THE SPOKESMAN • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2022 A3
LocalNews
Redmond
gets festive
City erects tree donated
by local family
BY NICK ROSENBERGER
Redmond Spokesman
A
s cold wind blew
through the city,
hinting at more
winter weather, Redmond
was getting ready for the
holiday season. Crews
put up a Christmas tree
and lights and worked on
downtown’s annual ice rink.
On Nov. 15, the Redmond
Chamber of Commerce brought
in the tree, which was donated
by Caroline and Donald Costa,
to the square at Centennial Park.
Crews from Vernam Crane Ser-
vice lifted it into place.
“This is a part of the season,”
said Eric Sande, director of the
Redmond Chamber of Com-
merce. “The tree is donated by
the community. It brings the
community together.”
The chamber has already
started putting lights on the
tree, but it won’t be lit until
the Starlight Parade on Satur-
day, Nov. 26. Starting at 5 p.m.,
the parade will head through
downtown Redmond to Cen-
tennial Park where Santa will
light the tree around 6:30 or
7 p.m.
“The tree lighting at the end
of the starlight parade is always
a blast,” said Teri Jansen, ambas-
sador for the Redmond Cham-
ber of Commerce.
Sande estimated there were
a couple thousand people in at-
tendance for the big reveal last
year.
Jansen said city crews are also
putting up lights and garlands
throughout the city and are
moving in a Christmas village
to Centennial Park. A holiday
market is scheduled for Nov. 25,
Nick Rosenberger/Spokesman
Employees of Vernam Crane and Redmond Public Works position the annual Redmond Christmas tree in the
courtyard of Centennial Park on Nov. 15 in Redmond.
Photo provided by Eric Sande, Redmond Chamber of Commerce
Vernam Crane lifts a Christmas tree into place in Centennial Park with
the help of Redmond Public Works on Nov. 15 in Redmond.
the day after Thanksgiving.
Additionally, crews have been
working to set up the Redmond
Ice Skating Rink to open after
Thanksgiving as well.
The skating rink will be open
5 to 9 p.m. Monday through
Thursday, 3 to 10 p.m. Friday
through Saturday and from 3 to
9 p.m. on Sunday. Additionally,
free skate sessions will be held
from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Mon-
day through Thursday and from
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday
through Sunday.
It will cost $5 to rent skates
and jump on the ice. Those with
their own skates will pay $1.25
to enter. There is also the op-
tion to buy a $15 family pass for
up to six people from the same
household.
█
Nick Rosenberger/Spokesman
Employees of Vernam Crane and Redmond Public Works pose for a photo in front of the annual Redmond
Christmas tree in the courtyard of Centennial Park on Nov. 15 in Redmond.
Reporter: nrosenberger@
redmondspokesman.com
LOCAL BRIEFING
Witcosky won’t take
Sisters job, will stay in
Redmond
City manager Keith Witcosky
is staying in Redmond.
Witcosky,
54, applied
for the city
manager job
in Sisters and
earlier this
month was
named a fi-
Witcosky
nalist for the
position. He
said throughout the process that
he was unsure if he would take
the job, even if it was offered.
Witcoscky told the Spokes-
man on Friday, Nov. 18 that he
decided to pass.
“I’m staying (in Redmond),”
he said.
Redmond city government
will see a number of new faces
in 2023, and losing Witcosky
would have led to another. Ed
Fitch will take over as mayor
and three city councilors —
John Nielsen, Kathryn Osborne
and Cat Zwicker — will fill seats
on the council. Longtime sta-
ples, including Mayor George
Endicott and councilor Jay Pat-
rick, will depart from positions
they have held for decades.
COCC seeks Redmond-
area board members for
budget committee
Central Oregon Community
College is currently seeking in-
dividuals interested in serving
on the college’s budget com-
mittee. There are three current
vacancies representing three dif-
ferent zones with opportunities
for Crook, Jefferson and De-
schutes County residents.
The budget committee con-
sists of the seven elected COCC
board members and seven ap-
pointed citizens representing
the district’s geographic zones.
