News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The B&B Fire was the major event of 2003. photo by Eric Dolson
In Sisters, 2003 will go down in history as the Year of Fire, as two major blazes threatened the communities of Black Butte Ranch and Camp Sherman.
But Sisters saw plenty of action in other arenas as the city continued to grow and change. And the Sisters community did not remain untouched by world events; many local families sent soldiers into action in Iraq.
Among the many stories of 2003, a few stood out. They are:
1. The Fires. For a tense couple of weeks, Camp Sherman was in mortal danger as the B&B Complex Fire raged to the west and north.
The massive conflagration, which ended up scorching more than 90,000 acres, actually started as two separate fires on August 19, just as Camp Sherman prepared for a visit from President George W. Bush, who planned to talk about the Healthy Forests Initiative. That visit was canceled due to fire conditions.
Investigators later determined that both the Booth Fire and the Bear Butte Fire were caused by lightning strikes that smoldered in dead trees.
The fires, which eventually merged, forced the closure of Highway 20 for 10 days, creating an official "economic disaster" in Sisters.
Camp Sherman residents were evacuated on two separate occasions as flames loomed close.
The B&B Complex Fire was the second major blaze to strike the area last summer.
The human-caused Link Fire ignited on July 5, just five miles northwest of Black Butte Ranch. For a tense couple of days, it looked like the fire might make it to the Ranch, forcing an evacuation similar to 2002's Cache Mountain Fire.
While many residents and guests left voluntarily to avoid dense smoke, the Ranch was not evacuated as the danger passed.
The new Sisters High School opened in September. photo by Jim Cornelius
2. New Sisters High School: Sisters High School students started the new school year in a brand new, $21-million high school facility, completed well ahead of schedule by Kirby Nagelhout Construction.
The school district celebrated with a grand opening ceremony on September 17.
High school students and their teachers weren't the only ones celebrating. The former high school was converted to use as the new Sisters Middle School, allowing the district to leave behind antiquated and crowded facilities on Locust Street.
3. Local families send soldiers to Iraq: War hit close to home as several local families sent loved ones into harm's way in Iraq.
Several soldiers and Marines from local families saw heavy combat as American forces drove from Kuwait to Baghdad during the spring and some remained in Iraq and the Persian Gulf region for extended periods of occupation duty.
4. Barclay Park: The City of Sisters dedicated a new downtown park on a decommissioned section of Ash Street between The Gallery Restaurant and The Jewel.
Peter Storton spearheaded the park development committee that led the effort and contractor G.J. Miller built a long-anticipated restroom facility at the site quickly enough to open on Sisters Rodeo Weekend.
The park was named in honor of Harold and Dorothy Barclay, who were pioneers in Sisters and contributed greatly to the economic and cultural vitality of the community.
The park earned an Award of Excellence from the League of Oregon Cities.
The Deschutes Basin Land Trust secured the Metolius Preserve. photo provided
5. Metolius Preserve: Some 1,240 acres of forest along Lake Creek west of Sisters will remain the haunt of songbirds and Roosevelt elk.
The Deschutes Basin Land Trust (DBLT) met its Friday, July 25, deadline to purchase forest land optioned from Willamette Industries just before they were taken over by Weyerhaeuser.
The purchase required a Herculean fund-raising effort that targeted $3 million for the purchase and for restoration and management of the property.
6. Districts hire new executives: The Sisters School District offered a two-year contract to Dr. Lynn Baker, who served as interim superintendent after the retirement of Steve Swisher.
The Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District hired Taylor Robertson as its new fire chief.
7. Library and city to build new facilities: Sisters residents will be able to check out a book and pay their water bill with one stop at a library/city hall "campus" located at the site of the former Sisters Middle School.
The City of Sisters and the Deschutes Public Library District each bought a separate parcel of the property from the Sisters School District. Both are in planning stages for new facilities.
8. School interest money depleted: The Sisters School Board discovered just this month that some $900,000 in interest money from high school bonds the board planned to return to taxpayers is actually only about $225,000.
The school district failed to account for a premium cost in purchasing bonds to achieve a higher interest rate.
9. McKinney Butte Road opens: A driver can now get from Sage Meadow to Sisters High School without driving through town with the completion of McKinney Butte Road from Highway 20 to the new Sisters High School.
The road, along with Barclay Park Drive through Sisters Industrial Park and the Hood Avenue extension through Pine Meadow Ranch, has made it easier for locals to navigate through and around town.
10. Outlaws win state golf title: The Sisters Outlaws claimed the Boys State Championship Golf Title in May. David Green took top honors as individual medalist and led the Outlaws to their first-place finish.
David shot a 71 (one under par) on the first round and an impressive 69 (three under par) for the second round.
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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