(Photo courtesy of Deschutes County)
We’ve certainly seen our fair share of snow and ice already! During this time of year, the Deschutes County Road Department executes its Snow and Ice Plan.
You can also use Deschutes County’s interactive mapping tool to determine road jurisdiction.
Open the link on your desktop and select the “Add Layers” tab. Select the “Roads-Ownership” layer and zoom to the road in question. Roads labeled “Local Access Road” are not maintained by Deschutes County.
Snow and Ice Plan
Interactive Mapping Tool
If you live on a local access road, make a plan with your neighbors to be sure your roads are cleared after snowfall to prevent any delays in access to medical care or essential services.
Christmas Tree Disposal Options
As you pack away holiday decorations, you have options for getting rid your Christmas tree before it becomes a fire hazard:
Through January 31, Christmas trees are accepted free of charge at the Knott Landfill Recycling Center and Southwest, Northwest, Negus, and Alfalfa Transfer Stations from individual residents (no commercial vendors). The tree must not have any flocking, tinsel, ornaments, lights, metal or plastic bases, etc. For information on hours/locations, click here.
If you have curbside yard debris collection, you can have your tree collected at home. You will need to cut your tree to fit in the curbside yard debris cart with the lid closed. You can do this for as many weeks as necessary. If the tree is not in the cart, an extra fee may be charged. Be sure to remove all the decorations and the stand.
You may also find a Boy Scout troop or other non-profit to take your tree. Information on the Boy Scouts Christmas tree pick-up can be found at takeyourtree.com.
Recycling Holiday Lights
Do you have watts and watts of burned-out holiday lights? Don’t toss them!
String lights can be recycled as scrap metal, free of charge, at Deschutes Recycling any time of the year. They are also accepted for recycling at the Negus, Northwest, Southwest and Alfalfa Transfer Stations.
For more information on hours and locations, visit deschutes.org/solidwaste.
Driveway Delivery!
It’s the time of year when we give thanks and deliver gifts to friends and loved ones. A Bend mother and her family have a lot to be grateful for after a Deschutes County
9-1-1 dispatcher helped deliver the gift of life.
Hear the dramatic delivery in the driveway of their home and witness the emotional meeting almost one year to the day after baby Lincoln was born in the front seat of an SUV.
If you’d like to join our team and answer our community’s calls for help, please visit this link.
New Building Codes Alert!
New 2022 Oregon Structural Specialty Code (2022 OSSC): Effective October 1, 2022 with a six-month phase-in period. During the phase-in period, use of the 2019 OSSC or the 2022 OSSC is permitted. The 2022 OSSC will be mandatory on all commercial applications submitted on or after April 1, 2023.
New 2022 Oregon Mechanical Specialty Code (2022 OMSC): Effective October 1, 2022 with a six-month phase-in period. During the phase-in period, use of the 2019 OMSC or the 2022 OMSC is permitted. The 2022 OMSC will be mandatory on all applications submitted on or after April 1, 2023.
For more information on these new codes, please visit Oregon’s Building Codes Division’s website.
Employee Spotlight: Jason Bavuso, Human Resources
Jason Bavuso loves to ride his bike. He rides to and from work and during lunch breaks when he can. That’s fitting since he’s constantly shifting gears to help Deschutes County employees be successful in their work.
Bavuso is an HR Manager and makes sure County policies are followed. A big part of his job is arming supervisors and managers with the tools they need to support their employees.
Bavuso also makes sure employees are free of harassment and bullying. Bavuso finds satisfaction in the work being done right.
“Doing it well serves everyone,” says Bavuso. “It serves the person, to whatever is going on, that they’re treated fairly and respectfully.”
Because his HR job can be stressful at times, Bavuso believes in a work-life balance. His previous job as a high school social studies teacher made him realize it’s important to avoid burnout.
For Bavuso, one of those outlets is hopping on those two wheels. He’s logged more than 10,000 miles in non-motorized commuting. He also loves decompressing outdoors with his wife and two children.
“You need mental breaks here and there,” says Bavuso. “However people can find those ways to disconnect and then reconnect is generally a good practice. There are a lot of benefits to those breaks for people personally, which also translate professionally into areas like work effectiveness. So, for a lot of reasons something that supervisors should support as much as they can.”
And for Bavuso, helping all County employees pedal towards success is a ride worth taking.
Capital Improvements
The recent and anticipated continued rapid growth of Central Oregon as a population center has numerous implications for Deschutes County:
- Strategic and Master Facility Planning: the Deschutes County Facilities Department is currently in varying stages of master plan development across several departments and programs including the public safety campus.
- Capital construction projects: several capital projects are currently under development including the expansion of the Deschutes County Courthouse in downtown Bend.
- Tenant Improvement Projects: multiple remodel projects are currently underway or in planning stages.
Deschutes County currently has an opening for Capital Improvement Manager. The position helps oversee the development, planning, coordination, administration and implementation of the projects listed above. For more details or to apply, you can visit this link.
We’re hiring!
We know where you choose to live, work and play matters. Deschutes County is one of the largest employers in Central Oregon and the largest municipal government in the region. Our dedicated and passionate workforce of more than 1,200 employees provide County services in a number of departments, divisions, and offices.
Located in the heart of Central Oregon, between the towering Cascade Mountain Range to the west and the high desert plateau to the east, Deschutes County is the outdoor recreation capital of Oregon. We enjoy a renowned quality of life, with big-city opportunities and small-town neighborhoods.
We hope you’ll consider joining our talented team!
