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Bend details major water, sewer and transportation projects; schedules midtown work sessions
Summary
City staff briefed the Bend Development Advisory Board on completed and upcoming water, sewer and transportation projects, a revised council meeting schedule, and a 12‑month rollout of major corridor and safety work.
Russ, staff member, told the Bend Development Advisory Board that the city has completed numerous infrastructure projects over the last biennium and has a packed schedule of construction and design work over the next 12 months.
Russ said completed projects include the Newport Avenue improvement, completion of Wilson culminating in Third and Wilson upgrades, the Purcell Boulevard corridor and the Neff Purcell intersection, Greenwood and Second Street work funded by urban renewal, and a new 16‑inch Aubrey water line that runs from Mount Washington through Aubrey. He told the board the city is also continuing septic‑to‑sewer extensions, water line replacements, lift station decommissioning and rehabilitation, and improvements at the water reclamation facility near the airport.
The presentation outlined projects currently under construction — Olney from Wall to Second, Bear Creek and 20th/7th intersection work, the Statt Street waterline replacement, the Westside Lift Station coordination, and private developments including Skyline Ranch and Jack Straw projects. For upcoming work, Russ said the city plans railroad crossing safety improvements at Wilson and Cooley, construction of the Bend bikeways, bike and pedestrian improvements on Butler Market, and segment work on Franklin Avenue between Fourth and Eighth Streets pending Council direction.
Russ said the Galveston Corridor would likely go into construction the week following the briefing and called out a coordinated plan for a Ferguson and 15th Street roundabout tied to developer obligations at Ferguson and 27th. He also described the NEF corridor improvements and a list of design projects including the ReMarket rail overcrossing and the Hawthorne bike and pedestrian overcrossing, noting that the Hawthorne kickoff meeting had started with consultants.
On system planning, Russ said, “we're right in the middle of updating our collection system or sewer master plan and our stormwater master plan, and we're doing facility plans for both our rec water wastewater reclamation facility out by the airport and our main water filtration, plant, which is called Outback.” He also said the city is negotiating with the U.S. Forest Service to buy additional property for the water filtration system to meet needs over the next 20 to 40 years.
Russ walked the board through project timelines and the council work‑session schedule he expects to affect stakeholders: an August 18 check‑in on ReMarket, a September 15 work session covering Greenwood, Franklin and Hawthorne, a quarterly update October 13 focused on economic prosperity and the tree code review, November sessions on ReMarket and transportation standards, and a December 1 transit update and housing funding discussion. He said council business meetings will move to 6 p.m. with work sessions on the Monday before the Wednesday business meeting to improve meeting efficiency.
Board members raised questions about construction impacts and business engagement; staff recommended outreach and noted ongoing coordination with businesses near major projects such as ReMarket. Russ and other staff emphasized that major corridor work can require multi‑month closures, for example a 2–3 month to 5–6 month potential closure on Franklin for certain improvements, and urged early business engagement.
Context and immediate next steps: staff will continue design work on projects in the design queue, coordinate closures and outreach where construction will require extended detours, and return to council in scheduled work sessions to prioritize funding and sequencing. Board members were asked to help identify business stakeholders for upcoming engagement events.
