News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 651 - 675 of 1025
Some businesses come and go in Sisters, but one long-time fixture, Sisters Drug, has simply moved. The familiar purveyor of all things pharmaceutical for over 43 years has undergone a few changes in recent years. The Pill Box organization, which owns five other pharmacies including Rice's Pharmacy and Gifts in Corvallis, purchased the Sisters pharmacy in 2008. As of May 29, the pharmacy moved from its familiar location in the building at the corner of East Cascade Avenue and... Full story
City Forester Dan Galecki, of Spindrift Forestry Consulting, has completed his inventory of all 2,900 trees located in City right-of-ways in Sisters. A few of those trees are dying and will have to come down. Each tree has been photographed, assigned a GPS location, and had its physical description and condition entered into an Excel file. The trees located in City parks will undergo the same scrutiny this summer. The trees in the downtown commercial zone were inventoried... Full story
At their May 17 meeting, Sisters Planning Commission voted 6-1 to recommend approval, with conditions, of the Transportation Safety Plan (TSP) update to Sisters City Council. The recently completed TSP update was undertaken to improve circulation on the east side of town, including improvement to the intersection of US20 and OR126. In the plan are recommendations for both near-term and long-range improvements. Members of the committee included representatives of all interested... Full story
No one knows what it is like to walk in another person's shoes. Nor will we ever know the inside workings of an individual or a family. Outward appearances and behaviors can often camouflage a life filled with pain, uncertainty, physical or mental ill-health, financial difficulties, or any number of other issues that reside within one's heart, soul, and mind. One of my sons, during a difficult period in his life, accused me of having no ability to understand his situation... Full story
News of several break-ins in the Sisters area has heightened community awareness that Sisters is no longer the sleepy little town where doors can be left unlocked. The first break-in occurred on February 27 near Fryrer Road and appeared to be an isolated incident. On May 5, a house off Holmes Road was entered when the occupants weren't at home. Six days later, on May 11, a break-in took place on Buckhorn Lane. The sheriff's office has not announced a connection among the... Full story
National Historic Preservation Month wraps up next week, and the final event scheduled in Sisters is happening during Fourth Friday Art Stroll this Friday, May 25, 4 to 7 p.m., at the historic Hardy Allen house at 401 E. Main Ave. The house, built in 1908, is the oldest remaining original Sisters structure and has been renovated by current owner Ali Mayea, who operates her Sisters HomeLand Realty out of the house. During the art stroll, the house will be displaying the work... Full story
Despite protest from the real estate community, the Sisters Planning Commission is recommending tighter regulation of short-term rentals in Sisters. Commissioners voted unanimously on May 17 to recommend the Sisters City Council approve Text Amendment #18-01, which covers a variety of topics within the Development Code. The amendment requiring the most time and receiving the most public attention dealt with Chapter 2.15.2700 Special Provisions - Vacation Rental Housing Units,... Full story
Keeping Sisters streets and public restrooms clean and landscaping maintained is the responsibility of a group of dedicated City employees who do their jobs seven days a week in the freezing cold of winter and the broiling heat of summer. This crew, part of the Public Works Department, consists of five field staff and one seasonal worker. Public Works Director Paul Bertagna hopes to add another full-time person next fiscal year. "The seasonal position is difficult to fill... Full story
The Sisters City Council approved adoption of new methodologies and rates for water and sewer system development charges (SDCs), effective May 10, that will recover the actual costs of providing the services. The City recently updated its water and sewer master plans, which provided an opportune time to update its SDCs. Water and sewer SDCs were last updated 11 years ago in 2007, and were based on a "plumbing fixture unit" basis, a cumbersome and inaccurate method usually... Full story
There is a true historic treasure just up the hill from Sisters and few people even know it is there. At FivePine Conference Center on Monday, May 14, at 7 p.m., Three Sisters Historical Society is hosting a presentation by the Friends of the Santiam Pass Ski Lodge on the restoration and re-opening of the lodge located at the summit of U.S. Highway 20, just 20 miles west of Sisters. The rustic lodge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939-40. The lodge is one of... Full story
One of the single most important volunteer positions in which a community member can serve is as a member of the Sisters Planning Commission. In June, two commission seats will be open, and one of those may be filled by a resident of Sisters Country, residing outside the city limits but within the school district boundary. "This is an important time for the Planning Commission in the city," said City Manager Brant Kucera. "There are critical land-use applications and... Full story
Todd Garrett, the new executive director for Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD), is passionate about the desert and the mountains, "where two beautiful landscapes collide." "I am truly smitten with Sisters," said the recent transplant from Montana. Garrett actually has an early connection to Oregon, having attended Fields school in Harney County, where his aunt was the teacher and he shared the classroom with several relatives. From Fields, he moved with his parents... Full story
