News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 1032
The Community Leadership team is working with the City of Sisters, Sisters Ranger District, houseless representatives, volunteers, NeighborImpact, and YouthBuild to provide two weekly services to those living in the forest. In October, the team began a garbage collection service every Wednesday in the woods off North Pine Street. Jeremy Fields of the U.S. Forest Service, and the team makes the first contact with campers to notify them of the service. Bonnie Rose of the team... Full story
Longtime Sisters resident Bill Willitts is on a mission to reach as many men as he can to educate them about the value of proton therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer — a treatment which has a cure rate of 85-90 percent. Last fall, Willitts was told by his urologist that his PSA (prostate specific antigen), which was first found to be high 10 years ago, had gone higher. With a biopsy, it was determined that he had developed prostate cancer. His urologist told him that a... Full story
Jordan Wheeler, the current city manager in Sandy was unanimously selected by City Council to become Sisters' new city manager, pending negotiations. After making the announcement last Wednesday, Mayor Michael Preedin told The Nugget, "We didn't make this choice by ourselves. There were hundreds of people involved providing input." A community meeting on Monday, March 27 saw about 50 people attend to meet the four candidates. Several different panels, plus the City staff and... Full story
Longtime Sisters resident Bill Willitts is on a mission to reach as many men as he can to educate them about the value of proton therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer — a treatment which has a cure rate of 85-90 percent. Last fall, Willitts was told by his urologist that his PSA (prostate specific antigen), which was first found to be high 10 years ago, had gone higher. With a biopsy, it was determined that he had developed prostate cancer. His urologist told him... Full story
Sisters District Ranger Ian Reid reported last week that the Sisters fire-shed has been identified as number one in the state which means, with provided funding, the district and their partners will develop long term goals and action plans for maximizing the effectiveness of treatments at the landscape scale to reduce the risk of wildfire. Reid added that “a lot of the important work (maybe 40-50 percent) has already been completed in Sisters fire-shed but it will be i... Full story
The Sisters Ranger District, led by District Ranger Ian Reid, was on full display at the Sisters Fire Community Room last Wednesday before a crowd of 70 people who came to hear what the district accomplished in 2022 and what the plans are for 2023. Reid began the evening by quoting the first Chief of the U.S. Forest Service Gifford Pinchot who said, “A public servant is there to serve the public, not run them.” Reid and his staff take that philosophy to heart. The dis... Full story
For a position that requires compassion, empathy, and a deep desire to be of assistance, Partners In Care has the perfect person offering their Transitions program here in Sisters. Within five minutes of meeting Bethany Benefield, her passion for her work with medically fragile individuals is unmistakable. Her eyes light up as she talks about those who are benefitting from the assistance offered through Transitions in Sisters, Bend, Redmond, La Pine and south county,... Full story
The March 8 joint meeting of the Sisters City Council and Deschutes County Board of Commissioners had an agenda packed with updates on a number of new and ongoing programs. Explore Sisters Executive Director Scott Humpert introduced himself to the Deschutes County Commissioners and explained how the world of tourism promotion has evolved from just marketing a destination to managing tourism as an economic activity incorporating marketing, management, stewardship, and... Full story
Understanding municipal development codes and land-use regulations can be a daunting task — but the average citizen can get the work done. Everything one needs to know is spelled out in the City’s documents available at City Hall and at www.ci.sisters.or.us in Chapter 4 of the Development Code. “Growth and development” issues are currently in the forefront of public interest here in Sisters. Three of the four front-page articles in the February 22 Nugget had to do with... Full story
City of Sisters Principal Planner Matthew Martin was notified last week that the Sunset Meadows housing development by Woodhill Homes will be built as approved by the Sisters Planning Commission. During their January 19 hearing on Sunset Meadows, the commissioners approved the master plan with the condition that the multifamily apartments, which were slated for the last phase (of five) of the development would be built as phase three, to ensure they would be available sooner.... Full story
An affordable housing apartment project in Sisters cleared a big hurdle last week. The Planning Commission approved a modified version of the City’s application for rezoning of Heavenly Acres from Urban Area Reserve (UAR) to Public Facilities and Institutions (PFI) and Multi-Family Residential (MFR), to accommodate the proposed apartment project. The City had requested rezoning of two lots as MFR. Initially in their deliberations, the commission was hesitant to allow any M... Full story
Citizens4Community (C4C) is announcing the availability of their small Momentum grants for projects related to the Sisters Country Vision. The purpose of these grants is to help promote community-led action on Vision Strategies outlined in the Sisters Country Vision. The four focus areas include: Prosperous Sisters: jobs, small business, economic development, and entrepreneurial activities that generate income for Sisters — tourism, arts and crafts, recreation, and... Full story
