News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 426 - 450 of 1025
On May 7, Sisters lost a 130-year-old healthy ponderosa pine tree, measuring 100 feet tall with a diameter of 39 inches. It had been here since before Sisters was settled. The tree stood in the City-owned right-of-way on South Larch Street and, therefore, was the property of the City of Sisters. The adjacent property owner had previously approached the City about removing the tree because the needles were dropping into his yard. The permission from the City was denied. The... Full story
The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a bright and broad light on how much the average American relies on the internet. The gap between who has access to the internet and who doesn’t has been highlighted. “The COVID-19 crisis has revealed that Americans everywhere need universal, reliable, affordable, and high-speed internet to do their jobs and participate equally in remote school learning,” said Sally Jewell, former Interior Secretary under President Obama. “Thirty-nine percent... Full story
Editor’s note: In 2020 America, Internet connectivity is as vital a piece of infrastructure for many folks as roads and electricity. This is the first in a series of articles about Internet services in Sisters. The current COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the public consciousness a number of inequities that exist in the America of today. One of those is the “digital divide” that exists between large urban areas of the U.S. and smaller rural towns, farms and ranches, India... Full story
•?Five Sisters residents have filed as candidates to be on the November general election ballot for three positions on the Sisters City Council. Councilors whose terms expire this year include Chuck Ryan, Andrea Blum, and Richard Esterman. The five candidates for three positions are: Gary Ross; Elizabeth Fisher; incumbent Andrea Blum; Susan Cobb; and Jennifer Letz. •?City councilors approved a purchase agreement between Sisters School District and the City of... Full story
Time was — and not that many years ago — that everyone in Sisters knew everyone else. Many of them were related by birth and/or marriage, making early family trees sometimes difficult to follow. Many shared common first names like George, Sarah, and John, providing more confusion. One of the goals of the Three Sisters Historical Society and the new Sisters History Museum, is to bring those relationships off the paper and to life through stories, photos, family... Full story
• City staff has shared with Council their draft version of a resolution rejecting hateful acts in our community and welcoming, serving, and protecting residents and visitors without regard to race, origin, religion, income, gender, sexual orientation, or immigration status. Council made a few suggestions for the wording and directed staff to place the resolution on the August 26 regular meeting agenda for consideration for adoption. • An AmeriCorps intern will be... Full story
Accessibility improvements to the Creekside Park Bridge will be completed by the end of 2020. The bridge improvements include ADA-accessible ramps (Americans with Disabilities Act) on either side leading up to the bridge, with decorative railings and the addition of viewing bump-outs along each side of the bridge. Following a design review by the Parks Advisory Board, the board recommended to Council that the Option B design be approved, allowing the City to save some funds... Full story
The City of Sisters, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and the Sisters School District (SSD) are working together to make the proposed Highway 20/Locust roundabout a reality. The eventual construction of the roundabout will require a right-of-way acquisition from the Sisters School District for land at the grade school that is the current site of two tennis courts. The City of Sisters is already working in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Transportation... Full story
Sisters’ new deputies aren’t on the job yet — but the community is already seeing a greater law enforcement presence. The new law enforcement contract between the City and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) went into effect July 1, 2020. When fully in force, the contract calls for a permanent supervising lieutenant and three full-time deputies. The DCSO is currently training new replacement deputies to fill the current positions to be vacated by the three more-... Full story
The Peterson Ridge Trail, which now has a new trailhead (see related story) has become one of the signature recreational amenities of Sisters. Its creation was a true grassroots effort. Beginning in 1987, Eurosports owner Brad Boyd and a few friends created the first “lollipop” section of a trail out into the Deschutes National Forest, south of town. Two years later in 1989 it was ready for use. The trail went out into the forest, made a loop at the end, and returned alo... Full story
Peterson Ridge Trail, a popular destination for cyclists, hikers and runners across the Pacific Northwest, has a new trailhead. It took a concerted collaborative effort to get a project approved, funded, designed, and to build the new 25-space parking lot with restrooms and a soon-to-be-completed kiosk for trail information and maps. The old trailhead, located on the south side of Sisters off Elm Street and Tyee Drive, has for a long time been inadequate to keep up with the... Full story
There is a weed among us, and we need to be on the lookout for it because, left to its own devices, it will take over our fields, gardens, public rights-of way, and stream beds. Knapweed (Centaurea maculosa) fools some people because it looks like a wildflower — but “wild” is the operative word. When the flowers of the weed are through blooming, which is about this time of the summer, they form fluffy white seed heads that blow in the wind, leading to approximately five... Full story
