You can now “swim with da fishes” during a virtual experience offered by a new venue in the business park
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE SROA Board.................. 4 Calendar ..................... 13 SHARC/Rec News ........ 22
Public Safety ............... 27 Classified .................... 38 Letters to theEditor ..... 39
There were no injuries following a small plane crash at the Sunriver Airport in early August
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S U N R I V E R
S C E N E A NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSOCIATION
SEPTEMBER • 2016
VOLUME XLII • NUMBER 9
Wildfire leaves residents on edge
COURTESY PROJECT WILDFIRE
Photo from shortly after the fire’s start.
Escrow closed on Mavericks property By Susan Berger, Scene Staff After months of silence from investors interested in purchasing the former Mavericks property, a call to the seller’s real estate agent revealed escrow officially closed on the property on Aug. 10. Christian Myers confirmed via email that he and his partner, Benjamin Clapa, purchased the 10-acre property, located at 18135 Cottonwood Road. Prior to the purchase, Myers was attempting to notify owners within the River Village Master Village and get them to agree in changing the language of the village declarations (CC&Rs) and include “assisted living facility” as allowed usage for that property. Myers has proposed turning the site into an assisted living facility. Those three little words, “assisted living facility,” are not currently included in the CC&Rs. Mavericks is located within the River Village Master Village, which includes 2,000 properties within Deer Park, Fairway Crest, Fairway Point and River Village. The River Village Master Village has its own set of declarations independent from the bylaws, rules and regulations and consolidated plan of the Sunriver Owners Association. Any change to the CC&Rs requires 75 percent of the owners within those villages to agree to any language modifications. SUNRIVER SCENE SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSN. VOLUME XLIl • NUMBER 9 P.O. BOX 3278 SUNRIVER, OR 97707
By Susan Berger, Scene Staff Sunriver and the surrounding communities were rattled after a fast-moving forest fire broke out around 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 17. Dubbed the “Sheridan Fire,” winds pushed the fire in a west/ southwest direction into dense forest, quickly growing from 2 acres to more than 100 acres in a few hours. There was early confusion among resident and non-resident owners as initial TV news reports stated the fire was in Sunriver — when it was actually at the junction of Roads 40 and 45 (the roads to Cascade Lakes Highway and Mt. Bachelor) — some 8 miles away. Later that evening confusion escalated further as news reports said evacuations were underway in Sunriver. The only community to receive a Level 1 (Be Ready) evacuation order was the Fall River Fish Hatchery and the Fall River subdivision off South Century Drive. Evacuation orders remained in place for six days. Due to the fire’s heavily-forested location, firefighting helicopters were instrumental in battling this particular fire — utilizing the nearby Deschutes River as a water source. “This was the perfect fire for an aerial assault,” said Art Hatch, Sunriver Fire Chief. Sunriver Fire was also one of the first responders on scene. Luckily, one firefighting helicopTurn to Fire, page 21
MARK FEIRER PHOTO
Sections of the Deschutes River and a pathway were closed by Sunriver Police as firefighting helicopters used the river to fill their buckets with water.
What to do if you are told to evacuate
By Project Wildfire Central Oregon is no stranger to wildland fire. Along with the beautiful mountains, lakes and rivers, we also enjoy a varied landscape that provides a rich forested setting for business and recreation and increasingly, homes. It is this interface between development and the forested landscape that increases the risk of great losses due to wildland fire. With large wildland fire events occurring nearly each summer, evacuations from neighborhoods have become com-
RON MILLER PHOTO
A view of the fire from Sunriver.
monplace during these events. The Aug. 17 Sheridan Fire west of Sunriver is a reminder that you need to be prepared to evacuate in the event Turn to Evacuate, page 3
Get uncorked during weekend of wine, chocolate and cheese By Melanie Saunders, SROA Event Manager Wine, chocolate and cheese… who could ask for anything more? Don’t miss Uncorked, Sunriver Style, on Friday, Sept. 16 from 3 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 16 from noon to 6 p.m. at SHARC’s Benham Hall and John Gray Amphitheater. This two-day event will feature specialty wines, chocolates and cheeses along with music, classes and boutique vendors. All wineries, chocolates, cheeses and retail vendors will be located inside Benham Hall while the John Gray Amphitheater and patio will provide a relaxing atmosphere to host the music, food carts and dining area. Uncorked, Sunriver Style, will feature 16 Oregon wineries from five different regions. Wineries include Fullerton and
VA Piano from Columbia Gorge region, Eliana and Merrill Cellars from the Rogue River region, and Copper Belt from the Snake River region. If Willamette Valley wineries are you favorite, then you’re in luck. Featured Willamette Valley wineries include Colene Clemons, Campbell Lane, J Scott, J Wrigley, Macindoe, Methven Family Vineyards, Noble Estate, Scott Paul, Namaste, Wooden Shoe and Wine Fauve. All wineries will be offering tastes, flights, glasses, and bottles for sale. Don’t worry about lugging around bottles throughout the event. A check-in storage area will be provided so you can Turn to Uncorked, page 3 PRSRT STD. U.S. POSTAGE PAID BEND, OR PERMIT NO. 213