Multnomah project on hold

Multnomah Publishers of Sisters put their plans for a 55,039-square-foot, two-story office building on 35 acres at the north end of Sisters on hold last week.

According to Senior Vice President Kyle Cummings, company officers made the announcement to staff on Friday, January 17, and the word quickly spread around Sisters.

Cummings said the decision represents a delay, not a scrapping of the project.

"We have every intention of still building here within Sisters ... and on that parcel," Cummings said.

Cummings said there is no new timetable for developing the property along Camp Polk Road.

Multnomah filed a site plan with the city and went through a hearing on Thursday, January 16. At that hearing, Multnomah agreed to meet with neighbors in Trapper Point to develop a landscape screening plan.

For the time being, those plans are on hold, too, and the land will remain a grassy meadow attractive to geese and deer.

Economics influenced the decision to shelve the project temporarily.

"Multnomah has been impacted by the economy, as have other businesses out there and, given the scale of the project, it's best to be conservative," Cummings said.

The company has "had some minor downsizing," Cummings said.

However, Cummings emphasized that the company is committed to creating a facility to house all of its employees in Sisters and "we're very confident regarding 2003."

Cummings also said the company will take another look at the design of the building, trying to make it as efficient as possible.

There may be some modifications to a new site plan, Cummings said.

The company will address landscaping issues with the neighbors, probably shortly before a new site plan is submitted, according to Cummings.

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Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

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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