BEND, OR -- The Bend Parks and Recreation District is moving ahead with plans to realign the banks of iconic Mirror Pond. Jim Figurski is a landscape architect for the district. He tells KBND News the work will be done along what’s known as “river-right” as you’re looking downstream. "The banks have been collapsing for quite a while and we needed to do something about it. So, we’ll be laying banks back, creating habitat, directing people to proper access points, making some accessibility improvements and, again, finding a route for the Deschutes River Trail to move through that area."

Work will stretch from the Galveston Street Bridge to Pacific Park. Figurski says, "We’re looking at doing bank improvements to Drake Park, all the way along the river past or up to the PacificCorp power plant. We’re looking also to extending the Deschutes River trail. It’ll go around the power plant, then again back to the river and follow all the way to Pioneer Park." He says work won’t begin until sometime in 2018. The project shouldn't impact water flows of the Deschutes River, itself. "Now, there may be a possibility that we push the banks out in a couple of places to get better access for the public or for the trail system, or to just get better access for whatever sort of bank improvement is needed."

The district plans to hold a series of public meetings to provide information and gather feedback. The first is scheduled for Wednesday, March 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the district office. Click HERE for more information.