News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The plans to build a community center at Sisters High School were derailed Tuesday, April 7, when the city council declined to apply for a $600,000 grant to fund the project.
The council voted 3-2 not to apply for the Community Development Block Grant. The majority expressed concern that the City of Sisters could be stuck with a $600,000 liability if the project failed within five years.
If that happened and the center was located on school property, the city would own the building, but not the ground underneath it.
The community center committee, led by Carole C.B. Davis and Lorri Craig, told the council that the school district had expressed a willingness to buy the building under those circumstances, but there was no official confirmation of that intent.
"Eight hundred people and the businesses in town potentially have a $600,000 liability," Councilor Gordon Petrie said. "To me, that's not sharing liability."
Mayor Steve Wilson, who cast the deciding vote, also had concerns about exposing the city to a potential financial burden.
"Your only ability to reduce your risk is to be able to liquidate," Wilson said. "I see failed wonderful projects. If I don't have the ability to liquidate, I get very nervous."
The community center vote was given urgency by a looming application deadline of April 10. The council continued an emergency public hearing on the matter from April 1 to April 7.
Liability was not the only concern raised by the council. Councilor Tim Clasen maintained his position that a community center should be inside the town. He said that he had talked to representatives of some of the groups the center was supposed to serve, and they indicated they would rather be located in the City of Sisters.
Councilor Sheryl Whent dissented. Though she said her preference is for an in-town center, she supported the school site if that was more suitable.
"I don't think any of those groups would have a problem going out there if that was the only location," Whent said.
The council did say they were willing to support a technical assistance grant to further study the structure and location of a community center. Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce manager Stephen Shunk indicated that the chamber would be interested in applying for the grant.
Members of the community center committee, however, say they are through with the project.
"Right now, we've done all we can do, we don't know what we can do," Davis told The Nugget. "We would not go any further with this. We'll be available to help anyone else (who takes up the project)."
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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