City, library near purchase agreement

The City of Sisters and the Deschutes County Public Library District have inched nearer to an agreement on the sale of the Sisters Library site to the library district.

The city agreed to sell the library property for $177,000, including $2,000 for sewer connections. The city is also requesting payment of $20,540 in rent owed over the past year.

The agreement, detailed in an August 10 letter from City Attorney Steve Bryant, requests a total payment of $197,540.

The move represents an effort to salvage a deal that looked like it was headed for the scrap heap. The Sisters City Council rescinded a purchase offer in July, citing lack of response from the library district.

Library director Michael Gaston argued at the time that there had been a "communication breakdown." The library had actually budgeted for the purchase and had sought an appraisal. Somehow, the library's interest was not clearly evident to the council.

Gaston was out of town and unavailable for comment on the city's latest proposal.