News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 108
A rescue helicopter heads for Brent McGregor's position on Mount Jefferson. McGregor broke his leg while descending the peak and spent a cold night on the slopes. photo provided Life on the edge is not without its risks. Those risks hit home for Sisters mountain climber Brent McGregor on Sunday, April 25. The 51-year-old adventurer broke his leg 7,900 feet up Mount Jefferson in freezing weather. McGregor, with the help of his climbing partner, Tom Herron, 41, summited the second highest mountain in Oregon (10,495 feet) and... Full story
The debate continues about how many homes should fit on an acre in Sisters. Meanwhile, new construction continues. photo by Jim Cornelius After months of debate, members of the Sisters City Council signaled at a Thursday, April 29, workshop that they will finally pass a controversial ordinance which will shape residential density in Sisters. The councilors signaled their intention to pass Ordinance 348, which amends the development code to require developers to build four to eight units per gross acre in new residential... Full story
And 4,688 by 2025? photo by Jim Cornelius If it's wrong, prove it. That's the defense the City of Sisters is mounting against a challenge of its most recent population forecast. City officials will present that defense to the Deschutes County Commissioners at a public hearing on May 13. The forecast, which was configured by city planners, is their "best educated guess," said Brian Rankin, city planner. But that guess was configured meticulously, thoroughly, and over a painfully long three years, Rankin said. The city... Full story
After months of brainstorming, it's not getting easier for citizens and city officials to design a couplet alternative that will not close off access to Cascade Avenue -- and will still win state approval. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) challenged plans from the city's consultant, CTS Engineers, and the citizen's Couplet Advisory Committee (CAC), in February. The plans were to relieve traffic congestion from Cascade Avenue by building a westbound Hood Avenue and an eastbound Main Avenue and making them the... Full story
A controversial ordinance that would require developers to build four to eight housing units per gross acre in new residential zones in Sisters -- instead of six to seven units -- made it to the table again at last Thursday's Sisters City Council meeting. Once again, though, a decision was delayed indefinitely. The proposed amendment to Ordinance 324 of the Sisters Development Code received sharp criticism at a March city council meeting. The visitors at that meeting said they wanted the council to approve a density of two... Full story
Concerned residents expressed relief at the Sisters City Council's decision to table a controversial ordinance on Thursday, April 22. The ordinance would have amended the Sisters Development Code to require developers to build new subdivisions with a density of four to eight units per gross acre. Currently developers must submit to the existing development code, which was approved in June 2001, and requires six to seven units per gross acre. Councilors agreed that six to seven units per gross acre is a tight restriction, whic... Full story
One hundred forty nine acres of Deschutes National Forest land burned in the B&B Complex Fire last summer is being salvaged starting this week. The Sisters Ranger District signed a contract Thursday, April 22, to sell 1.2 million board feet of trees to a logging company. The sale area, called "Lower Jack," is located 13 miles northwest of Sisters, between Forest Service road 1230 and the Metolius River. The contract is with Brewer and Brewer Inc. of Fall Creek, Oregon. The company purchased the dead and severely burned trees... Full story
Intense emotions charged the air Monday night, April 19, as Deschutes County Sheriff Les Stiles campaigned for a tax increase for his department at a town hall meeting in Sisters. In the middle of the meeting, Sheriff Stiles asked which of the six deputies in the room received letters indicating they will be laid off if the sheriff's levy does not pass in May. Four deputies raised their hands. Mark Eggert, a deputy for the Sisters Sheriff's department, who has a wife, a house mortgage, and three kids between ages eight and... Full story
When the newly-appointed budget committee looked at the first draft of the proposed city budget on Thursday, April 8, there was some concern over the costs to build a new City Hall. The $12.71 million budget is an approximate 27 percent increase from last year's $9.9 million budget. Eileen Stein, city manager, said she had not determined the specific reasons for the increase, but said it may be partly due to new grants and a "conservative" estimate for the expenses to build the new City Hall. The city budgeted $1.2 million... Full story
The "Y" intersection will be replaced by this new configuration. map courtesy of ODOT Click for larger image The "Y" intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 242 will soon be safer, according to officials from the Oregon Department of Transportation. Construction workers broke ground on Monday, April 4, to begin construction of the Sisters Intersection West Project, which will reconfigure the intersection. The $565,300 project is slated for completion on June 30. The new alignment will allow eastbound traffic on Highway 20 to... Full story
Two land-use watchdog groups are set to appeal the Sisters Comprehensive Plan to the state Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA), arguing that its population forecast is too high and that it will bring too many acres of farm land into the city's Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). To accommodate expected population growth, the city will add 134 acres to the existing 1,124 acres in the Urban Growth Boundary, according to the plan. Paul Dewey, an attorney, filed a notice of intent to appeal the Sisters Comprehensive Plan. The notice was... Full story
Low-income housing programs in Sisters are in full swing. Cyndy Cook, executive director of the Central Oregon Regional Housing Authority (COHRA), updated the Sisters City Council in a workshop Thursday, March 25, on three financial assistance efforts: low-income housing, a family self-sufficiency program, and a housing choice voucher program. Cook said Tamarack Village Apartments on Larch Street -- the first housing in Sisters with income-based rent -- has all 33 of its units filled. Tamarack Village opened in September... Full story
