City of North Bend receives Oregon Community Recovery Fund grant, June 7

City of North Bend release – Rapid funding will support organization’s response to the coronavirus outbreak in Coos County – NORTH BEND, Ore. – The City of North Bend announced Friday that it has been awarded a $187,000 Oregon Community Foundation 2021 K-12 Summer Learning to support the local response to the coronavirus (COVID-19). This funding will allow the city to operate its municipal pool for free for the months of July, August, and September. The pool will then be taken out of service for the remainder of the year to perform critical infrastructure upgrades and maintenance. Philanthropic partners, businesses and individuals across the state have taken quick action with contributions to the Oregon Community Recovery Fund. The fund, established by many partners throughout Oregon, and hosted by the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF), was established in March to rapidly deploy resources to community-based organizations at the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak. Resources are prioritized where and when they are critically needed, with a focus on Oregon’s most vulnerable populations.  The City is now applying for a grant from the Judith Anne Morgan Foundation to help offset the expense for the top three pool capital projects: a 35-year-old boiler system, the pool’s original filtration system, and inefficient and outdated pump systems. The pool also needs a new air handling system, instant hot water for showers, and various code compliance upgrades. The estimated cost of all these improvements is approximately $565,000, including contingency. With the voter-approved Ballot Measure 6-191, the North Bend Municipal Pool will be funded through a five-year local option levy covering Operations & Maintenance, but not capital needs. The pool is now a stand-alone fund for accountability purposes as all tax money received is restricted and can only be used for operating and maintaining the pool. Those funds are expected to start coming into the City in November when property taxes are due.