April 2026 Sunriver Scene - Flipbook - Page 1
An inside look at the
'family' of volunteers
working at the
Second Tern
Thrift Store
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
SROA News ............. 4
Calendar ................ 15
Public Safety........... 30
Classified Ads ......... 39
Page 14
Keep your Sunriver
home and property
fire resilient with
self-assessment
guides
Pages 19-22
S U N R I V E R
S C E N E
A NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSOCIATION
APRIL 2026
VOLUME XLIX • NUMBER 4
Save the dates
for upcoming
FireFree events
T FF,
Sunriver owners to vote on proposed Capital Transfer Fee
SROA NEWS – This summer, property owners will have a voice in shaping
the future of the Sunriver community.SROA's Board of Directors has
approved putting a proposed Capital
Transfer Fee to an owner vote as part
of the regular summer election – and
the outcome could unlock funding
for some of Sunriver's most-requested
improvements.
The actual ballot measure includes
changing language in the Sunriver
Consolidated Plan to allow the fee's
implementation.
How did we get here?
In 2025, the board asked the Finance
Committee to create a dedicated subgroup to find a more constant and
reliable way to fund new capital projects – one that wouldn't drain reserves,
hike maintenance fees or hit current
owners with special assessments. The
Capital Transfer Fee emerged as the
clear frontrunner: fair, equitable and
only triggered when a property actually
sells. Commercial property transactions
would also be subject to the fee.
The fee amounts to one-half of 1%
(0.5 %) of a property's sale price, negotiated and collected at closing between
buyer and seller. No sale, no fee – it's
that simple. With roughly 140 Sunriver
properties changing hands each year
T T F,
2026 ladder fuels compliance season underway
SROA NEWS – As fire season approaches, ladder fuel reduction (LFR)
efforts throughout the Sunriver community become more visible. Owners
will be seen roaming their properties
with loppers and pole saws, and piles of
ladder fuel debris will build at the front
of their lots.
SROA’s Public Works staff can be
observed navigating the chipper through
all lanes as monthly collection of this
owner-generated ladder fuel debris
begins in April.
Crews also will commence fuels reduction treatment on about 150 acres
of commons in the northeast section of
Sunriver. You may occasionally see signs
on roads and pathways alerting you that
a tree crew is working nearby.
Another tangible indicator of the
season is the notice some owners receive
in the mail regarding their property’s
compliance with the Sunriver Ladder
Fuels Reduction Plan. This plan not
only mandates that all owners maintain
the vegetation on their private properties according to the plan’s standards,
but it also requires the SROA Natural
Resources department to enforce owner
compliance with the plan and to implement the plan on SROA commons.
For the past several months, Natural
Resources staff have inspected LFR conditions on single unit lots, multi-houseT LFR,
Public Works performs Ladder Fuel
Reduction on Sunriver commons.
SUNRIVER SCENE
SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSN.
VOLUME XLVIV • NUMBER 4
SUNRIVER, OR 97707
Fire science tells us that if you have
created and maintained a defensible
space around your home, it has an
80 percent chance of surviving a
fire without the assistance of the fire
department. Those are great odds,
and FireFree encourages residents to
take that bet and get prepared for the
upcoming wildfire season.
Now is the time to clean up your
property and recycle that debris at
FireFree collection sites for free in
May and June.
• Sunriver Compost Site (Lake Penhollow): 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday,
May 1 and Thursday, May 2
• Knott Landfill, Bend: 7 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. May 15 to May 24
• La Pine Southwest Transfer
Station: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 5 to
June 13
FireFree reminds you to take a look
around your property in the “home
ignition zone” where glowing embers
can ignite spot fires and vulnerable
areas like decks, patios and enclosures
that can spread flames to the home.
Where are the most vulnerable
places for glowing embers to ignite
your home?
• Make sure gutters and roof valleys are free from debris like pine
needles and leaves. Clean them out.
Despite a metal or asphalt shingle
roof, the buildup of gutter debris
provides necessary fuel for the glowing embers to ignite adjacent fascia
boards or siding – most often made
of wood.
• Do your shrubs and weeds provide a path of fuel for fire to reach
trees or your home? Reduce shrubs
and other “ladder fuels” within the
five-foot zone around your home
to reduce the threat of ground fire
ignitions.
• Do you have arborvitae, juniper
MARKETING MAIL
US Postage
PAID
Permit #241
Wenatchee, WA 98801
