Save the bridge

I am a member of a walking group of cancer survivors and their caregivers called Walking 4 Wellness. For over five years we have walked many different trails with our group. One of our favorites is Shevlin Park because of the trees, water but also this bridge. We always take a group shot on the bridge. It represents a part of Bend’s history and is an incredibly scenic spot within the park. Hearing of the possibility that is may be torn down is very sad. We would love to partner with Bend Parks &Recreation and our community to help fund and rebuild this structure. If interested please contact me at gcwirth10@gmail.com.

Gary Wirth

Bend

Mayoral debate

There was a mayoral debate “sponsored” by the Bend Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 14. Did you go? I did not. I am not a member of the chamber, and I did not feel I could or should spend $30. Obviously all Bend residents should be privy to this information. Another one is scheduled for Oct. 9. How much will it cost to be able to hear what these individuals represent? It is vital as a community to elect the best person for the job based on their values, ideas and opinions. Part of a chamber’s mission by definition is to create the best community in which to live, work and do business.

Bend needs a good mayor. It’s a great place to live. Someone help us all elect the right person for our city even if we don’t spend $30. If not the Chamber of Commerce, who?

Barbara McCall

Bend

Capital punishment

Upon seeing the Aug. 13 inflammatory Scott Stantis cartoon showing Pope Francis declaring his “No Death Penalty Period” edict while Christ utters the words “Amen” from the cross on the wall behind him, I could not help but think that both Stantis and Pope Francis fail to realize that Jesus upheld the death penalty when he told Pontius Pilate that his power to execute came from God (John 19:11).

Where would Christians be today if Jesus had not died for our sins? It was God the father’s divine plan for our salvation, and capital punishment was part of fulfilling that very plan, a plan that Jesus did not reject.

Mary Myers

Bend

Chopping down trees

This week a very disturbing event occurred right behind our clinic off NE Purcell. My colleagues and I watched as heavy equipment twisted, chopped and yanked a dozen 100-year-old trees out of the ground. Never have I witnessed such a thing and words fall short to describe how shocking and sad it was. Within a couple of hours an entire field of trees were destroyed, thrown into a heap and scooted off to leave leveled dirt. No birds, no butterflies, no deer, no life, all gone. It makes me sick still to think about it, and it would do the same to anyone who witnessed it. The impact, albeit small on its own, is what is being done all over Bend and other cities. So it isn’t small at all, and now we get a little less nature and a little more carbon dioxide in exchange for 80 townhouses, thank you very much. I understand development, but I don’t understand indiscriminate leveling. And I don’t believe this is a one or the other proposition. I think we can have both.

Dena Persell

Bend

Housing prices

The Bulletin’s editorial on housing as the key to ending homelessness was most welcome. However, the editors seem determined to make land use laws the reason for a lack of affordable housing. I don’t believe The Bulletin has ever considered speculation as the fuel for the rapidly rising cost of housing, nor the many homeowners, who buy homes in Bend only to live in them for three, or four or six months of the year. It seems these factors might play a critical role. Furthermore, while we see developments going up on the boundaries of the Urban Growth Boundary, these newer homes remain beyond the reach of many while the prices of existing housing stock aren’t falling as a result. Finally, there is a reason we refer to ourselves as the High Desert. We might want to examine the ability of this area to support the population. For example, though water seems abundant, tensions exist already over its use. We’re not Portland, and we certainly don’t want to be Las Vegas. A more honest and expansive look at the causes would be most welcome.

Robert Currie

Bend