Spring has officially sprung and one thing is clear — people are ready to get out and engage in service to our community! We were absolutely stunned and amazed by the community response to our open recruitment for our board and we are excited to unveil our new board members! We also are bidding farewell to Kirk Stock who has served Bend Bikes as a board member for six years.
Welcome New Board Members!
Jason Bavuso – Jason has seen the world by bicycle since Kindergarten, when unbeknownst to his parents he took a solo three-mile round trip across numerous car-centric arterials to a local community college campus. Since then, Jason has engaged in various efforts to make cycling an accessible means of transportation, recreation, and personal fulfillment, and envisions Bend realizing its status as a city where all people can safely travel where they want to by bike and foot.
Rachel Cannon – Rachel brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to Bend Bikes from her time as staff with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.
Kaitlin Greene – Kaitlin has lived in Bend since 2012. She shares the city’s passion for outdoor recreation and envisions a future where active transportation is a part of a healthy lifestyle for everyone. She loves being able to get just about anywhere in Bend on her single speed townie but has a special place in her heart for her gravel bike, which takes her bike packing throughout Oregon.
Jim Elliott – Jim’s first bike was a Columbia three speed with balloon tires that he used to explore his hometown starting at age 6. Prior to moving to Bend in 2011, Jim lived in Iowa. While there, he and his two then teenaged kids rode across the United States and also the entire family took part in the annual seven day bike ride across Iowa (RAGBRAI) multiple times. Jim enjoys the trails and roads of Deschutes County and has more bikes than he needs. His interest in cycling advocacy is driven by his desire to enable individuals of all ages and abilities to explore Bend by bicycle and to cycle safely for fun and to school, work and other trips.
Jana Hemphill – Jana has been living and bike commuting in Bend since 2016. She is the Outreach Manager for Deschutes Land Trust, a local conservation nonprofit. Whether commuting to work, running errands, picking up veggies at the farmer’s market, or grabbing coffee with friends, Jana loves being able to get around town on her trusty commuter bike.
Patrick Henneghan – Pat has been a long time Bend Bikes volunteer and has a long history of volunteering at several different non-profit community bike shops.
Eric Holscher – Eric has lived in Oregon since 2010, after growing up in Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. In 2013 he hiked 800 miles of the PCT before getting a stress fracture, which grew his love for biking because of the lower impact. He met his wife while she was doing a Pacific Coast highway bike tour, and their first trip together was doing the Vancouver to Seattle section together. He sees amazing value in neighborhood greenways, and hopes to expand the network in Bend to make cycling more accessible to all community members.
Board President LeeAnn O’Neill Appointed to the Transportation Bond Oversight Committee
On March 17th, 2021, Mayor Russell, with the approval of council, appointed 11 members to the inaugural Transportation Bond Oversight Committee (TBOC). Board President LeeAnn O’Neill was appointed to a 4-year term. While we don’t have any other updates about the TBOC, we are excited to see community partners who represent a wide range of people who walk, bike, and roll, including Bend Bikes supporter Kim Ely, Courtney van Fossen of Love Bike Bend and Cycling without Age, and the Environmental Center board member Dave Howe.
• Iman Nazeeri-Simmons – 4 year
• LeeAnn O’Neill – 4 year
• Denise LaBuda – 2 year
• Courtney van Fossen – 2 year
• Sharlene Wills – 2 year
• Kim Ely – 4 year
• Dave Howe – 4 year
• Scott Robinson – 2 year
• Mason Lacy – 4 year
• Sean Perkins – 2 year
• Travis Widdifield – 4 year
Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities Rulemaking Effort Seeks Your Guidance
On March 10, 2020, Governor Brown directed agencies to reduce climate pollution. In response, the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) initiated rulemaking to revise Oregon’s administrative rules about transportation and housing planning which will specifically impact Bend. Bend Bikes Board President LeeAnn O’Neill was appointed to the Rulemaking Advisory Committee (RAC).
DLCD staff are now convening community conversations to help ensure community members are aware of the process and able to provide their input. The session to engage with residents of Bend is on May 11, 2021 from noon – 1:30 pm via Zoom (register here) and participants can participate by computer or phone.
If you need interpretation or other accommodations to participate in the meeting or other support to more fully participate in this process, please contact Casaria Taylor at [email protected] at least three days prior to the meeting.
About the Rulemaking
RAC members have identified a set of Equitable Outcomes DCLD staff hope to advance through the rule-writing process, including:
- Achieving Oregon’s transportation-related greenhouse gas pollution reduction targets
- Adequate housing with access to employment, education, culturally appropriate food, goods, services, recreational and cultural opportunities, and social spaces
- Healthy air quality
- Increased resilience to the effects of climate disruption
- Increased stability of priority populations, lowering the likelihood of displacement due to gentrification from public and private investments
- More accessible, safe, affordable and equitable transportation choices with better connectivity to destinations people want to reach (e.g. education, jobs, services, shopping, places of worship, parks and open spaces, and community centers)
What We Think So Far
While we are very early in the process, we hope the Commissioners for the DLCD hears the following messages:
- Follow the DCLD RAC’s recommendations — this is the most diverse RAC they have ever had and if they ignore the RAC’s recommendations, it will break the fragile trust they have started to build;
- Make sure the rules are enforceable and have teeth;
- Connect the funding of all state agencies to the climate goal so that the state is investing in land use and transportation planning that actually reduces transportation related greenhouse gas emissions; and
- Adopt meaningful performance measures that will actually result in more people walking, biking, and using public transportation.
Next Up?
Stay tuned in April as we get our new board up to speed and set our advocacy goals for the next year!