News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
It's been almost two years since the bowling alley on Adams Street was donated to the City of Sisters for a new city hall. It may be a long time yet before the city can move in.
According to City Administrator Barbara Warren, no completion date for the plans has been given, although she said the plans are finished except for some electrical work.
"I would bet we'd have them some time in the next two weeks," Warren said.
"Once the plans come back from the engineer and we're ready to go out for bid, the council will have to make a decision how to pay for this remodel," she said.
According to Warren, the engineer has given a rough cost estimate for the remodel at $40-$50 per square foot for the 9,200 square foot building. At that rate, the project could run from $368,000 to $460,000.
Warren said that the city had hoped to pay for the remodel by selling the current city hall building, which was appraised in March, 1994 at $190,000.
According to Warren, if the city decides to go forward with the project, the cost difference will have to be made up with grant money, a bond issue or a public or private loan.
If the council decides that the remodel project cannot be funded as it is designed, the project will go back to the drawing board -- literally -- for a new, less costly design.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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