Letters, letters, letters

To the Editor:

In an article titled "Authorities close Green Ridge Road" in last week's Nugget, the following statement (by Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff Dave Blann) appeared in reference to the closure of Road 11:

"Also, there were nine search and rescue operations on Green Ridge last winter by the Hasty Search and Rescue Team. We would like to keep these people, who are volunteers, at home with their families, wherever possible, rather that out on a rescue mission."

As the coordinator for Jefferson County's Camp Sherman Hasty Team, it is important to me and for the credibility of our team that the people of Camp Sherman and Sisters know that I was not a party to the decision process to close the Green Ridge road.

It was unfortunate that the article's quote about the Hasty Team reflects upon our operation in a manner that, to some, may imply that we are unwilling to rescue folks who get their vehicles stuck in the snow.

Please be assured that our interest as search and rescue volunteers continues to be that of assistance to others, regardless of the hour, regardless of the weather condition, and regardless of the event(s) which led to that call for help.

Citizens should also be assured that the Camp Sherman team is not an enforcement agency; therefore, we do not cite people for violations.

Mark Foster

Jefferson County SAR, Camp Sherman

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To the Editor:

The article in the October 27 Nugget stated the percent of Sisters residents with low-to-moderate incomes has reduced from 60 to 51 over the past two and a half years due to recent in-town residential building.

This should be an eye opener to those Sisters area residents who already cannot afford to buy or rent property in this area. The fact that this change is already impacting Sisters in jeopardizing the sewer grant funding is just the beginning.

When are we going to give affordable single-family and multi-unit housing a higher priority? I've heard all the arguments - we don't need affordable housing; more multi-unit rental housing will create slums, is a haven for crime and will attract the "wrong kind of people" to our community.

If that is your opinion, you need to wake up and look around you. Next time you go into a store in Sisters, stop at a gas station, pick up your children from school or eat in one of our restaurants, ask yourself "Can these employees find housing in this community?"

These are the people who make up the low-to-moderate income statistics. Should we force these important people and their families to move away because they cannot afford to live here?

Affordable housing does not have to negatively impact our community. It can look good, it does not have to reduce the property values of surrounding property, and rental properties can be well managed to maintain high standards. Other growing cities have successfully included affordable housing in their planning and have found it benefits all of the community - residents and businesses alike.

We need to address it now, because buildable land is disappearing fast. Recent city studies project all buildable land within the city will be gone in eight years.

Why are the subdivisions currently under construction not including single-family or multi-unit affordable housing? Do you care about the future of Sisters?

Ronni Duff

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To the Editor:

Hurrah, Mr. Jim Anderson! I applaud your recent Nugget column "Please, do not feed the wildlife!" and those letters to the editor that followed.

It is with much dismay I witness neighbors feeding deer every day. The thrill of enjoying the wildlife has been dampened by the ever-increasing domestication of our local deer population.

Choosing to live in a forest setting, it is important to be willing to tolerate the occasional damage that can be caused by a variety of wildlife. However, it is unnerving to suffer constant damage because the deer are simply meandering around waiting to be fed.

Not only is this practice harmful to and for the deer, it is unfair to condition them to come to your yard every day knowing they will most certainly cause serious damage to all of your immediate neighbors' yards while waiting for their handout.

I suppose if I took to feeding the coyotes and conditioning them to come to my yard every day, it would not be well received by neighbors who have small pets.

Jackie Lachapelle

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To the Editor:

Once again the Sisters Library Halloween Parade was a huge success.

A very special thank you goes to all participating Sisters merchants, the Sisters Rotary Club volunteers, SOAR kids and staff and the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office.

This year we had over 300 children and 60 merchants participate in this annual event. It's wonderful to see the parents, grandparents, children and storeowners all enjoy a colorful and festive parade.

Thank you all for making another Halloween Parade a success.

Yours truly,

Peg Bermel, Sisters Branch Manager

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To the Editor:

Sisters Community Theatre wants to give the community a big thank you for your support of our first production, "Chip of the Cascades," this past weekend.

Thank you all for coming.

We are looking forward to producing our next show, so keep your eyes open.

And thank you Jon Sutton for providing your artwork, music and writing such a hit of a show!

Diana Kelleher and cast