City temporarily puts Cliff Clemens Park development on hold

Cliff Clemens Park is destined to be a multi-use park but exactly when that will happen is unclear. The City of Sisters’ plans to erect an event pavilion brought enough community concern that the city canceled a public hearing scheduled last week and will spend more time discussing the park with community members (see related story, page 17).

“Because there was enough concern at the community level we decided we were probably moving too fast,” said City of Sisters Planning Director Brian Rankin.

Rankin had hoped to save the city some money by moving the current pole barn at Sisters Inn & RV Park to Clemens Park and turning it into an attractive pavilion for music and other community events. However, surrounding neighbors had concerns about holding large events at the park including noise levels and parking.

Cliff Clemens Park is 2.32 acres on the north side of Sisters bordered by Larch Street and Black Butte Avenue. It is surrounded by housing including the Tamarack Village Housing Development and also by industrial land.

Rankin said that while the project is delayed, it is best to give time for neighbors to work through their concerns.

“It gives us a chance to design a park that works better for the whole community,” said Rankin.

Rankin noted that the process for developing the park is unusual. Since the land was deeded to Sisters, the city “applied to itself” to work through approval of the plan.

“We essentially jumped through the same hoops we make developers do,” added Rankin.

Kiwanis is an active community partner in developing the park. The service club has already committed $20,000 and members have plans to raise more money. Kiwanis looks forward to recognizing Clemens, who was a founding member of the Sisters club. Clemens recently celebrated his 100th birthday.

“We want to recognize the things he’s done for this community,” said Kiwanis President Tay Robertson.