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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFocus Meeting NotesSouth County Plan Focus Group Notes Page 1 7-12-12 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT & PARTNERSHIPS (Goals 1 and 2) – All Focus Groups Focus Group #1 Goal 1 & policies Several positive comments, but make sure Policy 1.2 is effective. Need to conduct annual town halls with County Commissioners, staff, partner organizations to share new information and listen to the community about issues important to them Goal 2 & policies Consider addressing social services for La Pine, Gilchrest, Fort Rock Provide social outreach services Very positive comments about Policy 2.1 – “a terrific place to start” bringing South County together Several people wanted to move the last statement in Policy 2.2 - to minimize, to the extent possible, government involvement – to a separate policy Create an “assets map” Does South County include the Cascade Lakes highway region? Consider policies to support/encourage personal ownership and responsibility, pride, independence, self-reliance A stool is necessary to make a community work, and one of the legs is government – without this leg of the stool, it will fall down Consider policy looking at government as a facilitator (e.g., spotted frog) Community leaders to write quarterly newsletter for Eagle Focus Group #2 Goal 1 & policies 1.2: 5 years should be a maximum – at most every 5 years Public engagement is difficult – other avenues are needed to post information, promote self- serve opportunities to access information (websites) Post information other places like the libraries 1.3: use a variety of communication strategies to share information, publications and organizations are critical (e.g. Eagle and Chamber) Goal 2 & policies The idea of South County as one area is currently growing Some different perspectives or preferences between Sunriver vs. rural residents, but all businesses benefit from bringing people to South County Benefits to collective marketing It is good that there is diversity – embrace and market the differences People North of State Rec Road don’t identify as La Pine Term being used is Newberry Country 2.1, 2.2 and 2.4 and other places use the word encourage which is too soft, need stronger language - prefer collaborate, promote, provide or other more active word Split out 2.2. part on minimizing government involvement 2.5: Remove the term ‘lower’ to describe the rural service levels, maybe use non-urban service levels and add language that explains what service levels means (paved roads, water systems) South County Plan Focus Group Notes Page 2 7-12-12 2.5: Not County’s role to provide, maybe facilitate a packet for new landowners to be provided by realtors 2.6: Also include economic development Focus Group #3 Goal 1 & policies Include absentee landowners in all outreach 1.2: Opens up the whole plan and will go through the formal process before changes – with citizen and government entities given the opportunity to participate Goal 2 & policies Remember governmental boundaries make regional coordination tricky Would like to see all partnerships go away, does not see the benefits of money spent e.g. on environmental groups LAND USE (GOALS 3, 4, 5) AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (GOALS 6, 7) – FOCUS GROUP #2 Goal 3 & policies 3.3: Code enforcement is tough without homeowner associations (e.g. sewer failure) and Deschutes County requires a formal complaint which neighbors may not want to submit 3.3: Coordinate code enforcement with HOAs and rural neighborhoods 3.1: Current efforts are underway for after work health care as a first step Central Oregon Health Council is the group to contact Provision for residents to raise needed code changes to CDD that are germane to SC, maybe under Goal 5? Need granny flat code, extended family code – large senior population (2 times national average) Goal 4 & policies What about a County parks department What about using County-owned lands for centralized sewer collection Just addresses park lands, what about contiguous county owned lots Goal 5 & policies Similar to 5.2 to address changing demographics in South County (aging population) with extended family code (granny flats) Goal 6 & policies 6.1: Need reference to people who want to live on dirt roads – to retaining the rural character 6.1: Not unrestricted commercial development in rural areas, people live there for a reason Add preserve rural character to Goal 6 Goal 7 & policies Collaborative agreements with Klamath County, Gilchrest, Crescent 7.2: Word encourage again, amend 7.3: Example sidewalks needed for biomass 7.4: If new commercial at Wickiup Junction or Burgess, evaluate transportation and economic impacts of plans and projects Commercial on Burgess may be counter productive Support farmers Markets – here or in partnership section or under self-sufficiency in Goal 14 South County Plan Focus Group Notes Page 3 7-12-12 Goal 10 & policies A bypass through La Pine may be in the future Need to educate people about the transit that is available and improve communication with seniors Trails are a marketing draw, trail connections for transportation and recreation Burgess and 6th have no room to ride bikes, Spring River has new wider bike lanes PUBLIC FACILITIES (GOALS 8, 9) AND TRANSPORTATION (GOALS 10, 11, 12) – FOCUS GROUP #3 Goal 9 & policies Word it broadly, don’t limit Look into difference between sewer district and sewer authority 9.2: Department of health vs. DLCD, health hazard vs. potential probable health hazard, confusion over language Question over whether DEQ has made a declaration, CDD believes yes Change 9.2 to reflect that King County WA no big septic authority but great system for managing septic systems Goal 10 & policies Goal 10 should read transportation alternatives 10.1 should allow for other providers of transit 10.1 c should separate out the long term option of passenger rail La Pine working on a trail grant ODOT is initiating a TSP for La Pine Goal 11 & policies Better information on why some roads are maintained and other not is needed – post on web Goal 12 & policies 12.1: rewrite for better clarity, paved or separated path or road improvements Forest Service working on paved path NATURAL HAZARDS (GOALS 13, 14), NATURAL RESOURCES (GOAL 15) AND RECREATION (GOAL 16) – FOCUS GROUP #1 Goal 13 & policies Add policy to provide info/education, etc. on SB 360, County ordinances related to wildfire, and noxious weeds – particularly to absentee land owners Address noxious weeds in Natural Hazards sections Provide info at the time of property sale – firewise, noxious weeds, groundwater, well info, etc. Include evacuation route signage as an important element of an evacuation plan Goal 14 & policies Self-sufficiency is fine, but inter-dependence and the need to care for neighbors and others should also be incorporated into this goal/policy Consider how to take what’s happening now – small success stories – and expand it throughout the region – e.g., weed pulls Goal 15 & policies Need to address stagnate water, particularly on Island Loop. Extreme water control issue. May impact spotted frog, vector control… Sediment loading needs to be addressed – visual blight, South County Plan Focus Group Notes Page 4 7-12-12 algae blooms, community health impacts, among others. Need water /river flow. Problems caused by bridges without correct permits. However, some naturalists say – “let it be.” Issue has been raised before it runs into politics and priorities River is like the blood in the body – it connects everything and needs to flow Consider a policy on in-stream flow Incorporate information about key organizations as reference material into the Plan – similar to the Deschutes County Rural Living Guide – so people have one place to find information on who to contact with websites, etc. Goal 16 & policies Promotion of partners – e.g., DRRH in addressing the use/future of County own lots Include Deschutes National Forest properties in looking at parks and recreation – in combination with County owned lands Include a policy to consider creating a Parks and Recreation Master Plan outside of, but in coordination with, La Pine, Sunriver, Bend area for areas outside of cities, existing parks districts and unincorporated communities for South Deschutes County. Provide options for implementation – from expansions of existing parks districts, to new parks districts, to a new County department or division to implement the Master Plan Promote South County access to Cascades (Cascade Lakes Highway) as a defining asset Policy 16.4 – include “public and private” before campgrounds Policy 16.3 – expand policy to include underlined text: “Promote and coordinate…access to federal lands, including road, trail and river access.”