News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Governor Ted Kulongoski visited Sisters on Friday, December 16, to catch up with the changes overtaking the city.
City Manager Eileen Stein’s PowerPoint presentation at Sisters Coffee Co. demonstrated what a whirlwind of activity Sisters has been over the past 18 months.
New developments have sprung up, including Sisters Movie House at the FivePine development — a campus that will expand further in coming years. That development is tied into a developing network of trails.
Sun Ranch Business Park has broken ground and is attracting several small high-tech manufacturers to Sisters. McDonald’s and Mainline Station have opened at the west end of town.
Sisters Inn & RV Park is under new ownership and management and there are plans to create six new commercial sites fronting Highway 20 on the property.
A new Ray’s Food Place is in the offing and Multnomah publishers has moved into the former Weitech Building.
That move allowed the city to sell its property to Frank and Kathy Deggendorfer, who remodeled the building on Adams Avenue and created the new Sisters Art Works.
The school district moved into a remodeled administrative building on the former site of Sisters Middle School and the new Sisters Library will open on the site this week. Soon, the construction of a new City Hall will begin in the same area.
Several subdivisions have been approved for construction or expansion, promising a significant increase in the residential inventory in Sisters.
Kulongoski told attendees at the presentation that his mission is to determine how the state might partner with the city to help stimulate and manage healthy growth.
The areas where the city might tap state assistance are in joining an enterprise zone with Redmond; solving transportation problems associated with Highway 20 through the middle of Sisters; acquiring enough water rights to ensure supply over a period of growth; and tapping into regional economic development.
Kulongoski talked about attracting small high-tech companies looking for good quality of life and attracting movie and commercial makers to Oregon, where they spend lots of money.
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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