News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 1034
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
Jackson Dumanch, the City’s new public works project coordinator, is a young man with a firm handshake, who looks you in the eye when you meet him. Before taking his new job, he worked as a utility technician for the City of Sisters Public Works Department for 2.5 years, where he was a certified playground safety inspector in addition to his many other duties. “The Public Works crew is amazing. I always felt welcome, and they helped me learn and gain so much exp... Full story
A traffic safety improvement in downtown Sisters will be in effect starting Thursday, October 20. Watch for a new four-way stop at the intersection of East Main Avenue and North Larch Street. The need for a four-way stop at the Larch-Main intersection was identified in the Sisters 2021 Traffic Safety Audit conducted by the City’s traffic engineer, including a traffic count to determine trip numbers from all four directions. Public Works Director Paul Bertagna said the i... Full story
In December 2016, at the beginning of what proved to be an especially harsh winter, an unhoused man named Ed Fones died in his car of hypothermia. Fones was employed in Sisters, but couldn’t afford to pay rent, so lived in his car. At the time of this tragedy, a dedicated group of community members was already in the process of establishing Sisters’ first cold weather Shelter, led by co-chairs Pastor Ron Gregg of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church and Lois Kaping of Wes... Full story
High rental housing costs, low inventory of affordable homes, and climbing inflation conspire to keep a certain percentage of Sisters residents from having stable permanent housing, even if they have full-time employment. On Thursday evening, October 20, Citizens4Community and The Nugget Newspaper are co-sponsoring a community forum at the Sisters Fire Hall Community Room at 301 S. Elm St. and the public is invited. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the program begins at 6 p.m. Six... Full story
Hearing from three of the four candidates running for Sisters City Council at last week’s candidate forum, it is evident there is considerable agreement among them as to what the important issues are on Council’s radar. There are four candidates running for three positions: incumbents Michael Preedin and Gary Ross, and two new candidates, Sarah McDougall and Susan Cobb. The two top vote getters will serve four years, the third will serve two. Mayor Preedin was unable to par... Full story
Students from the University of Oregon Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP) visited Sisters on Friday, October 7, to meet with City staff and personnel from the Sisters School District (SSD) and Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD). They toured the school district administration building and the elementary school with Superintendent Curtis Scholl to get an initial overview of the facilities. They also walked around town to observe traffic, sidewalks, parks, paths,... Full story
Sisters residents in Precinct 30 will see a City-referred measure on their November 8 general election ballot asking if voters approve several proposed amendments to the municipal Charter. The individual proposed Charter amendments will not be listed on the ballot, but a description of them is available on the City of Sisters website (www.ci.sisters.or.us) and at City Hall. Reviewing and updating the City Charter was listed under Good Governance in the FY 2021/22 City Council... Full story
The last remnants of proposed development in Camp Sherman is slowly — and tentatively — moving forward. The Ponderosa Land and Cattle Company is the holder of 17,000 acres located north of Highway 20 and several miles east of Camp Sherman and the Metolius River. The property was purchased by the Colson family in about 2007 from Weyerhaeuser when they were divesting themselves of holdings in Central Oregon. About the same time, Dutch Pacific Resources purchased 647... Full story
After more than three years as the program manager for the City’s Public Works Department, Troy Rayburn left Sisters as of September 30 for a position as city administrator in White Salmon, Washington. Rayburn grew up in The Dalles, and has family in Hood River, so he will be returning to his home turf in the Columbia Gorge. While in college, he served as a summer intern for the city manager in The Dalles, which influenced his educational choices. He graduated from Oregon S... Full story
After 17 years of trying to build an “eco-resort” somewhere in Oregon, Camp Sherman resident Shane Lundgren and his partner Jim Kean, of Dutch Pacific Resources, are suing the state of Oregon for $30 million. They claim the state has not lived up to their agreement that the partners had pre-approved development rights to build their eco-resort elsewhere in the state, outside the Metolius Basin. The case was filed in the Circuit Court of Jefferson County, which originally app... Full story
A handsome new cedar split-rail fence runs along the top of the bank adjacent to Whychus Creek in Creekside Park. Shortly, a matching fence will be installed on the other side of the creek in the Creekside Campground. The cedar fence material was provided by Hoyt’s Hardware & Building Supply. The installation is being done by a work crew of high school students from the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council’s alternative education program (see sidebar). The fences are par... Full story
Sisters residents will have the opportunity to hear from the candidates for Sisters City Council in person at the Sisters Fire Station Community Hall. The City Club of Central Oregon (CCCO) and the League of Women Voters of Deschutes County (LWVDC) have partnered to bring Deschutes County voters a series of in-person candidate forums for positions on the general election ballot. The Sisters forum on Wednesday, October 5, at 6:30 p.m., will be the first one. The purpose of the... Full story
In the next 20 years, the population within Sisters’ city limits is forecast to be double in size, from about 3,400 residents today to over 7,000 by 2042. To prepare for that projected growth, the City Council, the Planning Commission, and City staff have been working with the consulting firm of APG-MIG to develop housing and growth management strategies. Since early 2022, work has been ongoing on drafting information to support the state-required Housing Plan Update and E... Full story
Explore Sisters will provide destination management services for Sisters — their mission being to support and lead tourism promotion, development, and stewardship. A contract approved by the Sisters City Council formalized the allocation of $350,000 of transient lodging tax (TLT) funds for tourism promotion and destination management services. Each year, the City will compensate Explore Sisters with a portion of the TLTs that the City assesses pursuant to Oregon State... Full story
People new to Sisters Country, or those visiting, often come from larger urban areas. They are understandably enchanted by local wildlife, particularly our town deer. The urge to feed wildlife can be tempting, and it seems like a caring thing to do. Wildlife experts have been trying for years to get people not to feed deer and other wildlife. They don’t need food from humans to survive. Human food is not healthy for wild animals, and can make them sick. Wild animals have speci... Full story
There’s nothing like attending a 60th high school reunion to promote reflecting on my memories of the past, which are brimming with fun and laughter, satisfying achievements, and yes, some teenage heartbreak that never lasted for long. I am very fortunate to still count as some of my best friends people who shared those teenage years with me. Whenever we talk on the phone, or, more rarely, see each other in person, there has been no passage of time. We are again who we’ve alw... Full story
