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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-11-09 Work Session Minutes Deschutes County Board of Commissioners 1300 NW Wall St., Suite 200, Bend, OR 97701-1960 (541) 388-6570 - Fax (541) 385-3202 - www.deschutes.org MINUTES OF WORK SESSION DESCHUTES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2009 ___________________________ Present were Commissioners Tammy Baney and Dennis R. Luke; Commissioner Alan Unger was out of the office. Also present were Dave Kanner, County Administrator; Erik Kropp, Deputy County Administrator; and, for a portion of the meeting, Nick Lelack and others from Community Development; several members of legal counsel; Joe Stutler, Forester; John Allen of the U.S. Forest Service and Debbie Norton of the Bureau of Land Management; and Erik Lukens of The Bulletin. Chair Baney opened the meeting at 1:35 p.m. 1. Forester Update. John Allen of the U.S. Forest Service presented a document on economic stimulus dollars for Forest Service projects. A new building is planned for the old Bend Pine Nursery site, with groundbreaking planned to occur next June. In regard to the future of Mt. Bachelor’s proposed expansion plans, meetings are taking place and there will be future interaction with the Forest Service, which owns the property, on these ideas. Commissioner Luke asked if overnight accommodations are a part of these suggestions. Mr. Allen stated that he does not think it is a serious consideration at this point, since access to accommodations in Bend and Sunriver are considered to be reasonably available. Dave Kanner said that he has heard that because this involves federal land, Mt. Bachelor would not be required to pull building permits from the County. Mr. ? said it is consistent with the Forest Service’s policies to comply with the local building permit process. Mr. Allen said that timber sales suitable for lumber are down; those that have biomass value are bidding high. There is a lot of interest in secondary products throughout the country. Minutes of Board of Commissioners’ Work Session Monday, November 9, 2009 Page 1 of 4 Pages Minutes of Board of Commissioners’ Work Session Monday, November 9, 2009 Page 2 of 4 Pages Mr. Allen stated that they are very involved in the community. Units in Deschutes and Ochoco employed about 100 youth last summer. In regard to the remaining funding, it will be used to cover forest fuels work, trails and other improvements. He said the County could try to assist with improving the road to Mt. Bachelor, which gets a lot of us in comparison with other roads in the State. He will draft a letter to the Board in this regard. Another issue is a bike path system, which is being discussed for the future. Debbie Norton of the Bureau of Land Management brought up the Wimp Way issue and the idea of an additional emergency access through BLM property. She recommended bringing together a cooperative idea that will work for that location. No one speaks for Crooked River Ranch consistently in this regard, but the BLM was asked to rescind the permit. Therefore, funding was pulled and a new NEPA would be required to reinstate it. Commissioner Luke said that Jefferson County needs to be involved in this issue. Even though the road would be in Deschutes County, many of the residents live in Jefferson County. Ms. Norton said that some kind of collaborative efforts would helpful to reinstate this designation. Dave Kanner noted that the Road Department actually did some analysis on the cost of improving the road. Former Commissioner Daly spent some time working on this issue as well. Chair Baney asked for information on who requested the rescission. ______________________________ Ms. Norton said that the Cline Butte EA is out for comment now on some rights of way for roads that are being used without permission. ______________________________ The new omnibus bill creating three new wilderness areas have passed. They are planning a celebration regarding the Badlands designation. ______________________________ In regard to prescribed burns, her office has received threats. Commissioner Luke said that these are preferable to wildfires. Ms. Norton stated that it is hard to keep the public updated as the residents often change. Minutes of Board of Commissioners’ Work Session Monday, November 9, 2009 Page 3 of 4 Pages ______________________________ They are investigating the use of geothermal outside Newberry Crater. ______________________________ Regarding stimulus dollars, work in La Pine has taken place, but the funding maximum has been exceeded. ______________________________ Ms. Norton and Mr. Allen pointed out that they have to make sure that any parcels that are being exchanged are actually legal lots of record. ______________________________ Joe Stutler gave an overview of his activities over the past few months. He said he continues to be amazed at the contribution of the public in wildfire plan work and how much land has been treated as a result of this education. (A copy of his memo is attached for reference.) 2. Consideration of a Request from Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council for a Letter of Support regarding an Application for ConnectOregon III Regional Transit Center Grant Funds. The Board briefly discussed this item. LUKE: Move signature. BANEY: Second. VOTE: LUKE: Yes. BANEY: Chair votes yes. 3. Update of Commissioners’ Meetings and Schedules. All Commissioners and the County Administrator will be attending the Association of Oregon Counties’ conference next week. 4. Other Items. The Board went into Executive Session, under ORS 192.660(2)(h), pending or threatened litigation; and ORS 192.660(2)(b), personnel issue, at 2:40 p.m. The executive session ended at 4:30 p.m.