News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 126 - 150 of 1025
There will be no increased building heights in Sisters for the foreseeable future. City officials asserted that Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District doesn’t have the equipment necessary to fight a fire in a 50-foot building. Furthermore, they said, the current fire station may not be able to house a ladder truck equipped to reach 50 feet. In the interest of public safety, the increased height conditions were dropped from code changes approved by the Sisters City Council last w... Full story
At her final City Council meeting on December 14, after eight years of serving the people of Sisters, Council President Nancy Connolly was showered with gratitude and well wishes from the other councilors and City staff. Public Works Director Paul Bertagna provided a comprehensive list of all the projects, programs, personnel, and plans in which Connolly had a hand. It is an impressive list which, with a moist eye, led Bertagna to summarize by telling Connolly, “Everywhere y... Full story
The Sisters Planning Commission is tentatively scheduled to make a decision on the controversial proposed Sunset Meadows development along Highway 242 at their meeting on Thursday, January 19, 2023. At the conclusion of the December 8 Planning Commission meeting, the public hearing on Sunset Meadows was closed, and the written record left open for submittal of additional information. With the public hearing now closed, the Planning Commission will not receive any additional... Full story
Ten Friends Silent Auction and Himalayan Dinner, sponsored by the Cascades Academy MUSE Club, will be held Wednesday, December 14, 6 to 8 p.m. at Cascades Academy. After two years of a virtual auction, this year’s event will be live. The evening will include speakers, a raffle, a dinner of dal bhat, and the silent auction. The auction will include an assortment of goods and experiences donated by local businesses and individuals. Items include a ski package donated by Crows F... Full story
At their November 30 meeting and public hearings, the Sisters City Council rolled up their sleeves and for four hours wrestled with the toughest topic of late: how to plan appropriately for growth without destroying the small-town character of Sisters.... Full story
Each Tuesday in December at the Sisters Community Lunches sponsored by Council on Aging of Central Oregon, there will be seasonal entertainment for the enjoyment of the attendees. The no-charge, in-person lunches are held at Sisters Community Church, 1300 McKenzie Hwy., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sisters High School Jazz Band and Choir will be playing and singing on Tuesday, December 13. The ever-popular Sisters Ukelele Group will liven things up on December 20. The year will be... Full story
Despite no proposal brought to the City for winter camping at Creekside Campground, and a number of barriers to using the campground for such purposes, emails and rumors have continued to circulate regarding use of the facility for a winter camp for homeless people. Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang thinks the spot would make a good location for “safe parking,” a program in place in other areas of the county. He acknowledged, however, that the park is a City of Sis... Full story
Ten Friends Silent Auction and Himalayan Dinner sponsored by the Cascades Academy MUSE Club will be held Wednesday, December 14, 6 to 8 p.m. at Cascades Academy. After two years of a virtual auction, this year’s event will be live. The evening will include speakers, a raffle, a dinner of Dal Bhat, and the silent auction. The auction will include an assortment of goods and experiences donated by local businesses and individuals. Items include a ski package donated by Crows Feet... Full story
Farms and ranches around the country and right here in Central Oregon are diversifying their operations to offer opportunities for the public to experience what goes on at a working ranch or farm while providing additional income for ranchers and farmers. Agritourism is a way to add value to a farm/ranch without adding acreage. In Deschutes County, the term agritourism refers to a commercial enterprise at a working farm or ranch that is incidental and subordinate to the... Full story
As the last brittle leaves of fall skitter across the frozen ground, I stare out the window, lost in contemplation of my own journey, which finds me in the winter of my life. As an adult, late fall and early winter have usually prompted some feelings of loss and sadness for me. No more long, leisurely warm summer evenings at twilight. Waking up to darkness that returns by late afternoon. The end of the year is stuffed with holiday hype, full of commercials featuring smiling fa... Full story
For each fiscal year, July 1 to June 30, the City Council, with input from staff, adopts a set of goals to direct the work at City Hall for the coming year. The goals for 2022/23 cover seven specific areas including Livability and Growth, Wildfire Mitigation and Community Resiliency, Economic Development, Essential Infrastructure, Good Governance, Environmental Sustainability, and Urban Renewal Agency Goals. At halfway through the year, at least 16 of 23 specific projects are... Full story
Concerns about the pace and nature of growth in Sisters loom large as the City of Sisters works on its housing plan. At their November 17 meeting, the Planning Commission approved resolutions acknowledging the Sisters Housing Plan Update and the Efficiency Measures Report related to the updated Comprehensive Plan. Following those two approvals, the Planning Commission conducted a public hearing addressing proposed text amendments to Sisters Development Code to support the reco... Full story
Numerous complaints and accompanying photographs have arrived in The Nugget office, reporting on the dismaying condition of Sisters Recycle Center located on West Sisters Park Drive. People are using the location as an unofficial dump, leaving large quantities of discarded oil and other fluids, furniture, copious quantities of styrofoam packing materials, and just general junk that is not recyclable at the center. Public Works Director Paul Bertagna told The Nugget that, unfor... Full story
