Delegates from Condega, Nicaragua will be visiting the City of Bend and touring Central Oregon next week. Condega Mayor Gustavo Montoya Rodriguez, and Condega Councilman Otto Bottel Peña, are scheduled to arrive in Portland on Saturday, September 30.

In September, 2004 the cities of Bend and Condega officially formed a sister city partnership. Since then, Mayor Gustavo Montoya Rodriguez has been working with Bend’s Fire Department and the Bend Fire Fighter’s Association (BFFA) to establish a community-wide fire department in the city. Several of the Fire Fighter’s Association members formed a committee and instigated the BFFA/Condega Bomberos Project. By partnering with local, state, national and international entities, the committee, with the assistance of the Bend Fire Department, is securing equipment and funding
needed to launch Condega’s fire department.

The purpose of the sister city partnership is to continue to build relationships and promote international friendships across the world. The city of Condega is located in Central America in the country of Nicaragua.  Condega is located approximately 115 miles north of the capitol of Managua, and about 40 miles south of the Honduras border.

Activities planned during the visit include sight-seeing and tours of downtown, local parks, Smith Rock, Benham Falls and Newberry Crater; attending classes at local high schools and Central Oregon Community College; visits to social service agencies and non-profits such as the the Rotary, Senior Center, COBRA, LCA, and High Desert Museum; and various luncheons, dinners, and receptions.