City to create Ash Street Park

Ash Street... soon to be a park.

The narrow street that meets Cascade Avenue by the Gallery Restaurant will be converted into a park this summer.

The city received the necessary deeds from adjacent property owners last week to make the park a reality. The alley that serves adjacent businesses will be preserved, as will parking on the portion of the street between the alley and Hood Avenue.

According to Mayor Steve Wilson, the park will be a "green spot" in the downtown commercial core that will allow shoppers and visitors to sit down and take a break from strolling the streets of Sisters.

Perhaps most importantly, the park will feature full service, easily accessed public restrooms, a feature that has been lacking in the area till now.

Wilson noted turning the street into a park has safety benefits as well.

"That's a substandard width of street with poor visibility at the corner of Cascade," Wilson said.

The timeline for completion of the park will depend on the availability of grant funding, Wilson said. Eventually, the park will include a circulating water feature running in the currently dry irrigation ditch along the west side of the street.

"We're going to spend the next 30 to 45 days finalizing the design," Wilson said.