Land exchange gets green light from city

A land exchange that would ultimately allow the expansion of the Best Western Ponderosa Lodge on 16 acres currently owned by the U.S. Forest Service has won the backing of the City of Sisters.

The Sisters City Council unanimously approved a resolution in support of the exchange between Crown Pacific a

nd the Forest Service at their April 10 meeting.

Motel owner Bill Reed testified at the meeting in favor of the exchange.

"The plan is that once (Crown Pacific) takes title, they would convey it to the Best Western, which is owned by my wife and myself," Reed said.

Reed said the Forest Service wanted to see city support for the plan before they went ahead.

In its resolution of support, the city cited the potential benefits to the community of having a large conference facilit

y and the additional room tax that would be generated by the new motel rooms.

Councilor Gordon Petrie offered a response to potential critics of the exchange.

"I realize that some people will be against this kind of use of Forest Service land," Petrie said. "I personally think this would be an excellent use of this piece of property."

Reed told The Nugget that the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce and the Sisters Rotary Club have also stated their support of the exchange

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

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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