Possible sale of City Hall site prompts discussion
     Now that the Bend City Council has decided not to move City Hall to a site at the corner of Wall Street and Olney Avenue the city bought earlier this year for $4.8 million, the council is having a lively discussion about what to do with the property. At a Wednesday work session, the council debated whether to put the property on the market and, if so, how much oversight it should have over any proposed private project there. The city bought the property by selling bonds, and the interest on those bonds is approximately $180,000 per year. Councilor Dave Malkin urged his fellow councilors to “sell the property as quickly as possible and stop draining the general fund with interest payments.” But Councilor Linda Johnson said the city should consider the “best and highest use for the public good” before a sale. Further complicating the issue is, the property is zoned CL (light commercial), but sometime next year could be rezoned to the more valuable CB (downtown) as part of an ongoing study of land surrounding the existing downtown. The council directed staff to come back to the December 6 council meeting with an analysis of what each of the possible values would be if the property was zoned CL or CB, and will further discuss the matter at that meeting.

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Deadline is November 22 for annual Chamber awards
     Nominations for the 2007 Bend Chamber’s Annual Recognition Awards – Outstanding Organization of the Year, the two Distinguished Businesses of the Year and Citizen of the Year – are due to the Chamber no later than Wednesday, Nov. 22. The guidelines, criteria, and official nomination forms are available via two methods: by going to www.bendchamber.org/awards, or by contacting Gayle Najera, 382-3221 or gayle@bendchamber.org. The nomination procedure is simple and you can nominate another business or individual or write a nomination for your own business. Winners will be announced at the Chamber’s Annual Recognition Dinner on Saturday, March 10.

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Different emotions after last week’s election
     Last week’s survey question was, “Do the election results leave you more or less optimistic about the future of Bend, Oregon and the country?” Those who responded had mixed feelings. Some responses:
     “If – and it’s a big IF – our national legislators can somehow begin to actually work on and solve some of our nation’s pressing problems, I am encouraged. Anything is better than the awful political posturing and power mongering and outright graft that has been going on. We have had gridlock at the state level and it appears that it is not over, again, unless our state legislators can get beyond their own needs for power and begin to work for Oregon. I don’t see that happening. There are some new faces in city and county government. It will be interesting to see how much of a difference they can make.”
     “I am more optimistic. I am amazed and proud of the common sense of most voters. Now, let’s hope that those elected will have common sense.”
     “Indifferent. The city of Bend is making headway but we’ve got a long way to go. It will take us years to pull accountability and focus out of a council that is so wrapped up with minutia that currently fills the council view. It will take strong leadership in order to maintain this focus … Until the majority of the council is focused on meeting the standards that have been set for our city, we will just grind away at the same pace.”

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Forum to discuss Oregon’s future
     One last reminder: A town hall discussion will be held this Saturday in the  Summit High School Commons concerning what Oregonians care about, our vision for the future, and how to help make Oregon a great place to live for us and future generations.  How can we, as Oregonians, work together to preserve the communities, family farms, and beautiful landscapes that make Oregon so special? A continental breakfast will be served beginning at 8:30 a.m.  Attendance is limited; register at www.EnvisionOregon.org or by calling (503) 497-1000.

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This week’s survey question