The first vacancy represents
Zone 1, which includes all of
Jefferson County, a southern
portion of Wasco County and a
portion of northeast Deschutes
County north of Redmond. The
second vacancy represents Zone
2, which includes all of Crook
County and a portion of north-
east Deschutes County between
Bend and Redmond. The third
vacancy represents Zone 4/5,
which is located within the city
of Bend in Deschutes County.
Budget committee mem-
bers are board-appointed for
three-year terms. The commit-
tee meets two to three times
per year and recommends an
annual operating budget to the
board of directors.
Interested citizens are en-
couraged to review COCC’s
zone maps prior to applying to
ensure they are eligible to apply:
cocc.edu/about/board-of-direc-
tors/director-zones.aspx.
Send a cover letter and re-
sume to: COCC Board of Direc-
tors, Attn: Jenn Kovitz, Central
Oregon Community College,
2600 NW College Way, Bend,
Oregon 97703 or e-mail materi-
als to jkovitz@cocc.edu. Include
address of residence in the cover
letter so COCC can confirm
you qualify for a budget com-
mittee vacancy in the zone to
which you are applying.
For more information, con-
Carpet
Vinyl
Hardwood
Laminate
(541) 526-5543
1950 SW Badger Ave #102,
Redmond, OR 97756
tact Kovitz at 541-383-7599 or
jkovitz@cocc.edu.
Redmond Kiwanis to
launch See’s Candy sales
Kiwanis Club of Redmond
will resume See’s Candy sales at
three locations beginning im-
mediately after Thanksgiving.
The kick-off will be Friday
and Saturday, Nov. 25 and 26, at
the Redmond Chamber’s Holi-
day Village in Centennial Park
from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Kiwanis
volunteers will staff the kiosk
again Dec. 3 and 10.
Also on Nov. 25, Kiwan-
ians will be available Mondays
through Saturdays, in the Cas-
cade Mattress and Bedroom
Furniture at 224 SW Sixth St.,
the former location of Sears
where See’s sales began in 2012.
Candy sales provided nearly
$5,000 toward the club’s youth
projects in 2021. More informa-
tion about Redmond Kiwanis
and its project can be found
at www.redmondkiwanis.org
or contact redmondkiwanis@
gmail.com
Among the favorites that
are back in stock for your hol-
iday gifts and treats: Nuts and
chews, dark or milk chocolate,
assorted, soft centers, truffles,
peanut brittle, lollypops, molas-
ses and mint chips, and small
gift-sized boxes of chocolates.
Also at Cascade Mattress, Ki-
wanis will display an E-bicycle
donated by Eric Helie of Trinity
Bikes as a fundraiser for youth
projects.
The Trek Verve+2 electric hy-
brid bicycle is valued at $2,850.
Kiwanis is selling raffle tickets
for $10 each. The drawing for
the raffle ticket winner will be
held when 500 tickets are sold.
Tickets are available at the
store, on the Kiwanis website,
www.redmondkiwanis.org, or
from the chairman, Joshua.Wer-
ner@edwardjones.com
Redmond man dies after
crashing into fire truck
A Redmond man died Mon-
day in a car crash on Highway
20 near Lebanon.
According to Oregon State
Police, Kevin Gonzales, 30, of
Redmond, was driving west-
bound in a Toyota Yaris about
6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14,
on Highway 20 near the city of
Lebanon.
Gonzales “crossed over into
oncoming traffic,” according
to OSP, and collided with a
Freightliner operated by Kyle
Kemper, 40, of Lebanon.
Gonzales died at the scene.
Prior to the collision the Toy-
ota was reported to be driving
erratically and impairment is
being investigated as a con-
tributing factor, according to
police. The Freightliner truck
is owned by the Lebanon Fire
Department and is commonly
known as a “pumper truck.”
Traffic on Highway 20 was
affected for nearly four hours
while the OSP Collision Re-
construction Unit investigated
the scene. OSP was assisted
by Lebanon Fire Department,
Lebanon Police Department,
Linn County Sheriff’s Office,
Bend Police Department, Red-
mond Police Department and
ODOT.
Aged
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$9.99 lb
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