Ardent residents packed Sisters City Hall on Thursday, March 25, to voice their desires for future residential development in the City of Sisters. The Sisters City Council was considering an amendment to the Sisters Development Code (Ordinance 348). Two people encouraged the council to modify the amendment to better accommodate affordable housing. About eight other speakers asked the council to modify the amendment to allow for lower density and larger lot sizes. The councilors decided to delay action on Ordinance 348, which... Full story
While some locals argue for more smaller lot sizes to make housing more affordable in Sisters, others turned out at City Hall on Thursday, March 25, to voice their desire to keep Sisters a beautiful retirement community, with large lots and low density. The visitors implored the Sisters City Council to modify a proposed amendment to the Sisters Development Code (Ordinance 348). The proposed amendment would require developers building new residential subdivisions to develop four to eight houses per gross acre. But residents... Full story
Kevin McCormick, Colleen Dougherty and Toia Nolan raced at Hoodoo Ski Area. photo by Zach Welcker Sharon Sparrow's mother lost both of her legs in an accident last year. After that, Sharon learned to ski. Sparrow, a Sisters resident, said her mother used to hike and jog -- and now she can't enjoy those privileges. But she is an inspiration to her daughter, who now that she has learned to ski, volunteers her time at Hoodoo Ski Area each weekend to help people with mental and physical disabilities to ski. On Saturday, she... Full story
Delaying a hefty sewer connection fee payment might turn out to be an advantage for the Sisters School District. After meeting with the school district to ask it to pay up on an overdue invoice, city officials discovered the city might need to reimburse the district some money. Neil Thompson, city planner, said the city might reimburse the district for the money it spent to connect the new high school to the sewer last summer. At the very least, the city will charge the district 40 percent less than the $210,000 Systems... Full story
Frank Fraga, pastor of Trinity Christian Center. photo by Torri Barco High sewer connection fees could force a local church to close its doors. The pastor of Trinity Christian Center told the City of Sisters he would have to close down his church and leave town if city officials require the church to pay thousands of dollars in sewer connection and water fees. Gary Frazee, public works director, estimated the church will have to pay about $18,000 in total water and sewer fees. After evaluating his situation, as well as that... Full story
The City of Sisters is encouraging commercial development by changing its parking requirements. The Sisters City Council voted unanimously on Thursday, March 11, to amend the vehicle parking standards in the city's development code. The amendment will allow developers to create more parking spaces off of their property and therefore get more land for their money, said Neil Thompson, city planner. The amendment dropped a commercial developer's onsite parking requirements to 30 percent from 70 percent. So, when a property... Full story
Providing affordable housing in Sisters is a high priority in a redrafted Sisters Comprehensive Plan, which was adopted by the city council last month. Carolyn Gabrielson, a member of the Sisters Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors, praised Goal 10 of the plan, which outlines how the city will provide for housing needs. "In terms of affordable housing, it makes substantial steps forward because it takes the long view," Gabrielson said. "It provides for residents with incomes of all levels. The commercial market does not... Full story
Some people in Sisters are still asking city officials for a bypass, complaining they don't want highway traffic diverted to downtown's Hood and Main Avenues. They are afraid heavy truck traffic will ruin the downtown ambiance and deter pedestrian customers. But City Planner Neil Thompson says a bypass is not an option. The job of the Couplet Advisory Committee is to make the best of the options they have -- which has steered the city toward a couplet (see story, page 1). The 20-person committee meets monthly to design plans... Full story
Relieved and happy after long years of toil, city councilors clapped their hands on Thursday, February 26, after voting unanimously to adopt a thorough redrafting of the Sisters Urban Area Comprehensive Plan. City planners Neil Thompson and Brian Rankin breathed sighs of relief and exhilaration. Ten years of labor brought forth a thick document that outlines the city's goals for urban development, citizen involvement and public policies. The comprehensive plan was last updated in 1979. "I'm thrilled and want to congratulate... Full story
When the school district hooked up a sewer line at the new middle school last summer, it allegedly didn't pay the required $115,000 of connection fees. It still hasn't, and the City of Sisters is not happy about it. "They hooked up without paying anything," said councilor Lon Kellstrom in a city council workshop on Thursday, February 26. "How did that happen? No one got away with that. The issue of them going ahead without approval -- that mystifies me how we didn't catch that. It is 115,000 bucks. I'm looking at us eating $1... Full story
A vote on a new sheriff's levy will determine whether deputies keep working. photo by Jim Cornelius Deschutes County Sheriff Les Stiles is pushing hard to pass a three-year levy which will increase taxes for city and rural residents. Sheriff Stiles is speaking to civic and neighborhood groups and plans to go door to door at the end of April. His message: If the levy is not passed, the department will lose $12 million and lay off at least 112 employees. Already, the staff has been reduced to 171 full-time employees from 199... Full story
Several Sisters residents, churches and outlying commercial sites remain unconnected to the municipal sewer system. The Sisters City Council will meet in a workshop on Thursday, March 4, at 8 a.m. to discuss how to respond to property owners who have not connected to the sewer system. The property owners include several private residents, as well as Barclay Contractors, Sisters Mobile Home Park, Trinity Christian Center and Sisters Community Church. Some property owners, such as Trinity Christian Church, say the connection... Full story
Plans to build a Hood/Main Avenue couplet are on hold due to concerns from the Oregon Department of Transportation. The proposals for the couplet alignments do not meet highway standards, ODOT officials told the city. ODOT officials told city staff and members of the Couplet Advisory Committee that the proposed sharp right hand turn needed to get from the westbound Highway 20 to Main Avenue would not comply with state and federal regulations for a highway. The Couplet Advisory Committee has been meeting since October to... Full story
