TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022 • Redmond, Oregon • $1
INSIDE » Meet the characters of
Oregon’s uranium gold rush
redmondspokesman.com
A special good morning to subscriber Tracy Hitt
@RedmondSpox
BMX pedals back into action at Smith Rock
BY TIM TRAINOR
Redmond Spokesman
More than 85 riders took to
the dirt of the Smith Rock BMX
Park on Friday night, helping to
christen an improved track in
the first race of the 2022 season.
“Everyone is excited,” said
track operator Seth Tassie. “It’s
great to be out here and have
everyone back. We put a lot of
work into this.”
Tassie estimates he spends
30-35 hours a week at the track
— shaping obstacles, keeping
dust down, performing main-
tenance and chasing away tres-
passers. The course then at-
tracts Redmond locals, as well
as riders from across the North-
west, for twice-weekly races
throughout the season.
Competitors range from nov-
ices aged toddler to adult, while
others are serious profession-
als gearing up for nationwide
competitions. BMX bikes are
human-powered and consist of
one lap over dirt bumps, sharp
corners and big jumps.
“You get all kinds of differ-
ent riders,” said Tassie. “Part of
the fun of it is everyone getting
together and riding alongside
each other.”
Redmond has produced two
rising stars in the BMX com-
munity who are traveling the
nation to compete for some of
the sport’s biggest events. They
include 15-year-old Cyrus Rus-
sell, who attends the Redmond
Proficiency Academy, as well as
Ryley Rojas, another young star
who has made a name for him-
self on the national level.
Russell has been riding for
more than nine years, ever since
he took his first nerve-wracking
trip down a big jump.
“Once I did that, I was fine
and this was fun,” he said.
About six years ago, he took
his hobby to the next level. His
family started traveling to re-
gional and national competi-
tions. Most recently, they trav-
eled to South Carolina, where
he qualified for the world cham-
pionships in France in July.
“Now we’re just raising
money to try and get there,” he
said.
See BMX / P5
Tim Trainor/Redmond Spokesman
Young riders wait for the start of a practice run Friday night at
the Smith Rock BMX track in Redmond.
Central Oregon drought
CITY OF REDMOND
Council
returns to
in-person
meetings
BY TIM TRAINOR
Redmond Spokesman
After two years with all
but one city council meet-
ing being held virtually,
Redmond city councilors
will once again convene
in city hall — in person —
for their biweekly council
meetings.
The April 5 meeting is set
for 6 p.m. at City Hall execu-
tive conference room. It will
be a shared meeting with
the planning commission.
For Mayor George En-
dicott, the return to open
meetings at city hall is a sign
that local government is get-
ting back to normal. He also
thinks in-person meetings
improve both efficiency and
conviviality, both for coun-
cilors and city staff.
“It’s good for camarade-
rie, good to see people in
person,” he said. “As help-
ful as video is, when you’re
in-person you get to see
people, read people’s body
language.”
He said that as the per-
son running the meeting,
it was difficult to watch
all those little boxes, look-
ing for people holding up
their hands or waiting to
say something or make a
motion.
“Its just a different atmo-
sphere,” he said. “I think ev-
eryone is looking forward
to being back in person.”
City council did have one
in-person meeting since
the start of the pandemic.
In the summer of 2021 they
were able to meet once, be-
fore a COVID-19 variant
forced them back online
until Tuesday.
At their (hopefully) last
virtual meeting on March
29, city council took the
following actions, all unan-
imously:
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin
An aerial view of Ochoco Reservoir in Prineville on Wednesday. As of Sunday, the reservoir was 11% full.
DRY TIMES
BY MICHAEL KOHN
For the Spokesman
As the irrigation season gets un-
derway next month, water authori-
ties are taking stock of Central Or-
egon’s reservoirs, and the reports
coming back are worrying. Four of
the five large reservoirs are at their
lowest levels ever.
“I would like to report some
good news, but it is hard to find
any,” said Jeremy Giffin, Deschutes
Basin watermaster.
The reservoirs in question in-
clude Wickiup, Prineville, Cres-
cent Lake and Ochoco. The fifth,
Craine Prairie, is higher than past
low levels due to federal require-
Area reservoirs
fall to record lows
ments to protect the Oregon spot-
ted frog.
Natural flow in the Deschutes
Basin was classified as extremely
low last year, but now rivers and
streams are down an additional
15% from a year ago, said Giffin,
whose job duties include regulat-
ing and distributing the waters of
the state and enforcing water law.
River and stream levels are not
expected to rise substantially this
spring because of low snowpack
in the Cascades. The low stream
and reservoir levels will once again
mean tight water allotments for
irrigation districts, as well as calls
for people to cut their water use at
home.
“The vast majority of city wa-
ter that is delivered in the spring,
summer and fall goes to outdoor
landscaping, so that is really a great
place to make adjustments to water
usage,” said Giffin.
The Oregon Water Resources
Department has advice for Central
Oregonians who want to reduce
their water use and help alleviate
stress on the environment caused
by the drought. Everyday lifestyle
modifications can be considered,
including shorter showers, using
less water when washing dishes
and clothes, avoiding hosing off
driveways and decreasing the
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin
A group of docks sit on a dry bank
of Ochoco Reservoir in Prineville on
Wednesday. As of Sunday, the reser-
voir was 11% full.
amount of water put on lawns.
Irrigation district patrons can
save water by investing in more
efficient sprinkler systems, or by
leasing their water right instream.
See Drought / P5
See Meetings / P5
The Spokesman uses
recycled newsprint
Tuesday 4/5
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.
Writers Writing — Quiet Writing Time: Enjoy the focus of
a quiet space with the benefit of others’ company; 10:30 a.m.-
12:30 p.m.; free; Redmond Public Library, 827 SW Deschutes
Ave., Redmond; deschuteslibrary.org or 541-312-1050.
Pints for Ponies: For every pint sold, $1 goes to the Heart
Space Horse Sanctuary; 4-8 p.m.; Wild Ride Brewing Co., 332
SW Fifth St., Redmond; wildridebrew.com or 541-610-2520.
Arbor Week Tree Planting #1: To celebrate Arbor Week, the
city will be hosting three tree plantings at three different park
locations; 4-5:30 p.m.; free; Hayden Park, 1964 SW 35th St.,
Redmond; redmondoregon.gov or 541-923-7710.
City Council Workshop: A regular workshop will be held on-
line and in person; 6-8 p.m.; free; Redmond City Hall, 411 SW
Ninth St., Redmond; redmondoregon.gov or 541-923-7710.
INDEX
Puzzles ............. 2 Sports .............. 5
Flashback ........ 3 Classifieds ....... 6
Wednesday 4/6
Arbor Week Tree Planting #2: To celebrate Arbor Week, the
city will be hosting three tree plantings at three different park
locations; 4-5:30 p.m.; free; Hathaway Park, 1021 NW Rock-
crest Ct., Redmond; redmondoregon.gov or 541-923-7710.
See Calendar / P5
Volume 112, No. 32
USPS 778-040
U|xaIICGHy02326kzU