from the Uni- versity of Georgia in 1987. Reporter: kspurr@bendbulletin.com BUILDING A ‘GROWTH MINDSET’ Heart of Oregon Corps’ YouthBuild program to train future child care workforce Redmond airport to receive $3.6M for upgrades From a press release 123RF The child and youth development track takes place out of Heart of Oregon Corps’ Redmond campus. BY ZACK DEMARS EO Media Group A Central Oregon nonprofit’s youth education program known for building homes is aiming to build new child care workers, too. Heart of Oregon Corps an- nounced this month plans to launch a child and youth development track for its YouthBuild program, offering 16- to 24-year-olds an en- try into the industry badly in need of additional resources. While the program won’t have an immediate impact on the number of open child care slots in the region, executive director Laura Handy said the main goal of the program is to empower youth who have cycled out of the school system, particularly those from low-income backgrounds and who need to boost their resume. “We want to open those doors back up,” Handy told The Bulletin. Crook, Jefferson and Deschutes counties are all considered “child care deserts,” meaning there ar- WEDNESDAY 12/22 Christmas Open House: Drive the mile-long stretch of lights and end at River Run Lodge, featuring local wine & beer, food vendors, hot chocolate and crafts for the kids; 5-9 p.m.; free; River Run Lodge, 1730 Blue Heron Drive, Redmond; facebook.com/riverrlodge or 541-504-4501. Events in and around Redmond The Redmond Spokesman welcomes event information for its community calendar. Submissions are limited to nonprofit, free and live entertainment events. Deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday for the following Wednesday’s paper. Items are published on a space-available basis and may be edited. Contact us at news@redmondspokesman.com or fax 541-548-3203. Trivia Wednesdays: Go with a team or team up there to play genuine UKB Trivia live and possibly win gift certificates; 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Initiative Brewing, 424 NW Fifth St.; facebook.com/InitiativeBrew or 541-527-4380. THURSDAY 12/23 Holiday Lights: A walk-through holiday light show spanning 100,000 sq. ft. with more than 3 million dazzling lights happening daily; 4-10 p.m.; $25 per person, $65 family four pack, $95 family six pack; Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, 3800 SW Airport Way, Redmond; en’t nearly enough open child care spots for the number of kids in the county who need one. Just 22% of Deschutes County’s children age 0-5 had access to child care before the pandemic, according to the most recent research from Oregon State University. See Child care / P3 Congressman Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., announced this week that Roberts Field in Redmond will receive $3.6 million for air- port improvements over the next fiscal year. The Bend air- port will receive $763,000. In total, Oregon’s airports are to receive $42.2 million over the next fiscal year from the landmark bipartisan Infra- structure Investment and Jobs Act to address safety improve- ments to runways and taxi- ways, modernize aging termi- nals, and reduce aircraft noise near airports. As chair of the House Com- mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, DeFazio played an instrumental role in getting this bill signed into law, ac- cording to a press release. “The funding announced by the Federal Aviation Adminis- tration will help fund upgrades to airports across Oregon, both large and small,” said Rep. De- Fazio. “I’m pleased the Biden administration is moving swiftly to get our state and the nation the resources needed to rebuild. As Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastruc- ture Committee, I will con- tinue my work with the Biden administration to ensure we implement this new law and secure much-needed funding to make Oregon’s airports safer, greener, and less congested.” The Spokesman uses recycled newsprint holidaylightexperience.com or 541-548-2711. Irish Trad Music: The Ballybogs will perform; 6-8 p.m.; free; Porter Brewing Co., 611 NE Jackpine Ct. 2, Redmond; porterbrewingco.com or 541-504-7959. Wintervention: Hoodoo is dumping over $50,000 in prizes including lift tickets, lodging, skis, snowboards, gear, goods and more; 6-8 p.m.; free; General Duffy’s Watering Hole, 404 SW Forest Ave., Redmond; facebook.com/Generalduffys or 541-527-4345. INDEX Puzzles ............. 2 Classifieds ....... 6 Volume 112, No. 17 USPS 778-040 FRIDAY 12/24 Unity Christmas Eve Service: This service will be live in the Unity Sanctuary, masks required, and live-streamed; 5:30-6:30 p.m.; free; Unity Community of Central Oregon, 63645 Scenic Drive, Bend; unitycentraloregon.org or 925-366-3091. See Calendar / P6 U|xaIICGHy02326kzU