Letters, letters, letters

The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday.

To the Editor:

The letter from the good Drs. Yarnell (The Nugget, January 17) was certainly somewhat elitist and a bit familiar to me.

First let me say that I do not personally know the Yarnells and I am also a relative newcomer to the Sisters community. But, I have seen this Not In My Backyard (NIMBY) syndrome afflict more than one recent immigrant in another field of land-use, forestry.

As the former Chairman of the California State Board of Forestry, I dealt with a number of people who moved to a forested area because they liked the nice trees surrounding them. Unfortunately, they didn't own all the land in their view shed and expressed great surprise and indignation when notified that their neighbor was going to harvest a stand of trees which had been growing for almost 100 years. In fact the land was zoned for timber production and periodic harvests could be expected.

I doubt if the Yarnells really expect the land in question to remain as open area, unless they chose to buy it and keep it as their own personal buffer strip. So the question is what will it be used for and how will it be done.

The purpose of the planning and public input requirements of the land-use planning process is to answer those types of questions. Since the land to the south is already an industrial park, it does make sense that this land might logically be zoned for an expansion.

If we were to follow the Yarnells' ideas, all the "industry" would be in Bend or Redmond, but not in Sisters. Unfortunately, Sisters would become less livable rather than more livable if this was the case.

An Oregon version of Aspen is not what is desired by most people here, but we are certainly headed that way if Sisters is going to have housing only for the rich and only service wage jobs.

Not all industrial parks need look like factory settings. With good landscaping, proper planning, tenant selection, neighbor inputs, and strong CCRs, industrial parks can be very attractive neighbors. The letter from Jack Addison is certainly more enlightened on this subject than the Yarnells'.

So rather than exhibiting a severe case of NIMBY syndrome, perhaps the Yarnells can suggest some win-win strategies regarding the development of that land; since it will surely be developed--one way or another.

Carl Yee, PhD

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To the Editor:

I am a resident of beloved Sisters. I am 23 years old. I went to Sisters Elementary, Middle, and High School. I am emphatically opposed to the notion of the development of Barclay Meadows as "light industrial."

I would hate to read of one of our elementary or middle school students crossing Camp Polk Road, for lunch or P.E. as I did when I was their age, only to get hit by a car leaving the (proposed) industrial park as the car driver goes for lunch break.

In last week's paper, Cliff Clemens, my long time neighbor, said, "We need more industrial lands so that the boys and girls who graduate and come through our school system have a place to work."

I disagree with this quote.

Sisters is a gold town, a resort town, a hometown! If it turns into an industrial town it looses 14K quality, hence turning into a Bend town, a Redmond town, a criminal mischief town, a gang town! Kids here, if they are smart, won't stay. Won't marry their high school sweetheart, who barely graduated, and live in what once was a wonderful town, turned to "bad part of town." Really!

Barclay Meadows is exactly in town. Friends of Sisters, I suggest you take a drive through the industry which already exists and ask yourselves, "Is this pretty? Is this helping my standard of living? Is this going to affect my kids, like industrialism and violence, affects all kids in major industrial towns? How is this going to be like those slum Portland schools, Los Angeles schools, even Redmond? How is this traffic going to affect my young child who forgets to look both ways?"

Question the authority who manipulates, and who is coerced, for the illogical development of this successful, resort town. Can't you see yourselves escaping, passively, in the next few years, when discovering it wasn't all you thought it was, to some small Montana or Colorado town where a big-time developer hasn't proposed a one-sided financial monstrosity like our possible industrial park.

Carrie Anne Ebner, Philosophy Major, COCC

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To the Editor:

I write to correct the location of the Sisters Library sponsored presentation of "A Prelude to War! The Life and Times of John Brown" by Daniel Partner on Monday evening, January 29, at 7 p.m.

We are happy to offer the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, 68825 Brooks Camp Road, for this purpose.

The original announcement in The Nugget listed the location as "the Episcopal Church of the Configuration."

Now, that could be an appropriate description of what goes on at the Episcopal Church, but that is not its name.

In a funeral home prepared booklet, we once were listed as "the Episcopal Church of the Transformation." I thought that was pretty good. After all, the Church is a place where, through the Lord's help, we are transformed into better humans and servants of God.

Church of the Configuration? Well, maybe that works too, even if the term is a bit esoteric. I have heard of "Config files" on the computer, and they are very mysterious to me. As I ponder "Configuration," it could be an apt descriptor of our calling, although we will need to educate the public a bit.

Not everyone knows that "configure" means "to form after."

As a Christian church we certainly are in the business of helping people be formed in Christ. It could be worse.

We could have been called "the Episcopal Church of the Conflagration." People then would think that the Episcopal Church is one big, destructive fire or all that we do is preach hell fire and damnation (God forbid!).

In all honesty, though, "Transfiguration" -- the real name of our church -- is not a household word.

I have yet to hear some one say, "I was absolutely transfigured by that book" or "My little brother transfigured into a monster."

So, I suppose we should understand if someone stumbles over our name. (I will save "episcopal" for another discussion.)

Transfiguration actually is a good word, being found in the dictionary and referring to a change in figure or form. The Greek means "metamorphosis."

Churches with a mountain view, such as ours, frequently are named "Church of the Transfiguration." They honor the time Christ went up on the mountain with trusted friends and was "transfigured," metamorphosed, so that his true nature was revealed in advance of the crucifixion and resurrection.

We at the Church of the Transfiguration in Sisters hope that we help others see the true nature of Christ and be changed.

Please do come on January 29 and enjoy Daniel Partner at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration.

We are happy to share our building with the community for this event. I might add that Daniel is a welcome, fairly recent addition to our community and brings many gifts.

His profession is that of a writer, specifically a writer of Christian books, publishing with Tyndale House. Two of his recent books are in the "Quiknotes" series: "Devotional Classics" and "Great Women of Faith."

I presently am benefiting considerably from "The One Year Book of Poetry; 365 Devotional Readings Based on Classic Christian Verse" by him and Philip Comfort.

With gratitude for the gifted and serving people of our area,

The Rev. Larry Harrelson, D. Min., Pastor The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration