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City of Bend seeks funding for travel‑options outreach and several vital sidewalk gaps
Summary
City of Bend presented a combined SHF application package Oct. 7 that pairs a travel‑options engagement program with four sidewalk and crossing projects intended to connect neighborhoods to schools, parks and transit.
City of Bend staff presented a package of one program and four sidewalk crossing or infill projects to the Bend MPO Technical Advisory Committee on Oct. 7. The package is intended to pair travel‑options outreach with small capital investments that connect neighborhoods to schools, parks and transit.
Janet Ruby, assistant for engineering and transportation for the City of Bend, and Derek Poplar, city travel‑options program manager, told the committee the program element would fund community engagement, intercept surveys, mailers to households near new facilities and at least three pop‑up events per year. The outreach aims to better understand barriers to walking and biking and recruit residents into programs that encourage mode shift. Derek said the city will provide staff time as match and that the city had a $3,000 local match identified for the outreach component.
Staff described four small capital projects sized to fill critical gaps: a sidewalk on a neighborhood greenway that connects to Orchard Park (priority sidewalk gap), an enhanced crossing and pedestrian refuge island on Butler Market Road (application asks $302,000 with $40,000 local contribution), a Cooley Road sidewalk segment to tie to Juniper Ridge campus and local transit, and a Southeast American Lane sidewalk infill (city request listed at $77,000 for that segment). Presenters said these smaller pieces are often excluded from larger corridor funding and provide the "last mile" connections that enable walking and rolling for households without cars.
Committee discussion noted maintenance responsibilities for sidewalks (current standard holds property owners responsible for clearing sidewalks) and raised concerns about snow/ice clearing for vulnerable users. Staff said the city is evaluating where it may assume maintenance when installing new infrastructure, but no policy change was decided at the meeting.
The TAC did not take funding action at the meeting. Staff will proceed with ODOT eligibility checks and include the program and projects in SHF scoring and the November TAC packet.
