News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Plans for new public restrooms on Ash Street are moving ahead -- despite uncertainty over grant funding.
City Administrator Eileen Stein thought the city had landed some $30,000 in left-over Central Oregon Community Investment Board grant funding, but the money evaporated in the face of the statewide budget crisis.
However, the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce has committed $25,000 to the project from a restroom fund and the city council has indicated a willingness to loan funds to the project.
Stein said in an October 10 workshop that the city can seek a grant from the Small Community Investment Fund.
"It's specifically for communities that have projects that are ready to go," Stein said.
The public restroom project is, indeed, ready to go --as part of a downtown park plan that will close off Ash Street between Hood and Cascade Avenues (leaving vehicle access to the alleys behind adjacent businesses).
Plans created pro bono by architects Scott Steele and Associates show new diagonal parking to replace the streetside parking on Ash Street.
According to city planner Neil Thompson, there will be a net gain of at least three parking spaces from the park, with the possibility of gaining two more spots on Cascade Avenue.
The park will provide a downtown rest area for pedestrians with grass and a water feature, as well as the public restrooms that have long been considered a vital need for the downtown area.
The restroom facility will have eight stalls, four each for men and women. According to planners, design restrictions made it impossible to dedicate more restrooms for women's use.
Plans call for skylights to provide natural light and cut down the need for electricity. The restrooms will likely have log siding.
Park design committee chairman Peter Storton said the restrooms can be built first and the park created around them if necessary. The committee hopes to have the facility operational by Rodeo Weekend in June.
The Sisters City Council approved naming the park the Harold Barclay Memorial Park in honor of the pioneering businessman who was instrumental in creating the city's Western theme.
Storton said that, based on public input, the name should be changed to the Barclay Memorial Park to equally acknowledge the contributions of Dorothy Barclay.
The council agreed to vote on a resolution to that effect.
Storton said the committee hopes to raise funds for the project in the community. The total project is expected to cost in the neighborhood of $225,000.
The Sisters Garden Club has already donated $2,000, Storton reported.
Donations may be made to the Harold Barclay Memorial Park fund at Bank of the Cascades; account number 04347633.
"There's a lot of people in the community with a lot of love and respect for the Barclays, so I think we'll get a lot of participation," Storton said.
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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