City of Sisters Principal Planner Matthew Martin was notified last week that the Sunset Meadows housing development by Woodhill Homes will be built as approved by the Sisters Planning. During their January 19 hearing on Sunset Meadows, the commissioners approved the master plan with the condition that the multifamily apartments, which were slated for the last phase (of five) of the development would be built as phase three, to ensure they would be available sooner. Initially,... Full story
For 47 years, the Sisters Chamber of Commerce has supported and promoted local businesses. For part of that time, they also had a contract with the City of Sisters to act as the local visitors center, and promote tourism. With the City contract came a certain percentage of transient lodging tax dollars collected by local hotels, motels, and short-term rentals on behalf of the City. In recent years, a new concept for promoting tourism has evolved worldwide known as destination... Full story
Concerns around “growth and development” in Sisters are at a fever pitch. But before diving in to discussions around this hot topic, it is necessary to gain a clear understanding of Oregon’s land-use laws which guide decisions made by the local Community Development Department staff, the Planning Commission, and Sisters City Council. Why were the land-use laws created, how do they work, and, after 50 years, do they need some revision to better meet today’s circums... Full story
At their February 2 workshop, planning commissioners learned more about the proposed Heavenly Acres rezone and several Sisters Development Code amendments in preparation for the public hearing scheduled for February 16 at 5:30 p.m. At the hearing, the Commission will be asked to render a decision on the proposal’s merits after a staff report and public testimony where citizens will be able to voice their support or opposition for the proposal. Matters of growth and development... Full story
If all goes well, Sisters could have a new city manager chosen by the end of March. The position was posted by Jensen Strategies, the consultants running the recruitment process, as of January 30, 2023, and will remain open for applications through February 26. Applications will be screened and semifinalist online video interviewing by Jensen will be conducted the week of March 6. On March 14, City Council will hold an executive session to review the semifinalists and pick... Full story
The removal of 177 juniper trees from 18 lots in the High Meadow neighborhood off Indian Ford Road is creating what participants in the project consider a win-win situation for everyone involved. The homeowners are improving the resiliency of their Firewise community and improving the environment for their ponderosa pines. The junipers are all being removed as intact trees, branches and all. They will be taken up to Deschutes Land Trust’s (DLT) Rimrock Ranch, where the U... Full story
While the general public often only hears about the activities of Sgt. Nathan Garibay’s Deschutes County Emergency Management and Preparedness office during an emergency, his two-person staff is fully engaged year-round with local and statewide partners to ensure that programs, protocols, and personnel are in place and trained to respond to any kind of an emergency. Sgt. Garibay, the Deschutes County emergency manager in the Sheriff’s Office, provided an update to the Sis... Full story
The face of a portion of West Cascade Avenue is in for a big change. The current Space Age gas station at 411 W. Cascade Ave. is slated to be replaced by a much larger station and convenience store. The Community Development Department has received an application from Stephen Williams for a site plan review and minor conditional use permit to replace the existing Space Age station with an approximately 3,500- sq.-ft. convenience store, a canopied fuel island with 16 gas pumps... Full story
A City Council goal for 2022/23 is to identify land in the city and find a development partner(s) for a future multi-family workforce housing rental project. By December 2026 Sisters hopes to meet that goal. The City received a proposal in August 2022 from NW Housing Alternatives (NHA) headquartered in Milwaukie, Oregon. Founded in 1982, NHA is a leading not-for-profit developer of affordable and workforce housing throughout Oregon. Their mission is to create individual... Full story
A big heart in a little package might be just the right way to describe a Sisters resident who has contributed to the Sisters community for the 23 years she has called this place home. Annie Marland was one of the first to purchase a home in 2000 in The Pines, the 55-plus community located off McKinney Butte Road. Her neighbors refer to her as “The Historian,” because she’s been there since the beginning of the neighborhood. Her dad lived with her for the first four years... Full story
The controversial Sunset Meadows development can go forward — if developers meet conditions of approval. Woodhill Homes’ application for their Master Plan development Sunset Meadows, on a 12.92-acre property in the multi-family residential district (MFR) at 15510 McKenzie Highway on the west side of town, won approval — with conditions — from the Planning Commission at their January 19 meeting. The condition of approval requires the applicant to revise t... Full story
Three City councilors were sworn in at the January 11 Council workshop. Returning councilors Michael Preedin and Gary Ross were elected to four-year terms and Susan Cobb to a two-year term. Following the oath of office, all five councilors received training on roles, protocols on public meetings, and records and ethics from the City attorneys of Bryant, Lovlien & Jarvis. City councilors reelected Michael Preedin to serve as mayor for the next two years, and Andrea Blum was... Full story
The first executive director of Explore Sisters, Scott Humpert, told The Nugget that the primary goal for the new destination management organization (DMO) is to sustain Sisters’ quality of livability by managing tourism to insure they attract “the right person at the right time in the right place.” Rather than simply promoting general tourism through broad marketing, the DMO’s messaging will work to attract certain kinds of tourist who value the small-town atmosphere and sur... Full story