• Deschutes County ballots must be received in the County Clerk's office or at Sisters City Hall by 8 p.m., May 15 in order to be counted. Postmarks don't count. Voter pamphlets and mail ballots should have been received two weeks ago. Be sure to turn over the ballot as there is a measure on the back to vote on. The Sisters School District local option levy; a local option levy for SPRD and the Deschutes County Commissioners' primary are all on the ballot. •... Full story
When word of the mass shooting of students in Parkland, Florida hit the news, Lisa Clausen experienced the all-too-familiar anger and frustration aroused by earlier shootings. "It is unimaginable to me that we can have 5- and 6-year-old first-graders slaughtered in their classroom and do nothing about it... This time feels different, primarily because there are some very strong and articulate students who have been personally impacted by gun violence that are raising their... Full story
The need for affordable, convenient transportation and some type of community hub rose to the top of the wish list created by 130 people who gathered last week to discuss creating an age-friendly community in Sisters. With 27 percent of Sisters in-city residents aged 65 and older, affordable housing for aging adults will continue to be an issue as well. In Central Oregon between 2010-2016, the population of residents 65 and older increased 58 percent, two times the growth... Full story
Major changes are on the table in the way Sisters treats short-term rentals. The Planning Commission held their final review of the proposed Short-Term Rental (STR) regulations at their April 18 workshop. The changes to the former Vacation Rental Development Code are comprehensive and extensive in scope. Commissioners indicated that, despite testimony against short-term rentals at the last City Council meeting, the Planning Commission has received no direction from the City... Full story
Another roundabout is in Sisters future, along with other plans to improve traffic flow and transportation in and through town. Eighteen months worth of work on the City's Transportation Plan (TSP) refinement is drawing to a close. The Sisters Planning Commission reviewed the revised text and project maps at their April 19 workshop. Four specific issues have been the focus in this refinement process: • Circulation on the east side of town, including Highway 20/126... Full story
Fifteen Build Oregon participants came to Central Oregon last week to help build Sisters Habitat for Humanity homes and spend time getting to know Bear and Mary Gray and Becky Conner, on whose homes they worked. "Participants also raised funds to support Habitat for Humanity of Oregon's statewide training and advocacy efforts and help fund a Habitat home in Sisters," reported Sharlene Weed, Sisters Habitat executive director. Build Oregon started Thursday evening with a... Full story
Developer Peter Hall appeared before the Sisters Planning Commission last week with what he said is the last request for an amendment to the original ClearPine subdivision plan. Hall's application was for the subdivision of an approximately 10.02-acre parcel within the ClearPine subdivision to create 34 single-family detached lots and 24 single-family attached townhome lots. The site already had tentative subdivision approval for 33 single-family lots and an... Full story
"The afternoon of life is just as full of meaning as the morning; only, its meaning and purpose are different." ~ Carl Jung ~ No news here. People are living longer and the number of older people continues to grow. People are saying that 70 is the new 60 as retirees remain active and engaged. It's time to reframe our perception of aging and overcome long-standing bias about being "over the hill." That is where "purposeful aging" comes in. From our first breath we are on the... Full story
The Senior Alliance of Sisters is convening a facilitated Community Conversation, including a free light supper, on April 25 at the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire District Community Hall at 301 S. Elm St. The community will have an opportunity to learn about and weigh in on issues around the effort to make Sisters an age-friendly community (AFC). The dinner, sponsored by Ray's Food Place and Sisters Coffee Co., will be served from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., followed by group discussi... Full story
Sisters' next park will not contain play equipment or picnic tables. It will be a natural-habitat environment, featuring native plants, mountain views and, hopefully, butterflies. At their April 4 meeting, members of the City Parks Advisory Board (CPAB) voted unanimously to approve the development of the newest city park as a restoration garden. The plot will serve as a demonstration garden for native plants and xeric (low-water) landscaping, while providing nectar-rich... Full story
Renowned Western author, historian, and storyteller Rick Steber will close out the free Fireside Stories series sponsored by the Three Sisters Historical Society on Tuesday, April 17 at FivePine Conference Center. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the program begins at 7 p.m. Steber will present his "Wandering the Native American Trail," sharing stories about Native Americans including Jackson Sundown, who was featured in Steber's "Red White Black." Sundown was born... Full story
• Senator Jeff Merkely will host a Town Hall at the Sisters High School auditorium on Wednesday, April 4, at 11 a.m. • The City Council is continuing deliberation on a draft noise ordinance that would spell out in much greater detail the who, what, where, when, and how of requirements, variances, measuring of noise levels, and enforcement of the code. It was apparent at their last workshop that councilors are of various opinions, just as are the... Full story
The Sisters Country Horizons project is progressing on schedule, according to Steve Ames and Ruth Williamson, of NXT Consulting, in their report to Sisters City Council last week. The project is expected to result in a long-term vision for the community, with shorter-term action plans, Already some major themes are beginning to emerge as the community leaders' interviews (75 to date) wrap up and more than 140 online surveys begin to collect, the consultants reported. The... Full story