A small storm of rumor has been brewing in town regarding the possibility of Creekside Campground becoming a location for houseless camping this winter. According to Mayor Michael Preedin, “No one has currently come forward with a proposal to use the campground in the winter. No one on the City Council or City staff has made such a request.” At a town hall on houselessness in October, when responding to a hypothetical question about using the campground for a houseless cam... Full story
After a month of advertising the city manager opening in Sisters, screening applicants, narrowing the field to three finalists, and a week of panels, receptions, tours, and a final interview in front of the City Council, the Council decided not to offer the position to any one of the three candidates – Ron Tinseth, Keith Witcosky, or Simon Kim. The City will begin the process over again. Following the Council’s executive session on Friday morning, November 18, Mayor M... Full story
The 2023 Sisters City Council will see only one newcomer, Susan Cobb, who will take the seat vacated by retiring Council President Nancy Connolly, who has served for eight years. Gary Ross and Michael Preedin were reelected to serve for four years, and Cobb will serve for two. They join continuing Council members Andrea Blum and Jennifer Letz. Ross, who garnered 28 percent of the vote with 1,179 votes, said, “I want to thank the voters of Sisters for trusting me with their v... Full story
Citizens packed the hearing room at City Hall last week to register their opposition to the proposed development of Sunset Meadows by Woodhill Homes on Highway 242. At the first public hearing before the Planning Commission on October 20, it was standing room only and the hearing was continued to Thursday, November 3. There were over 60 people in attendance at Thursday’s meeting, with 17 people testifying. No one testified in favor of the development. Prior to last week’s mee... Full story
Sisters is home to many residents who moved here from other states. They, like some longtime Oregonians, may not be aware of or understand Oregon’s unique land-use planning program, which guides what Sisters can and cannot do when it comes to growth and development. Oregon’s land-use planning program was established to provide a balance of needs, including protecting farm and forest land, while also planning for organized urbanized growth. In 1973, then-Governor Tom McC... Full story
Two events scheduled for next week at City Hall on Wednesday and Thursday, November 16-17, will provide the opportunity for public input on decisions that will have long-lasting impacts on the Sisters community. The Sisters Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on Thursday, November 17, to consider Development Code text amendments that will alter density and height regulations, among other changes (see related story, below). The City is holding an in-person open... Full story
Changes to the City of Sisters Development Code that would allow for greater building density and residential building in commercial areas are on the table before the Sisters Planning Commission. Commissioners will conduct a public hearing on Thursday, November 17, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, regarding amendments to the code. The proposed changes reflect recommendations of the Sisters Housing Plan and Efficiency Measures Report. The requested text amendments would impact... Full story
Every year, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. For several years, Sisters artists organized by Kit Stafford have created artwork that is sold to raise money for Saving Grace of Central Oregon, which helps survivors of domestic and sexual violence to find safety and healing in their women’s shelter and support center in Bend. This year’s art, called the SHE Project, will be exhibited at Sisters Art Works in the Cindy and Duncan Campbell Gallery, 204 W. Adams Ave., be... Full story
The City of Sisters has the reputation of having a highly skilled, motivated paid staff that keeps things humming at City Hall and around town. Another asset in running the City is provided by volunteer boards, commissions, and committees who provide advice and review for, and collaboration with, the staff. Those entities include the five-member City Council made up of city residents who are elected by the citizens for either four- or two-year terms. The mayor is elected by... Full story
“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” is the common, heartfelt sentiment voiced by Sisters residents who receive free rides to nonemergency medical appointments in Sisters, Redmond, and Bend courtesy of Sisters Transportation and Ride Share (STARS). Volunteers drivers, dispatchers, and action team members for STARS were honored last Thursday at the first-ever STARS Volunteer Appreciation gathering. The organization is an “action team” under the umbrella of Age Friendly Si... Full story
The Sisters Fire Community Hall was packed to overflowing, with people spilling out the doorways, for the October 20 town hall forum “Houseless in Sisters.” Panel members, all of whom are engaged in providing services to those lacking stable housing, provided salient information, and one man spoke representative of those living in the forest. A suggestion, which has come up numerous times over the years, surfaced once again at last week’s meeting. Why not allow forest dwell... Full story
Council chambers at City Hall was packed last Thursday, October 20, for a Sisters Planning Commission public hearing on a proposed 12.92-acre residential development along the McKenzie Highway at the west end of Sisters. The hearing addressed a master planned development, tentative subdivision, and minor partition on the Sunset Meadows property located in the multifamily residential district (MFR).The heavily treed property is located along the north side of Highway 242 across... Full story
