Regional Solutions gives Sisters a boost

Representatives of Sisters presented updates to the committee of issues facing Sisters, what is being done to address them, and the kind of assistance needed. Caprielle Foote-Lewis, Sisters EDCO representative, reported on her efforts working to attract new businesses to Sisters. She highlighted the low inventory of land and buildings at the right price that are needed to attract business to town.

She expressed her appreciation to Oregon Department of Transportation and the Infrastructure Finance Authority for assisting the City with the new sewer/water/road improvements that will help attract businesses to the industrial area of Sisters.

Lewis would like the citizens of Sisters to know how helpful it is, with Regional Solutions, to bring state agencies and philanthropic resources together with representatives of the City in one place to discuss local needs and possible resources. She sees this as a good example of "state agencies working for you."

Mayor Chris Frye and Community Development Director Patrick Davenport discussed the need for affordable and workforce housing in Sisters, including more apartments. That prompted a lengthy discussion among all participants of available resources and examples of what other cities in Oregon have done to help provide housing.

The Cascade Avenue improvement project, the new sewer, water and road project on N. Locust and Barclay Drive that connected the airport to the City systems, and extension of the Urban Growth Boundary to bring the airport into the City are examples of work made possible through collaboration by the City with various state agencies, funding sources, and airport owner Benny Benson.

In 2014, the Oregon Legislature adopted House Bill 4015, which formally established the Regional Solutions Program in Oregon law. The program approaches community and economic development by recognizing the unique needs of each region in the state and working at the local level to identify priorities, solve problems, and take advantage of opportunities to get specific projects completed.

The state is broken up into five major regions, which are subdivided for a total of 11 regions, Sisters being in the Central Oregon Region. A partnership between state government and institutions of higher education has created a network of Regional Solutions Centers and satellite offices designed to provide statewide assistance for regional concerns.

Centers are located at or near universities in Bend, Medford, Eugene, Portland, Tillamook and La Grande. The entire network provides a neutral forum and a place for state agencies to work collaboratively with local governments, as well as civic and private interests, to help solve problems and focus on opportunities that local leaders have identified as priorities. The focus of these centers is on completing specific, tangible projects that bring new jobs, or retain existing ones.

At last week's Regional Solutions meeting the advisory committee assembled around the table at City Hall to discuss what some of the identified priorities are for Sisters and to hear about completed projects, like the sewer/water/road project. That project was made possible due to $150,066 approved to the City of Sisters by the Oregon Transportation Commission in March 2015, and a $302,850 Special Public Works Fund grant for job creation (27 FTE) and retention (33 FTE) at the airport and industrial park.

These are the types of projects taken on by the Regional Solutions program.

The Central Region (Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties) is one of three regions in the larger Central Oregon Region, the other two being North Central and South Central. In the Bend office is Annette Liebe, Central Oregon Region Coordinator as well as the Regional Solutions Director for the Governor's Office. She brings state agencies, local governments, and other sectors together to undertake projects that address regional priorities. She addresses local issues, coordinates her Regional Solutions Team (RST), and supports the Central Advisory Committee.

The RST is made up of representatives of several state departments: Environmental Quality; Land Conservation and Development; Transportation; Housing and Community Services; Business Development; Energy; and the Infrastructure Finance Authority.

The task of the Advisory Committee is to help Liebe and her RST identify high-level priorities for community and economic development for Central Oregon. They also help connect community resources to increase the collective capacity to solve problems and take advantage of opportunities as they arise.

The Governor appoints five members to the advisory committee: a local convener who represents the region and serves as chairperson of the committee, Mike Hollern of Brooks Resources; a member recommended by the League of Oregon Cities, Prineville Mayor Betty Roppe; one by the Association of Oregon Counties, Commissioner Alan Unger; another from the philanthropic community, Fran Willis of Oregon Community Foundation; and one from the business community, Amy Tykeson of Bend Broadband.

Those first five members, who are known as the executive committee, appoint additional members, which at the present represent Central Oregon cities, OSU Cascades, EDCO, County Councils, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, a utility, transportation, and a business person.

The specific makeup of the advisory committee depends on the needs and priorities of the region.

As of September 4, 2015, the Central Oregon Regional Solutions Advisory Committee has identified seven high-focus priorities and three support priorities for the region. For high focus priorities, the committee, coordinator Liebe, and her RST will actively engage in seeking solutions and projects that contribute to successful outcomes for each priority.

Most of the current seven high priorities address issues Sisters is currently working on. The seven are: establish a four-year university (OSU Cascades); retain and grow jobs; ensure the region has land and infrastructure available to attract/retain employers; enhance transit in Central Oregon; support the regional creative economy; increase workforce housing; and encourage water conservation and restoration and improve water availability.

The three support priorities are: improve sewer infrastructure; support regional agriculture; and improve forest health.

For Sisters to have the expertise, connections, and possible funding sources brought to bear on local issues through working with the Regional Solutions coordinator, team, and committee, is seen as a big advantage for the vitality and economic growth of the town. The remodeled Cascade Avenue is a daily visible reminder of the benefits enjoyed by partnering with Regional Solutions.