The City Council granted a nine percent rate increase requested by Republic Services, the garbage and recycling company servicing residential and commercial accounts in Sisters. The new rates reflect increased costs associated with providing solid waste service, such as wages, disposal/recycling fees, and maintenance. The increase covers the true cost of recycling, general operating costs, and an acceptable margin for Republic. For residential customers, the monthly increases... Full story
• Following numerous complaints from residents in the city who live in the vicinity of the City’s Public Works headquarters at the south end of Locust Street, the garbage trucks will no longer be traveling on Locust to access the City property. Republic Services has moved yard waste disposal to the Fryrear Transfer Station. • A reminder from the City regarding recreational vehicle parking in town: RVs may only be parked in designated signed areas within the City, w... Full story
Mention the 80-acre Forest Service property to a Sisters resident and they will share their idea of what would be a good use of that property. It has been a topic of conversation in town for years, ever since the Forest Service announced plans to sell it and build a new headquarters. At long last, and after a number of changes in the condition of sale, the property was divided into three parcels, two of which have sold or are under contract. The southern 14 acres, known as... Full story
The Sisters Cold Weather Shelter is yet another victim of the coronavirus pandemic. Local churches that have offered space for the shelter for the past four winters are unable to open their doors to offer shelter to those in the community who are unhoused. Two of the churches have congregations with a large percentage of older members, one of the high-risk populations. Another may be involved in a remodel project of the space the shelter normally uses. WellHouse Church... Full story
The new five-year law enforcement contract between the City of Sisters and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) took effect on July 1. Current Public Information Officer (PIO) for the DCSO, William Bailey, was just promoted from the rank of sergeant to lieutenant and has assumed a six-month assignment as the interim lieutenant in charge of the Sisters office. He will be working with DCSO and City Manager Cory Misley to get the substation remodeled and running at f... Full story
On the morning of July 4, the road in Tollgate was awash with red, white, and blue everywhere — from VFW flag-bearer Earl Schroeder leading the parade in his shorts and straw hat, to others’ hats, shirts, bicycle helmets, face masks, and dozens of flags. Dogs of every size and breed were festooned in colorful scarves and ruffs in the spirit of the day. When Tollgate resident John Barkley’s 1957 Chevy nostalgia race car roared to life, sporting a patriotic red, whi... Full story
From the day I sold my home in Kirkland over 16 years ago, in preparation for moving to Sisters, most areas of my life have fallen nicely into place. I was lulled into a false sense of maintaining this charmed life. All was smooth sailing — until one morning last October when a simple dog-walking jaunt resulted in a fairly serious fall, amazingly resulting in only a broken nose. My nose quickly healed, the bruising subsided, and life went on as usual, for two months... Full story
The City will soon have the services of an AmeriCorps intern for 11 months, starting in September. The person filling the position will be part of the Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) federal program administered through the University of Oregon. According to City Manager Cory Misley, who served as a RARE intern while in school, they will be interviewing possible candidates to find the person who best fits the areas in which they will be working —... Full story
Some of the major projects in town have utilized funds from a local government entity perhaps not well known or understood by a majority of Sisters residents: the Urban Renewal Agency (URA) established in 2003. Projects include the Cascade Avenue improvements, the Village Green restrooms, the creation of Fir Street Park, and small-business improvement grants. The URA is a legally separate entity from the City of Sisters, with the Sisters City Council serving as its board of... Full story
The Sisters City Council is keeping core City services and essential infrastructure at the forefront in goals and a budget adopted in challenging times. The Council adopted Fiscal Year 2020/21 goals on March 11, which guided the creation of the 2020/21 City budget. Due to the current effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local economy, no one can confidently predict what the economy will look like over the next fiscal year and beyond. “The City is well positioned to weather... Full story
The ClearPine subdivision in the northeast corner of Sisters, site of the original Lundgren pine lumber mill, has been involved in 15 different City decisions, land-use approvals, applications and modifications over the past 13 years. The latest modification application submitted by ClearPine developer Peter Hall and 3 Sisters Partners was approved, with conditions, by the Sisters City Council at their June 10 meeting. The application hearing had been continued from the May... Full story
In last year’s Sisters Country Vision project, one of the most important elements identified that residents care about is maintaining the livability of Sisters Country as the population increases. Currently, a group of neighbors think they have found a way to encourage creating, maintaining, and deepening the sense of community that makes Sisters such a special place — growth or not. While we’ve all been sequestered in our homes due to COVID-19, these community bui... Full story
MidOregon Credit Union is preparing for a move across town to a site between N. Arrowleaf Trail and Highway 20, across from the Ray’s Food Place parking lot. The Planning Commission, with a vote of 5-2, approved a review of MidOregon’s site plan and conditional use request for a 3,206-square-foot building with a drive-through and supporting infrastructure, as well as a shared 23-space parking lot. The property is 0.78 of an acre and is currently vacant. The site and sur... Full story
