News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 119
Cliff Clemens will be honored at the dedication of the newest city park, named in his honor. Cliff Clemens Park is located on Larch Street on the south side of Tamarack Village. The ceremony, which Clemens is expected to attend, will be at 1 p.m. on November 2 (Election Day) at Cliff Clemens Park. Clemens and his family settled in Sisters in 1966. In 1978 he became the founding president of the Kiwanis Club of Sisters and is one of only three charter members still living. In 1981 he began running the Sisters Airport. Clemens... Full story
A small group gathered to raise concerns about McDonald's. photo by Jim Mitchell A small but emotionally charged group of Sisters citizens met last week at Sisters Elementary School to express their opposition to the proposed plans for McDonald's in Sisters. There were concerns about appearance: "We don't want the 'golden arches' and/or billboard type signs announcing the location." There were concerns about Sisters losing its quaintness: "It will change the whole complexion of Sisters." There were concerns about change: "I a... Full story
Mayor Dave Elliott has appointed three citizens to fill vacancies on the Sisters Planning Commission. Dominic DeBari has been an independent tile contractor for over 30 years. He is interested in being involved in guiding the pattern and direction of growth in Sisters. "As a downtown resident it seems important to be as involved in development planning as possible," he said. David Gentry offers 24 years of experience in state government, including 21 years as a software engineering manager. "I believe my skill set can make a... Full story
A work crew diverted the creek to punch a waterline across the creekbed. photo by Jim Mitchell Developer Bruce Forbes, assisted by Gary Tewalt and crew, completed the difficult task of "tunneling" a water line under Squaw Creek on Friday afternoon, October 8. The project was closely observed, with city officials and local residents lining both banks of the stream. The project had begun two weeks prior (The Nugget, September 9, 2004), then stopped when it became obvious that the amount of soil to be moved would exceed the... Full story
Changes are afoot at the ranger station. photo by Jim Cornelius Forest Service officials are thinking about changing their Sisters headquarters at the Pine Street location the agency has occupied since the 1950s. At an October 7 Sisters City Council workshop, Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony outlined details of the just-released "Preliminary Analysis of Development Alternatives for the Sisters Administrative Site." A team headed by Jerry Carlson, Regional Facilities Engineer, had been asked to develop a 50-year... Full story
Annie Painter leads students. photo by Jim Mitchell There was no school in Sisters last Friday -- except for teachers. Almost 150 art teachers came to Sisters High School to learn from other teachers at the 2004 Oregon Art Education Association (OAEA) Fall Conference, "Art in the Pines." They came from all over the state. Sisters High School art teacher Mike Baynes started last summer with members of OAEA to organize the in-service program. About a dozen vendors displayed their wares in the commons area of the school. The... Full story
Community members talked of making Sisters more viable for artists. photo by Jim Mitchell For two days last week the Community Action Team of Sisters (CATS) office was filled with artists, business owners, and politicians. The attraction was the first Sisters Arts Forum, an exploration of thoughts and ideas aimed at cultivating local economic development through the arts. Facilitator Vicki Dugger from Oregon Downtown Development Association led the discussions. The opening session with Sisters arts-based business owners discu... Full story
Squaw Creek, soon to become ..... Creek. photo by Jim Mitchell Squaw Creek has disappeared. Well, almost. Actually, in name only. As of the end of this year, the word "squaw" will be prohibited on any Oregon public property. On June 27, 2001, Oregon Senate Bill 488 declared, "A public body may not use the term 'squaw' in the name of a public property." However, Section 2 of the bill allows a public body that is currently using the term "squaw" in the name of a public property to do so until January 2, 2005. As the deadline... Full story
The Street Maintenance Fund for the City of Sisters is in need of repair. According to City Manager Eileen Stein, available funds have declined while maintenance and projected repair needs have gone up. At a September 30 Sisters City Council workshop, Stein said that when she came to Sisters in April, 2002, no up-to-date inventory of street conditions existed. She said, "I didn't know if we were headed towards an incline or towards a cliff." Without knowing the condition of the city's streets, no projection could be made for... Full story
Young actors from Sweet Home portray teen drinkers at a party in the woods for a commercial warning parents about the perils of teen drinking. photo by Jim Mitchell Last Saturday night, a sheriff's deputy and a Forest Service law enforcement officer approached a campfire in the woods behind SOAR to find a party going on: 30 to 40 teenagers with red plastic beer glasses, a beer keg in the back of a battered red pickup. And there was more. The scene included a couple of dozen adult observers and a professional film crew from... Full story
Four Sisters citizens will vie for three Sisters City Council positions in the November 2 election. Three are incumbents; the fourth is a retail store owner. The Council consists of five members. Four serve for four years, one for two years. Three positions come up for election every two years. The two highest vote getters serve four-year terms, the next serves two years. Brad Boyd, 43, has owned Eurosports, a retail store in Sisters, for 15 years. He has lived in the City of Sisters for nine years. He has been on the boards... Full story
Four City of Sisters staff members and councilors studied water and land use issues at the Central Oregon Summit, held last Thursday and Friday, September 30-October 1 at the Riverhouse in Bend. The summit included two days of forums, discussions and tours. The forum was conducted by the Central Oregon Cities Organization (COCO), which includes Madras, Sisters, Bend, Redmond, Culver, Prineville, and Maupin. Those attending from Sisters were City Manager Eileen Stein and Councilors Dave Elliott, Judy Trego and Sharleen Weed.... Full story
