A little more than a year after luring Internet darling Facebook to its small town, Prineville is targeting other data centers and has two prospective companies are looking at the area, The Bulletin reported this past week.

The newspaper quoted City Manager Steve Forrester as saying that negotiations were far enough along with the companies, which he declined to name, that city staff had assigned them code names, “Project Campbell” and “Cloud.”

The news would be welcome in Prineville where unemployment has been among the highest in the state of Oregon over the past several years. Construction of Facebook’s massive data center has given the area a temporary injection of cash, which the paper detailed in another story about how hotels and lunch spots are a seeing an influx of Facebook contractors.

 

Lingering tensions surfaced this week between Deschutes County brass and embattled District Attorney Pat Flaherty. County administrator Dave Kanner, whom Flaherty had clashed with over personnel issues, including the hiring of Flaherty’s chief deputy, Traci Anderson, told county commissioners this past week that he was no longer willing to support a budget proposal that preserved a 16^th deputy prosecutor position in Flaherty’s office. Kanner said that he was reversing course on the staffing issue because Flaherty failed to provide him with the documentation showing that the position was needed.

Faced with a robust later winter snowfall, Mt Bachelor officials announced that they will extend the ski season to May 29, adding roughly two weeks to the end of the ski season. It’s the second straight year that Bachelor has opted to push back its closing date, allowing locals and visitors to take advantage of what could be very good spring skiing conditions. The mountain has already received 430 inches of snow this year, and despite a mid-Feb melt-off is still boasting a 138-inch base at mid-mountain.

Bachelor also announced that it would again be offering a discount Spring Pass for those who want to aggressively carve through Memorial Day. The pass is on sale now and is available through April 4. The pass includes a new offer for parents who can get a free “kids pass” (good for anyone under 18) if they purchase before April 4.

There are more discounted riding and skiing opportunities, as well. Mt Bachelor will hold its next Charity Ski weeks in early April (first two weeks) with $25 midweek lift tickets and all proceeds to charity.

Bachelor will continue to operate its full contingent of lifts until April 24 at which point it will move to Spring operations with three high-speed chairs servicing the mountain.

Bachelor will also be featuring a range of parties, music and other entertainment through the spring season, including its Pine Parties, big air competitions and the year-end Pond Skimming pool, which—God willing—won’t drain this year in the middle of the event. Info, http://www.mtbachelor.com/winter/mountain/tickets/springtacular

Former Deschutes County District Attorney Mike Dugan found himself in the limelight again this the last week when it was reported that Dugan has thrown his hat into the ring for Redmond’s top law enforcement job. Dugan has been between jobs since he was defeated in the Democratic primary last May by one of his former chief deputies, Patrick Flaherty.

The Redmond position would allow Dugan to reenter the world of local law enforcement. The city, however, has said that it is requiring all of its candidates to have a law enforcement certificate – something that Dugan, despite 20 years of prosecution experience, does not possess. Dugan told The Bulletin that he has already contacted Redmond city officials about the issue and been told not to withdraw on that basis.

This is the second time that Dugan has publicly acknowledged that he is interested in another law enforcement job. Dugan announced late last year that he was seeking an appointment as a special prosecutor on the Pacific Island of Palau. He did not receive the appointment.

Closer to home, the Redmond job would allow Dugan to take advantage of his local law enforcement knowledge and contacts. If hired, Dugan would inherit a department that is currently under serious scrutiny over allegations that one of its veteran officers stole guns and other weapons from the department’s evidence cache and resold them—in some cases, to allegedly unwitting fellow officers. The department has suspended the suspect, Lt. Larry Prince , while state police investigate the allegations. Prince has already been charged with more than 35 counts of theft, official misconduct and forgery.

Redmond Mayor George Endicott has acknowledged that there wasn’t adequate oversight of the department’s evidence room. That atmosphere presumably allowed Prince to operate for years without arousing suspicion. However, the police chief job opening is unrelated to the Prince case. Redmond’s former chief, Lane Roberts, left last year for a job in Olympia, Washington.

On a related topic, Dugan got a not-so-nice farewell gift from his former employer when Deschutes County posted the results of a recent audit of Dugan’s department on the county’s website. The audit found that, under Dugan’s leadership, the D.A.’s office overpaid for witness’ expenses, including lodging, meals and travel costs. The audit also found that Dugan’s office failed to seek competitive bids for a copier contract worth more than $40,000, as required by county policy. Dugan has defended his office’s practices, particularly in relation to witness expenses, which he said allowed economically disenfranchised witnesses to provide important evidence in criminal cases. In some cases, witnesses were provided with more than $600 worth of expenses, including meals and lodging. By way of contrast, state law requires only that witnesses be reimbursed $5 for expenses and 10 cents per mile for travel. Not sure about the copier bids, but we’re with Dugan on this one. We’ll take a criminal off the streets in exchange for a hotel bill any day of the week.

Shot in the Dark

It appears as though the Stephen Trono river development era has drawn to a close before it ever really got started. Trono, the real estate developer who scooped up the former Brooks-Scanlon crane shed property from a group of investors that illegally demolished the historic building under the cover of darkness, has reportedly put the still undeveloped crane shed property back on the market as a short sale. According to various news reports, Trono paid more than $4 million for the property in 2005 when Bend real estate was still red hot. At the time, Trono announced plans for a 33,000-square-foot, multistory, mixed-use development that included some 50 condominium units. The project, which Trono dubbed The Mercato, is one of several retail and condominium efforts that floundered during the real estate bust, along with several downtown projects. While Trono’s financial difficulties with Mercato have been well documented, it was a more recent domestic incident that has grabbed headlines as of late after Trono’s wife, Angelicque, shot him five times in their home. Trono said his wife mistook him for an intruder and shot him with a gun that he bought for her protection after she was assaulted in a public bathroom.

Road Tax Vote Ahead

In a special May election, Bend voters will have a chance to decide whether they’re willing to trade lower taxes for more traffic congestion. City Councilors last week approved a plan that would essentially swap a downtown revitalization tax that expires next year for a new street tax. If approved, the street levy is expected to generate almost $30 million that would fund a backlog of street improvement and upgrades that are needed to serve the past decade’s worth of population growth. Councilors decided last Wednesday to target a majority of that money on Reed Market Road, which has been vexed by traffic problems for years. If approved, the tax would amount to an additional $47 in property taxes for the owner of a property valued at $175,000 after the downtown improvement levy expires—though taxpayers would essentially see no difference in their annual bills, as one tax replaces another.

 

Bend’s Transportation Costs

Bend residents will have an opportunity this week to weigh in on a proposal that would create a new street tax to tackle some $30 million worth of needed street projects that currently have no source of funding.

City staff last week presented councilors with several ways to approach the almost $100 million in backlogged transportation projects that have been largely idling since the start of the recession. Councilors endorsed a plan that focused much of the short-term efforts on the Reed Market Road corridor between 3rd Street and 27^th Street where the major east-west arterial would be widened to three lanes. The project also includes a multi-lane roundabout at 15^th Street and a new bridge at American Lane. However, residents will have a chance to discuss their transportation priorities with city staff at Thursday night’s open house from 5-7 p.m. at the Bend City Hall, 710 NW Wall St.