A4 THE SPOKESMAN • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2022
Redmond musical family moves to Nashville
BY LEO BAUDHUIN
Redmond Spokesman
Brendan Booher’s life has al-
ways revolved around music.
He has been in Central Or-
egon for about 20 years — first
in Bend, then a couple years in
Sisters before settling in Red-
mond in 2005. He’s performed
live music in the area and
worked to teach others to do
the same.
And now, he, his wife and
their two kids are looking to
take his career to a new level
when they move to Nashville in
October.
Growing up in a musical-
ly-talented family, Booher
started piano under the guid-
ance of his great grandmother
when he was two. He took up
the fiddle a couple years later.
Since then, he’s performed and
taught music on an array of in-
struments.
Booher’s instructional model
focuses on ear training, impro-
visation and core music theory,
he said. It’s a method inspired
by Booher’s own music back-
ground, where from a young
age he would improvise by ear
along with other fiddlers.
As a teacher, Booher in-
structs people of all ages on pi-
ano and violin, as well as uku-
lele, cello, guitar and voice in a
range of different music genres.
“One of the big things is just
finding out what interests the
students in their musical pur-
suit,” Booher said. “That’s been a
big thing to me. It’s customized
student to student, how they can
learn and develop at their own
pace, enjoy the process.”
Booher is now planning to
invest that same attention to his
own musical career in Tennes-
see. He writes mostly Christian
music, along with a little jazz
and country.
Booher said Nasvhille will
give his family space to live a
more leisurely life between re-
cording sessions as well.
Photo courtesy of Brendan Booher
Brendan Booher and his wife and kids stand in front of a mural in downtown Redmond.
Photo courtesy of Brendan Booher
Photo courtesy of Brendan Booher
A young Brendan Booher poses with a guitar and fiddle.
Brendan Booher teaches children how to play a variety of instruments.
But still, he appreciates the
Redmond community for the
ways its shown up for him and
his wife over the years.
my business and coming and
learning.”
Before the Booher fam-
ily leaves town, they’re plan-
“We appreciate the support
of the community for our fam-
ily,” he said. “They have been
great about being involved in
ning a goodbye concert. At-
tendance will be free, Booher
said, but people will have the
opportunity to donate to the
cross-country move if they have
money to spare.
█
Reporter: lbaudhuin@
redmondspokesman.com
Redmond DMV to remain closed
Staffing shortage
statewide causes delayed
reopening of local office
BY NICK ROSENBERGER
Redmond Spokesman
After shutting down May 31
due to lack of staff, the Red-
mond DMV will remain closed
for the foreseeable future.
“We’re still having challenges
with hiring,” said Kevin Beck-
strom, spokesman for the Ore-
gon Department of Motor Vehi-
cles. “That’s been the issue with
reopening offices.”
The staffing issues are a
problem throughout the state.
A search of the Oregon State
government hiring portal
turned up 105 open positions
for ODOT throughout the
state, with seven openings in
Bend.
“We have a lot of positions
open and we would love to get
them filled,” said Beckstrom. “If
you want to stay in Redmond or
explore, we’ve got them all over.”
Initially, ODOT thought
staffing issues would likely be
ironed out by the end of the
summer and the Redmond of-
fice would be back in operation.
That timeline has been pushed
back, however.
Beckstrom said that although
they don’t currently have a time-
line for reopening in Redmond,
they’re constantly monitoring
the hiring office. The sooner
they’re able to fill positions in
the region, he said, the sooner
they’ll be able to re-open it.
“When we can get it open,
we will,” Beckstrom said. “And
hopefully that’ll be soon.”
According to Beckstrom,
they need to hire a management
position first. Once someone is
Image retrieved from Deschutes County Property Information
A rendering of the proposed Diamond Line Trucking Transfer Termi-
nal located at 1020 NE 15th St in Redmond.
Nick Rosenberger/Spokesman
The Redmond DMV sits empty at 3835 SW 21st in Redmond after closing in May due to staffing shortages.
Nick Rosenberger/Spokesman
The Redmond DMV sits empty at 3835 SW 21st in Redmond after clos-
ing in May due to staffing shortages.
in the role, he said that will go
a long way to getting the Red-
mond location back in opera-
tion.
While it can be a demand-
ing job and not always a happy
place for people to go, Beck-
strom said the DMV is a great
job for people who are custom-
er-service oriented.
“(They’re) great people to
work with and it’s a really good
organization to work with, es-
pecially if you like to work with
people,” Beckstrom said.
Currently, Redmond motor-
ists are directed to either use the
Bend DMV, located at 63085 N
Highway 97, or check to see if
their needs can be fulfilled on-
line at www.oregondmv.com.
“We offer so many more ser-
vices online than we used to,”
Beckstrom said. “That’s helped
a lot because if you don’t have
to go in, that makes it a lot eas-
ier.”
He added that the DMV’s on-
line services have also helped
reduce waiting times for those
that need to go in to the office.
For anyone interested in a job,
Beckstrom said to visit www.
odotjobs.com.
█
Reporter: nrosenberger@
redmondspokesman.com
Diamond
Line building
new transfer
terminal
BY NICK ROSENBERGER
Redmond Spokesman
Diamond Line Delivery,
LLC., will move to a new fa-
cility in Redmond at 1020 NE
15th St., where the company
plans to build a 7,000-square-
foot transfer terminal that in-
cludes 1,800 square feet of of-
fice space.
Currently, Diamond Line
is located at 2183 SW 2nd Ct
in Redmond — near the air-
port — but according to Ryan
Cary, pricing manager for Di-
amond Line, they’ve outgrown
the space a bit.
The new building, which
is situated between Fuel Safe
Systems to the north and Or-
egon’s Wild Harvest to the
south, will help fill out the ev-
er-expanding Desert Rise In-
dustrial Park on the east side
of town.
Diamond Line will be leas-
ing the property from Fill-
more Family Limited Partner-
ship after it’s constructed with
engineering and design com-
pleted by the Bend-based CA
Rowles Engineering & Design
firm.
The proposed terminal will
have 19 dedicated loading
docks and 18 parking spaces
for employees and visitors.
According to documents
submitted to the county, “the
proposed setbacks, height, po-
sition and overall design of the
buildings are intended to com-
pliment the typical character
of industrial buildings in this
area of the city.”
According to county re-
cords, the site was purchased
from AGO, LLC., by Fillmore
Family Limited Partnership
for $612,889 in March.
█
Reporter: nrosenberger@
redmondspokesman.com