At the most recent edition of ‘Council Office Hours’ held at Barnes & Noble on Highway 20 in Bend, James Dorofi and Henry Louke, board members of the Old Farm District Neighborhood Association (OFDNA) came to make a pitch. While the night was mostly dedicated to discussions about a sewer intercept project and how much pain it would cause the area residents during the 2 years of construction work along SE 27th Street, Dorofi presented an idea to the three assembled City Councilors that had little to do with sewers.
Nathan Boddie, Barb Campbell and Casey Roats all seemed supportive of the concept of adding an 8′ wide paved multi-use trail along the west side of 27th where sidewalks are largely absent and will not likely soon appear. The fact that they supported the idea is likely due to the fact that the estimated price tag of up to $1Mill for one mile of the off-street path was not going to come from city coffers. The novel twist: ask the Bend’s Park and Recreation District Board of Directors to pay for its construction and maintenance.
Bend Bikes supports Dorofi’s idea.
This seems a good time to point out that Council office hours happen each month. In July, they are being held on Tuesdays at 2:30pm and are a great forum to present ideas to Councilors in a less formal setting.
What idea for active transportation would you pitch to councilors if you could?
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