C.O. lawmakers will go to bat for OSU Cascades

Central Oregon lawmakers said this week they stand united behind OSU-Cascades’ plan to become a four-year university.

“It’s really important not only for our economy in Central Oregon but just the overall culture and feel of the area, and people need the access to a four-year university locally,” state Rep. Knute Buehler, R-Bend, said earlier this week.

This is an important year for OSU-Cascades because legislation will work it into the biannual budget, or not. Bend’s approval of OSU-Cascades’ planned Westside campus is facing a state appeal from opponents, and that has state representatives concerned.

“The last thing that we need to do is show the rest of the state that we’re not together, we’re not coordinated and that there’s a lot of drama at the local level,” said state Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend.

Legislators say a united community is vital to its stance in the Legislature. Some are worried that if the process takes too long, lawmakers outside of central Oregon could lose interest in backing the project.

Central Oregon lawmakers also say the project needs more money.

“I don’t know if the remaining funding will be allocated in this biennium or the next,” said state Rep. Mike McLane, R- Powell Butte.

It’s an issue Central Oregon lawmakers will closely watch and work on this legislative session.