Tuesday, OcTOber 11, 2022 A7
REDMOND SPOKESMAN
Write to us: news@redmondspokesman.com
GUEST COLUMN
Kiwanis Club
supports rec
center project
BY REDMOND KIWANIS
I
n 1972 The Kiwanis Club of Redmond and
its Kiwanis Foundation took on the task of
spearheading a new indoor swimming pool which
would be used year-round by the entire community to
replace the old outdoor pool in Ray Johnson Park near
Fifth and Highland.
Fifty years later, the Kiwanis board of directors has en-
dorsed the $49 bond measure submitted by the Redmond
Area Parks and Recreation District for a new recreation
center and swimming pool in southwest Redmond.
“The population of Redmond has grown more than
five-fold in that half century. The Cascade Swim Center
is still functional but overcrowded,” said Josh Werner, Ki-
wanis president.
“It is only fitting that Kiwanis endorse this measure to
benefit the children and families of today’s Redmond,” he
said, recalling the historic campaign five decades ago.
Members of the club made countless trips to see other
indoor pools throughout Oregon and Washington, es-
pecially those on the east side of the Cascades with sim-
ilar climate conditions, to determine the good and bad
points in determining the design for ours.
The 1970s, especially the latter half, was a period of
major inflation, so the more money the club raised, the
more out of reach the project became. In 1972 the esti-
mated cost was $250,000. The general obligation bond
measure approved in 1978 was $800,000, and the Red-
mond Kiwanis Foundation contributed $200,000 more
to finance the $1 million cost.
To raise funds, the Kiwanis Club sponsored ham-
burger, chicken and salmon barbecues, raffles, a hoote-
nanny and other special events including a concert by
the New Oregon Singers. The radio-TV auction was in-
stigated as a fund raiser for the pool. Kiwanis also held
paper drives and Mother’s Day breakfasts.
The city of Redmond contributed $50,000 which had
been budgeted for the old outdoor pool operations.
The largest single contributor was the Bend Foundation
which provided $75,000.
When it became apparent the costs were escalating
faster than the funds could be raised, the Kiwanis Club
spearheaded the establishment of the Central Oregon
Park and Recreation District to manage the pool and to
put the bond measure on the ballot in April 1978.
The district was created in a special election on July
8, 1975, by a vote of 327 to 248 when the population of
Redmond was less than 5,000. The first five board mem-
bers were Don Rich and Carl Leth from Kiwanis and
Skip Easterbrooks, Eloise MacMurray and Ray Malott.
The pool opened to the public in November 1979.
Of the $330,897 raised by the Kiwanis Foundation in
its pool efforts, $200,000 was contributed for construc-
tion costs, architects’ fees, elections costs and interest for
the first payment on the bonds. Another $36,000 was
dedicated to the first year’s operations of the pool. A year
or so later, the Kiwanis Foundation funded the construc-
tion of the adjacent wading pool for $16,000.
The Kiwanis Foundation also loaned the park and rec-
reation district $25,000 interest free on at least two occa-
sions to finance repairs to the Cascade Swim Center. In
2002, the Foundation spent $1,165 for a new flagpole at
the swim center.
WRITE TO US
Letters policy: We welcome your letters. Letters should be limited to
one issue, contain no more than 300 words and include the writer’s
phone number and address for verification. We edit letters for brevity,
grammar, taste and legal reasons. We reject poetry, personal attacks,
form letters, letters submitted elsewhere and those appropriate for
other sections of the spokesman.
Guest columns: your submissions should be between 600 and 800
words and must include the writer’s phone number and address for
verification. We edit submissions for brevity, grammar, taste and legal
reasons. We reject those submitted elsewhere.
How to submit:
• email is preferred: news@redmondspokesman.com
• Or mail to: 361 sW sixth street, redmond Or 97756
YOUR VIEWS
Vote for Chavez-DeRemer
I am writing this letter in support of Lori
Chavez-DeRemer for Oregon District 5
representative. I have found her to be an
incredible listener and problem solver. My
husband and I are business owners and have
talked with her about our concerns for the
future of Central Oregon agriculture. Agri-
culture in this area is headed for extinction
due to radical environmentalists who sup-
port her opponent’s campaign. No farmers
equals no food.
I believe Lori has the skills, tempera-
ment, common sense, integrity, and the ex-
perience to be an excellent representative
for District 5. Her opponent, I believe, will
only listen to people who support certain
ideologies. We need representatives for all
Oregonians.
Lori is the daughter of legal immigrants
and has worked hard to achieve the Amer-
ican Dream. Success happens when people
are willing to work hard like her and her
husband. It’s time to have a representative
that has solid business experience and has
signed the front of a paycheck — not just
worked in government. We need to protect
small businesses in this country — not dec-
imate businesses with more governmental
regulations.
Oregon has voted Democrat for over four
decades. The problems of homelessness,
crime, the economy, drug addiction and ed-
ucation failures have increased in our state
— not decreased. It’s time for Oregon to
make positive changes.
