Deschutes County Community Development staff encourages the public to provide input at six September open houses as the Department begins to update the Transportation System Plan (TSP). The TSP guides the County in selecting and prioritizing projects for bicyclists, pedestrians, and roads for the next 20 years. The TSP is the transportation component of the larger Deschutes County Comprehensive Plan, which the County is also updating.

Community Development staff will return to the communities listed below at midpoint of the TSP’s development to show how public input was used. Staff will hold more open house meetings before the final draft is complete to show the plan’s progress. 

It is expected that the TSP, which is being funded by a $100,000 by the State of Oregon through its Transportation and Growth Management (TGM) program, to be done by winter 2009. 

TSP open houses will be held in:

1. Bend, Thursday, Sept. 4, 6-8:30 p.m., Barnes Room, Deschutes County Service Center Building, 113 NW Wall St.

2. La Pine, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 6-8:30 p.m., La Pine Senior Center, 16450 Victory Way

3. Redmond, Thursday, Sept. 18, 6-8:30 p.m., Redmond Fire Station, 341 NW Dogwood Ave.

4. Sisters, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 6-8:30 p.m., Sisters City Hall, 520 E. Cascade Ave.

5. Terrebonne, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Terrebonne Elementary School, 1199 B Ave.

6. Tumalo, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Tumalo Church Fellowship Hall, 64671 Bruce Ave.

“The TSP is about how people, goods, and services will travel to, around, and through Deschutes County from now until 2030,” said Deschutes County Senior Transportation Planner Peter Russell. “The TSP is multi-modal in that it looks at airports, bikes, cars, railroads, and transit; it’s more than just roads.”

Besides the public open houses, the TSP will be the subject of public hearings before the Deschutes County Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners. 

For more information, please contact Peter Russell at the Deschutes County Community Development Department at 383-6718 or send email to peterr@co.deschutes.or.us.