THURSDAY • April 1, 2021
Serving Central Oregon since 1903 • $3
Pay college athletes? Oregon taking up the issue again
SPORTS
PULLOUT
A5-8
County withdraws proposal
to rezone farm, forest land
SURVEY IN OREGON
Another rural-urban
divide: Remote working
BY SUZANNE ROIG
The Bulletin
Residents of rural areas
think working from home is
temporary and as soon as the
threat of the pandemic ends,
everyone will return to the of-
fice.
What’s more likely to occur
is increased flex time, where
work is split between the office
and home, said Dan McCarthy,
High Lakes Health Care re-
gional administrator. Post-pan-
demic, McCarthy said, the
company that employs about
350 people throughout Central
Oregon will still have remote
workers.
“We found that a hybrid
approach that balances work
from home with office hours is
something that will be here to
stay,” McCarthy said. “I believe
there is something lost when
working virtually 100% of the
time.”
Amendments would have
made it easier, cheaper to
build homes in 6 subdivisions
BY BRENNA VISSER
The Bulletin
A proposal to rezone six rural subdivi-
sions that are zoned for farm and forestry is
no longer on the table after years of debate.
On Monday, the Deschutes County Com-
mission withdrew proposed amendments
See Survey / A13
that would have redesignated six areas in
rural parts of the county as “nonprime re-
source lands.” The proposal would have re-
zoned these already established subdivisions,
which are technically on land zoned for
farming and forestry, but were built before
the state land use system was in place.
The county attests that these lands are
incorrectly designated, since they are not
actually suitable for farming or commercial
forestry, and have essentially been residen-
tial in nature for decades. The new designa-
tion would have made it easier for property
owners to build housing on their land with-
out going through a costly and time-con-
suming conditional use process.
While the issue has been discussed lo-
cally for years, these specific amendments
were presented to the commission roughly
two years ago. But after facing pushback
from the state Department of Land Con-
servation and Development, as well as
other land advocacy groups like Central
Oregon LandWatch, the commission is no
longer considering the amendments.
Central Oregon’s source
for events, arts & entertainmen
t news
NO FOOLING: IT’S NICE OUT
Valerie Winterholler works on planting gladiolus bulbs around a cluster of blooming
daffodils while spending the sunny afternoon gardening around her home in Bend on
Wednesday. The warm weather is forecast to continue through the week, with mostly sunny
skies and temperatures reaching the high 60s. Complete weekly forecast » A12
Have a blast this month
In GO!
See Zoning / A13
listen p.6
Guardian of the Underdog
members reflect on year
eat p.12
Year brings changes
to Mother’s eateries
APRIL 1-7 2021
bendbulletin.com/go
read p.10
A look at the picks
for A Novel Idea
PLUS:
Where to find
LIVE MUSIC
FOOD TRUCKS
BREWERIES
& more
NO FOOLING:
CENTRAL OREGON’S
FORECAST FOR THE
MONTH SHOWS A
SHOWER OF EVENTS
Local venues are preparing to reopen, plus more things to do
Plus: The Nature Conservancy reopens many of its sites today » A3
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin
100,000-square-foot library, upgrades expected
by 2025; voters OK’d $195 million bond in fall
BY KYLE SPURR
The Bulletin
The Deschutes Public Library
Board decided Wednesday
to sell the entire $195 million
bond, passed by voters in the
fall, to fund construction of the
new Central Library in Bend
and update existing libraries in
the region.
The 100,000-square-foot li-
brary and upgrades are expected
to be completed by 2025.
Deschutes Public Library Di-
TODAY’S
WEATHER
rector Todd Dunkelberg said it
is not unusual to sell a bond all
at once and it starts the process
of honoring what voters ap-
proved.
“We are very limited on
what we can do once the bond
passes,” Dunkelberg said. “We
have to do what we told the vot-
ers we would do.”
The board voted 4-1 at a spe-
cial meeting Wednesday to sell
the whole bond by April 13.
Ray Miao, a board member
Mostly sunny
High 69, Low 38
Page A12
INDEX
who was against the bond when
it was on the ballot, voted no on
Wednesday because he felt the
board was rushing the process
and wanted to wait before sell-
ing any part of the bond.
Ultimately, the board fol-
lowed the recommendation of
John Peterson, senior vice pres-
ident at the Portland-based in-
vestment firm, Piper Sandler.
Peterson, who advised the
board, said it was a good time
to sell the entire bond because
interest rates are low and could
help pay off the bond in 21
years, a few years sooner than
expected. Current interest rates
Business
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Comics
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Editorial
Events
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GO!
are at about 2%, according to fi-
nancial data.
“From a taxpayer’s perspec-
tive that is two or three fewer
years of continuing to pay on
the bond, which is fundamen-
tally great news,” Peterson told
the board March 10.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Pe-
terson maintained the recom-
mendation.
“I don’t want to imply that we
are warding off any kind of ca-
tastrophe by selling everything
at once,” Peterson said. “It’s just
what I see as the most prudent
course.”
Horoscope
A7
Local/State A2-3,A14
Lottery
A6
Converting motels to
housing a step closer
BY PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
The conversion of hotels and motels to emergency shel-
ters and low-cost housing would be eased under a bill that
is halfway through the Oregon Legislature.
The House voted 41-12 on Wednesday to send the bill
to the Senate.
House Bill 3261 would exclude the conversion of hotels
and motels purchased for emergency shelters or low-cost
housing from land use challenges in cities and counties.
Lawmakers made federal money available for such pur-
chases last year under Project Turnkey, which is overseen
by the Oregon Community Foundation.
See Library / A14
Obituaries
Puzzles
Sports
A4
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See Motels / A14
The Bulletin
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Vol. 119, No. 78, 38 pages, 2 sections
SUN/THU
Library board makes decision on bond
LEGISLATURE
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