Trish Kentner-Backsen
Redmond
Redmond votes key for Levy,
abortion rights
For this election, abortion is on the ballot
in every single race. We must know which
candidates will defend our reproductive
freedom and which hold views that oppose
the values of the vast majority of Orego-
nians. How Redmond votes will shape Ore-
gon’s healthcare access for years to come.
The recent defeat of an anti-abortion bal-
lot referendum in Kansas proved once and
for all that voters across party lines support
abortion access. This November, we have
an opportunity to decide which future we
want: One where fringe politicians override
the will of the people and seek to control
our very bodies, or one where elected offi-
cials fight to protect our right to reproduc-
tive health care, including abortion.
That’s why I am voting for Emerson Levy
for state representative. She is a working
parent who has earned the endorsement of
Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon, which
fights for a world where everyone has the
power to decide when and whether to be-
come a parent. Her opponent, meanwhile,
uses misleading and inflammatory rhetoric
against abortion providers and their pa-
tients. His views are far out-of-touch with
the will of the people.
This November, we must defend our
bodies, fight for control over our personal
healthcare choices, and elect leaders who are
unapologetic supporters of abortion rights.
Please join me in voting for Emerson Levy.
Caitlyn Burford
Redmond
Vote for Redmond rec center
Redmond needs a public recreation cen-
ter. We have limited options for families,
teens, adults and seniors for recreational
opportunities. The proposed facility is the
result of months of study and input from
residents. It is geared to a wide range of in-
terests, abilities and age levels. Redmond has
tripled in population since the last major
investment in recreational facilities when
the current pool was built 50 years ago. The
proposed pools will be a major draw for all
abilities and age levels.
This is an investment in Redmond’s fu-
ture. We are a lively, vibrant community.
By voting yes on the recreation center you
demonstrate your belief in this community
Jennifer Stenkamp
Redmond
GUEST COLUMN
Farm finance alternatives
needed in today’s economy
BY BRIAN SLIPKA
N
ational Farmer’s Day is October
12. As problems such as infla-
tion and supply shortages persist
across the country, Americans should
take this day to recognize the farmers
we rely on for our personal and national
well-being.
Inflation continues
to touch every indus-
try and facet of life in
America, but one in-
dustry is particularly
affected because of its
business cycle and the
Slipka
need to finance opera-
tions: agriculture.
A scholar at the American Enterprise
Institute recently stated that prices of a
wide array of farm equipment are rising
more than the average inflation rate. In-
deed, agriculture industry experts say
that used equipment prices are up around
30 percent and that farmers have to wait
months for their equipment to get to
them because of persistent global supply
chain issues. Buying equipment seems
out of the question for many farmers, and
alternatives are needed to support these
business operators who are essential to
our nation.
Technology on the farm has progressed
to include GPS, cloud-based data storage,
electronic sensors and robotic equipment.
Up-to-date equipment with this technol-
ogy is essential to modern farming, but
many operators cannot afford it without
financing.
Moreover, many farmers are reluctant
to invest in new infrastructure because
there is a lot of uncertainty around costs
such as fertilizer, seed and water. Produc-
tion costs are up 14 percent over the pre-
vious two years. Fertilizer alone is up 12
percent over the last year, after a whop-
ping 17 percent increase from 2020 to
2021.
Input costs are just one side of the
coin; on the other is the revenue from
production, which can go down dramat-
ically when a farmer cuts back on input
expenses. For example, I recently heard
from one farmer who said that without
the optimal amount of fertilizer for his
corn, he could expect a 40 percent re-
duction in yield. Imagine similar effects
spread across all food and feed crops and
the corresponding effects on food sup-
plies and prices.
It’s worth noting that financial chal-
lenges for American farmers can quickly
translate into global humanitarian crises.
While the United States is far more food
secure than other nations and American
farmers produce a surplus to help feed the
entire world, it is worth noting that after
falling steadily for a decade, acute food in-
security has increased in just the last two
years from afflicting 135 million people in
53 countries, pre-pandemic, to 345 mil-
lion in 82 countries today.
Thus, alternative financing options
help farmers sustain their businesses and,
in turn, the rest of the country and the
world.
Farmers who cannot get money from a
bank or those who simply do not want to
deal with the rigidity of a bank seek other
options for their equipment and input
needs. When large banks don’t provide
loans for farmers to cover input costs or
equipment, farmers are restricted unrea-
sonably from getting the resources needed
to do their jobs.
Alternatives to traditional bank financ-
ing and outright purchase, such as pay-
per-use, tailored payment options and
flexible leasing options provide farmers a
way to obtain the equipment and inputs
they need to run their businesses.
These alternatives give farmers the
power to access the newest and best
equipment at reasonable prices and get
the inputs such as seed and fertilizer they
need to navigate these challenging eco-
nomic times and continue feeding the
world.
National Farmer’s Day provides an op-
portunity to recognize the importance
of what farmers do and also think inno-
vatively about how farmers can be sup-
ported as modern businesses.
█
Brian Slipka is CEO of Honour Capital, a capital
finance company. He wrote this for InsideSources.
com.