Library hopes to keep land purchase alive

Deschutes Public Library officials hope to salvage the chance to purchase the land the Sisters Library sits on from the City of Sisters.

The Sisters City Council rescinded a $175,000 sale offer at its July 19 meeting, citing lack of response from the library district.

"I am very disappointed that no one from the library was asked to be at the city council meeting," said Sisters Librarian Peg Bermel. "We would have liked the opportunity to respond to the things that were said that night.

"It was quite a shock to find out that the City of Sisters had rescinded their offer by reading about it in The Nugget," she said.

Library director Michael Gaston believes there has been a communication breakdown.

"Something got lost in the translation here," said Gaston, who has just returned from an extended vacation. "Certainly we respect the city's offer."

Negotiations have been protracted over several months.

"In November, the city offered to sell us the property for $175,000," Gaston explained. "I asked for supporting documentation, including several appraisals, which the library board would require before making any decisions. Our attorneys called five times requesting the documentation, which we never received."

Gaston said that, "in April, the city sent us documentation with the appraisal of a similar property that sold in Sisters. At that point, we ordered our own appraisal and sent word of it to Barbara (Warren, city administrator) through Peg Bermel, the Sisters librarian."

Bermel confirmed that she passed the word along.

"I did communicate with Barbara Warren," Bermel said. "I saw her at a Rotary meeting and told her that Michael was leaving for vacation, that we would continue negotiations when he returned."

The library has taken steps to make the transaction happen, according to Gaston.

"DPLS has paid $900 for the appraisal, and we have budgeted for the transaction, assuming that we could get the documentation," Gaston said. "Our intent was to continue with negotiations. Somewhere along the way, the lines of communication became tangled."

Gaston said that he intended to draft a letter to Mayor Wilson, stating the DPLS's intention to follow up on the offer.

"I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said that there hasn't been tension between the City of Sisters and the library," Gaston admitted. "But I think we can reach a decent compromise. It is our hope that the matter will be quickly resolved."