Meet the six candidates to the SROA Board of Directors. Ballots will arrive in July Page 6
COVID-19 OPERATIONS IN SUNRIVER Deschutes County, and the state, has eased restrictions regarding the wearing of a face mask for those who are fully-vaccinated. That being said, many businesses are continuing to require face coverings inside their stores. We ask everyone to be kind and respect that decision.
‘Tis the season for noxious weeds. Is your yard free of these noxious invaders? Page 16
S U N R I V E R
S C E N E A NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSOCIATION
JUNE 2021
Valuable collaborations help keep Sunriver wildfire safe SROA NEWS – As the saying goes: “it takes a village.” The belief that cooperative effort leads to a better, stronger outcome can be applied to any number of goals – from raising a child, to growing a family, to protecting a community. When it comes to keeping Sunriver safe from wildfire, the Sunriver Owners Association seeks out, relies on and embraces a variety of partnerships, resources, and science-based research and information for application to Sunriver’s fuels reduction program and to maintaining a healthy forest. While SROA’s natural resource management and participation in emergency preparedness efforts are spearheaded by its Natural Resources department, all SROA departments – from Information Technologies (IT) to Communications to Public Works, just to highlight a few – are actively involved in creating and maintaining a Firewise® community. The spirit of collaboration extends well beyond SROA facilities or the boundaries of Sunriver, however. SROA has engaged a robust network of partners that directly contributes to and supports Sunriver’s strategic direction, priorities and practices regarding wildfire safety and emergency preparedness.
SUSAN BERGER PHOTOS
State agency fire representatives, SSD/SROA board members, Sunriver Fire and SROA staff toured areas of Sunriver to view ladder fuel reduction projects.
SROA Collaborators Include (partial listing): • • • • • • • • •
Sunriver Police Department Sunriver Fire Department Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory Project Wildfire Central Oregon Wildland Fire Cohesive Strategy Deschutes County Forester Deschutes County Public Works Deschutes County Sheriff Oregon Dept of Forestry
• • • • • • • • •
Oregon Dept of Agriculture Oregon Dept of Environmental Quality Oregon Dept of Fish & Wildlife Oregon Dept of Transportation OSU Extension US Forest Service US Fish & Wildlife Service US Natural Resources Conservation Service National Weather Service
Turn to Collaborate, page 3
Owner survey results online SROA NEWS – The results of the 2020 Comprehensive Owner Survey are now online for your perusing pleasure at www.sunriver owners.org. Go to Documents & Forms > Documents > Governing Documents. The survey is in the box in the left column of the web page. The 300-plus page document is a lot to digest, so some may want to simply read the first 19 pages which is an overview summary of all the survey questions.
Free CET shuttle between La Pine, Sunriver
Live in La Pine but work in Sunriver or vice versa? Ditch your car and take advantage of a free shuttle that runs between La Pine and Sunriver. For the second summer season, Cascades East Transit (CET) has officially launched Route 31 – an employee-focused summer transit service between La Pine and Sunriver. The free shuttle is operating daily through Sept. 6 with stops located at 4th and Huntington Road, La Pine Senior Center and Wickiup Junction in La Pine and in Sunriver at SHARC and Sunriver Resort’s Bike Barn. CET is following Oregon Health Authority guidelines by disinfecting high-
touch surfaces, requiring face coverings and providing signage to encourage passengers to social distance. More information about the Route 31 schedule can be found at https:// cascadeseasttransit.com/ride/lapinesunriver-31/ The shuttle was made possible by the lobbying of the Deschutes County Commissioners, who saw a need for transportation service between La Pine and Sunriver helped to obtain state funding through a 2017 Transportation Bill. The La Pine and Sunriver Area chambers of commerce, the City of La Pine, community partners and residents also contributed to the efforts.
SROA faces summer hiring challenges SROA NEWS – To fully open it’s summer recreational amenities each year, the Sunriver Owners Association, on average, needs 100 seasonal workers. Like much of the county (and across the nation), the association is finding a shortage of folks eager to get back to work. Many who lost their jobs a year ago during the pandemic shutdowns have only been offered intermittent work over the past 13 months. Some are likely hesitant to leave the relative stability of unemployment for work that might pay less than unemployment insurance. Others may have found that they can work from home and have become accustomed to the informal setting this offers. Others fear exposure to the virus. Parents that left their jobs to care for children out of school may also not be in a hurry to rejoin the workforce. The worker shortage has also spurred a bidding war of who can pay the most to lure workers. When a simple housekeeping job is now touting $25 an hour and no special skills required – it’s easy to see which job will win. “SROA needs a minimum lifeguarding staff of 35 to have SHARC open even five days a week during the summer,” said Leslie Knight, SROA Human Resources Director. “If we can’t meet these requirements we will be open less hours and provide fewer services.” In the past few weeks SROA has spent approximately $5,600 on employment ads and has utilized a variety of avenues for recruitment, including: • Press releases to local media outlets • SROA website postings and eblasts • Promotional videos shared on the SROA website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter • Indeed through ADP • Bend/La Pine high school job announcements • COCC website • University to Employee Handshake (recruits at colleges in the western U.S.) Turn to Hiring, page 3 SUNRIVER SCENE SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSN. VOLUME XLVII • NUMBER 6 P.O. BOX 3278 SUNRIVER, OR 97707
VOLUME XLVII • NUMBER 6
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