News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sisters voters will find ballots in their mail boxes next week asking them to decide whether to annex approximately 100 acres of land into the City of Sisters for a new high school site.
The land, located just west of the current high school, would provide a site for a new $20 million high school, approved by district voters last year. The current high school is to be converted to a middle school.
The site would also house recreational facilities and ball fields under the auspices of the Sisters Organization for Activities and Recreation (SOAR).
Some activists have urged a "no" vote on annexation, insisting that the school board build a new middle school instead.
However, the school board remains committed to building a high school, whether the 100-acre site is annexed or not.
If annexation fails, the school district could build a school where the football field is now and put fields on the unannexed land. That option would suffice for a high school, according to some school officials, but would probably severely restrict SOAR's options.
The school district could also choose to seek land use planning exemptions from the state and Deschutes County to build on the unannexed land. That is uncharted legal territory and such a move could wind up in court, according to several land use planners. That option would also take a considerable amount of time.
If Sisters voters approve the annexation, the school project will move forward on its current timeline.
The district has hired Kirby Nagelhout as Construction Manager/General Contractor for the project. Nagelhout is currently reviewing planning documents and detailed cost estimates are expected in the next couple of weeks.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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