City residents will get a break on their utility bills starting in October. The $6 bond fee that was imposed for water bond payoff and was then transferred to sewer debt is being discontinued. Eileen Stein, City Manager, presented figures to the city council that showed a savings to the city of nearly $600,000 in interest by paying off the water bond 32 years early, utilizing the $6 bond fee. With the dropping of the fee, sewer bond debt will be paid off from normal sewer service fees. As reported earlier the $6 water bond... Full story
Monet Tyler (third from left) taught summer camp at Darmsalla. photo provided Monet Tyler, Sisters High School senior, has experienced the joys and pains of traveling in a foreign country. This summer she spent almost three months traveling and working in India. Tyler says, "I went to India because it was the most diverse country that I could think of that was relatively safe. I'm really interested in Islam and different religions like Hinduism and Buddhism. And I had heard it's really crazy and I wanted a challenge. And I... Full story
Rose Slavkovsky (left) recieved a warm welcome in Africa. photo provided Eleven years ago Rose Slavkovsky became involved in the Sisters Act, a local talent show aimed at supporting the work of the Good Samaritan Ministries (GSM). This summer the Sisters High School senior became the first ambassador from Sisters to visit African countries that have benefited from the Sisters Act. A group of six, mostly from the Portland area, were led by Betty Mitchell, International Director and founder of GSM. Their primary mission was to... Full story
The transfer of a fee imposed by the City of Sisters from water bond payoff to sewer bond payoff has raised eyebrows among citizens and city councilors. A water bond fee of $6 has shown up on residents' utility bills since it was imposed by the city council in 1996. The bond was paid off in April, 2003. However the fee has remained on the utility bills and has been used to accelerate payments on the sewer bond debt. Eileen Stein stated that a formal changeover in the application of the fee was delayed mostly by timing. At the... Full story
Plans to run a water pipe under Squaw Creek have been foiled by a higher-than-expected water table. photo by Jim Mitchell Most people looking for water in the Sisters area would be happy if they encountered a high water table. But water at a depth of only two feet has slowed Sisters developer Roger Forbes in his efforts to cross under Squaw Creek from Timber Creek development to Creekside development with an eight-inch city water main. Although the current active stream bed is only about 20 feet wide, the overall stream bed,... Full story
A recent online news report from Jerusalem indicated that as the Palestinian intifada enters its fifth year, Israel seems more determined than ever to expand its settlements into the West Bank. Judah Slavkovsky, a Sisters resident, spent most of the last year experiencing the conflict on the West Bank first-hand. Majoring in biology at the University of Portland, with a strong interest in international political affairs, Slavkovsky wanted to know more about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He said, "I wanted to go to learn... Full story
City Manager Eileen Stein, left, listens as Eric Beckwith and Jenny Scanlon describe a new juevile program. photo by Jim Mitchell Sisters' long standing program to help juvenile offenders get on the right track will soon be replaced. At a City Council workshop last week, the Deschutes County Juvenile Community Justice Department presented a new program that will replace the Juvenile Empowerment Team (JET) program in Sisters. Eric Beckwith, Community Justice Officer, took over the Sisters JET program in December, 2003. "We... Full story
An architect's rendering of the proposed McDonald's. Graphic courtesy Cache Mtn. Development Developers of a planned McDonald's restaurant at the west end of Sisters inched closer to approval on Thursday, September 16, but they have more work to do before the Sisters Planning commission is willing to sign off on the proposal. After reviewing the Findings and Recommendations of the Planning Department concerning the Site Design Review and Conditional Use Permit request for a 4,453 square foot building containing McDonald's... Full story
Dennis McGregor. photo provided Dennis McGregor is known for his Sisters event posters and as a member of the band The Blue D'Arts. In recent years, he has become a prolific and successful songwriter -- and he just released his first collection of original material. During the Sisters Folk Festival he announced the release of his first solo CD "Most People Are Good." McGregor dedicated his creation to his father, "who taught me that most people are good." McGregor wrote his first song when he was 15. Over the years he... Full story
Peg Bermel was honored last week. photo by Jim Mitchell In 1979, Sisters had a population under 700, there was no sewer, no talk of a couplet, rooms upstairs at The Palace were $5 a night -- and Sisters had a new librarian. Last week the library and citizens of Sisters celebrated Peg Bermel's 25th anniversary as Sisters Librarian. The 1979 library was located next to the Depot Deli. Bermel remembers, "There was no bathroom. I had to close the library and walk to the gas station or the deli." In 1980 the library was moved to... Full story
Lee Kufchak at work on his scale model Curtiss Jenny. The intricate model will be too nice to risk flying it on Sunday afternoons, so Kufchak will donate it to a museum. photo by Jim Mitchell When Lee and Marti Kufchak built their house in Black Butte Ranch, attic space was finished to provide storage for Marti's sewing needs. But now it is known as "The Hangar." Lee uses the space for many of his model airplanes. Lee Kufchak makes model airplanes -- not the ones some of us made when we were young, not the Revell... Full story
Eric Beckwith. photo by Jim Mitchell In December, 2003, the Juvenile Empowerment Training (JET) program lost its funding and leadership in Sisters. Eric Beckwith, Community Justice Officer for Deschutes County Juvenile Community Justice, has taken over supervision of the JET Program. Beckwith says that it was a challenge to get the Teen Court up and running again between December and the end of the school year. There was a long period of time when there was no teen court. Apparently the kids in the program went through no... Full story
A number of Sisters Folk Festival featured performers spent their pre-performance time on Friday in a different kind of venue. Johnsmith, a traveling songwriter for over 30 years, entertained the third through sixth graders at Sisters Elementary School with an introduction to the life and work of Woody Guthrie. Then he hopped across town to the high school to do guitar work with Americana Project students. Johnsmith said his given name is, in fact, John Smith. Since both names are so common, schoolmates slurred them together... Full story
