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 Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned.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:

It is unfortunate that the Sisters School Board is now spending their funds for attorneys and later for city stop lights to pursue an upzone windfall on their Lundgren Mill property. These funds could instead be used for school purposes.

It is also unfortunate that they have disregarded the interests of the community in pursuit of their own special interests and as a result they have driven the Trapper Point community into being a part of the appeal. (The Nugget, February 7, "Activists appeal Sisters land decision").

Even more, the traffic congestion caused by the proposed development was one reason for the Hearing Officer to deny the original proposal, so now ODOT has included THREE stop lights through town as part of the revised plan.

The worst problem in Sisters is the traffic congestion. It will surely be increased on Highway 20 with stop lights backing up traffic. It is as though one good mistake deserves another.

If you have problems with traffic now, just wait if the appeal is lost.

William Boyer

Editor's note: William Boyer is a board member of ARLU DeCo., the land use watchdog group that is appealing a Deschutes County decision to allow two approximately 30-acre parcels to come inside the city Urban Growth Boundary, rezoned to light industrial use.

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To the Editor:

ODOT finally got tired of trying to browbeat all us residents of the so-called "Golden Triangle" into having a quarry stuffed down our throats and they threw in the towel.

Even their high-priced hired guns from Salem couldn't win.

Hurray for the Power of the People!

If ODOT had used our money for a workable solution to the ungodly traffic problems that plague Sisters every summer -- instead of pouring it down a rat hole ruining people's investments, beautiful wildlife habitat and recreation areas -- they would have probably received a lot less opposition.

How about going around Sisters with a truck route via the old Brooks-Scanlon railroad right-of-way that used to cross the Santiam Highway at Indian Ford Campground, and come back into Highway 20 out behind the rodeo grounds?

ODOT would probably have clear sailing until they got too close to Crossroads and the folks around the rodeo grounds. It would be a great deal easier to find solutions -- and lot loss expensive --than fighting everyone in the Golden Triangle, and a lot better idea than their coveted couplet. And we all might come out winners!

Jim Anderson

Sun Mountain

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To the Editor:

As Tollgate residents and horse owners, we would like to ask our neighbors to think carefully before marking their ballots regarding restrictions on horse owners' rights.

At first glance, the proposal may seem to be a fair compromise. It certainly is far fairer to current horse owners than earlier proposals, and we're thankful for that. However, we feel the changes proposed still would be negative for both horse owners and non-horse owners here.

Tollgate was clearly never intended to be just another city subdivision. With its equestrian-named streets, spacious lots, forested common areas and easy access to National Forest, the neighborhood invites residents to get outside. To us, horses are an important part of that unique ambiance.

The current ballot restricts property owners' rights in several ways:

Owners of property not registered as horse property before the deadline, including newcomers, would not be able to keep horses on their property, ever. Those property owners would be prevented from enjoying full use of their property, even though they had broken no rules.

Property values of "unregistered" properties could be negatively impacted, as horse enthusiasts would be forced to look elsewhere.

The proposal requires a 25-foot setback from neighboring property for any new corral fencing. This setback would result in unreasonably tiny corrals.

If this proposal passes, over time horses would become increasingly rare in Tollgate. We wonder if other changes are in store, as a result of future disputes between neighbors (perhaps limits on pets? RVs? Play structures? Basketball hoops? Other rights?)

Sincerely,

Kim and Mark Thomas