The Downtown Bend Parking Advisory Committee (DPAC) has announced a partnership with Deschutes County and the City of Bend to provide access to free public parking at the Deschutes County Administration building parking lots on weekends and during special events. The Deschutes County Administration building parking lots, located between Wall Street, Lafayette Ave and Olney Ave, contain as many parking stalls as the Downtown Bend parking garage on Lava Rd and Oregon Ave.  DPAC anticipates that utilizing these parking lots at the Deschutes County Administration building, during the busy summer tourist and special event season, will allow more people to easily access Downtown Bend.  The parking lots will be available from Friday evening after 6pm to Sunday night.  
 
“Downtown Bend is one of the greatest assets of our City, and currently we are seeing parking reach capacity during our popular events and attractions”, says Aisling, Executive Director for the Downtown Bend Business Association, “This partnership will allow more people to experience our vibrant Downtown with ease.”

We are proud to report that there are several areas of alignment between the 2019-21 Downtown Bend Business Association's Goals and the  2019-21 Council Goals and Strategies. One of these aligned goals is to address livability crimes in the Downtown area.  A key step in this effort is increased patrols in the Downtown Economic Improvement District (EID) with Bend Police School Resource Officers during the busy summer season. Earlier this week Bend Police Department officers, City of Bend staff, and the Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA) took a walk through the Downtown Bend EID.  You can expect to see these increased patrols within the EID in the coming week.

Beginning today, parking improvements in downtown Bend will make parking easier, safer and more available for people looking for places to park.

Here are the five changes coming to downtown:

1. Enforcement times will be extended to 7pm to increase turnover for on-street parking and provide better access to businesses during evening hours in the busiest parts of downtown.

2. The ParkMobile app will be available as a quick, easy option for downtown patrons to pay for parking in the Mirror Pond Lots and Centennial Garage. ParkMobile will be the only way to pay for parking at the Greenwood/Wall Lot and Irving Street.

3. Parking permits will change from paper to virtual permits to make paying for and managing parking permits easier for downtown employees.

4. A four-hour time limit will go into effect for the Mirror Pond Lots to increase turnover and make more parking spaces available.

5. New parking rates will support better downtown parking management by encouraging people to park in the right places for the right amount of time, and respond to community expectations for parking availability, equity in opportunities for all downtown patrons, and the economic vitality of downtown.

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“We know these improvements might taking some getting used to,” said Drew Dietrich parking demand manager for the City. “We’re going to start off by focusing our efforts on education first. Then we’ll move into enforcement. Our goal is to help people going downtown make the best use of the limited number of parking stalls and have a better experience while doing it.”
For more information on downtown parking, visit www.bendoregon.gov/parking.
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Accommodation Information for People with Disabilities
To obtain this information in an alternate format such as Braille, large print, electronic formats, etc. please contact Joshua Romero at 541-693-2185 or jromero@bendoregon.gov.

Beginning on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, the City of Bend joins numerous community partners in celebrating “Welcoming Week,” a series of community-organized events that highlight the principles of inclusion and create communities that prosper because everyone feels welcome.

Welcoming Week takes place Sept. 14 to 23. Festivities begin with a Launch Celebration at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 14, at St. Charles Health System. Elected officials and community members will address attendees with thoughts about the importance of Welcoming Week. Light snacks and refreshments will be served. The public is invited to attend.

Community events, including the “Borderless Stories” photography exhibit, a book reading, workshops and educational presentations, Latino Fest, a food truck event and a soccer tournament will provide residents ample opportunity to participate in Welcoming Week.  View the Welcoming Week online calendar for more information on Welcoming Week events. 

In addition to attending Welcoming Week events, Bend area residents are encouraged to participate in a social media photo contest from Sept. 14 to 23. To enter the contest, participants must upload a photo with an “I’m a Welcomer” sign to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Tag the City of Bend page and use the hashtags #IWelcome and #WelcomingWeek to complete the entry. One photo will be randomly selected each day to win a prize pack of Welcoming Week and City of Bend goodies.

For more information about Bend Welcoming Week, including event and social media contest information, visit www.bendoregon.gov/welcomingweek.
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Welcoming Week is a series of events in the community that raise awareness about Bend’s status as a Welcoming City and the benefits of welcoming everyone, including immigrants and refugees. On June 21, 2017, the Bend City Council unanimously supported a resolution for the City of Bend to be recognized as a Welcoming City. Participation in Welcoming Week is one of the requirements for recognition as a Welcoming City.

Parking pilot program aims to make it easier to access Drake Park this summer.  

​Bend Park and Recreation District and the City of Bend are partnering to facilitate easier access to Drake Park this summer.

With a new, limited-duration parking program, the City and the park district are initiating four-hour parking limits along Riverside Boulevard to allow more park users the opportunity to visit Drake Park between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day.

Drake Park is a very popular river exit location for thousands of river floaters each day in the summer and it also hosts numerous events and festivals.

“Residents and visitors are encouraged to continue enjoying activities in the park with alternative modes
of transportation or within the four-hour parking limits as we aim to make it easier to come and go to
the park more frequently,” said Michelle Healy, planning and park services director, Bend Park and Recreation District.

Cascade East Transit’s seasonal shuttles and Bend fixed route services provide easy and affordable transportation options. Cascades East Transit’s Ride the River shuttle transports river users from Bend Park & Float, located at Simpson Avenue and Bradbury Drive next to The Pavilion. This location will serve as the new start and end of the river floating activities with abundant parking available. Running every 15 minutes during the summer, the $3 fare includes transportation of river tubes to and from the floating launch and exit.

For other park activities, including festivals, picnics or a walk along Mirror Pond, the free Ride Bend shuttle stops within a five-minute walk of Drake Park, making it easy to leave the vehicle parked at home, work or other parking areas.
The City of Bend and Bend Park and Recreation District will gather input from neighbors and others through the pilot program to determine if parking limits achieve the goals. The agencies will also evaluate the cost-effectiveness of time-restricted parking beyond the Downtown Parking District.
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“Our hope is that this parking pilot program will provide greater access to Drake Park and give
Downtown businesses much-needed parking stall turnover during our busy summer season, “ said City of Bend Economic Development Director Carolyn Eagan.

Vehicles cited for exceeding the four-hour parking limit will receive a $50 parking ticket as part of the 24-hour enforcement activity. Diamond Parking, the City’s parking enforcement contractor, will enforce the restriction along with Bend Police Department. To report a vehicle that has exceeded the four-hour parking limit on Riverside Boulevard during the day (8 am to 6 pm) call Diamond Parking Services at 541.317.2805. To report a vehicle overnight (6pm to 8am) contact the Police non-emergency number 541.693.6911.

Neighbors who would like to provide feedback are asked to call 541.317.3000, option 3. Calls to this number will be logged and the feedback recorded. Calls to this number will not be forwarded to enforcement.