News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Paul Bertagna will be Sisters' new Public Works Coordinator.
Sisters is growing and handling its infrastructure is getting more and more complicated.
To handle what is fast becoming an overwhelming workload, the City of Sisters Public Works Department has hired its sewer plant manager Paul Bertagna to serve as Public Works Coordinator.
“We’re just inundated with construction plans — the infill lots, the special projects like the parking district improvements and the water line projects,” Frazee said.
Bertagna will assist Frazee in keeping up with reviews of plans and also coordinate special projects such as the location and drilling of a new well, locating a new reservoir site and the relocation of the recycling center.
The new Public Works Coordinator, who takes his position officially on April 1, will also represent Sisters in a regional effort to create a storm water management program for Central Oregon communities. Currently the region is supposed to operate under requirements designed for Western Oregon conditions that are considerably wetter than they are here.
Frazee said he has been unable to get involved in the storm water management planning because of his duties in Sisters.
“I’m on the committee and I can’t get to the meetings,” he said. “The work load is just overwhelming anymore.”
Frazee said the work load has kept his department from moving forward on street-side improvements that will improve more than 100 parking spaces in downtown Sisters. With Bertagna in his new position, those parking district improvements are expected to move forward this spring and summer.
According to Public Works Director Gary Frazee, the department will also soon create a position of Water Department Supervisor.
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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