News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Lon Kellstrom, Sharlene Weed, Brad Boyd, Judy Trego and Bill Merrill cut the ribbon at the grand opening of Sisters’ new City Hall Council Chambers.
Dozens of Sisters area residents and public officials from around the region celebrated the grand opening of Sisters' new City Hall on Thursday night, January 11.
The completion of the $2.6 million City Hall project rounds out a community campus that includes Sisters Library and the administrative headquarters of the Sisters School District.
The 9,000-square-foot City Hall is a vast change from the cramped old building that has served for decades as Sisters' City Hall. In fact, the first order of business for the new city council that was sworn in Thursday night was to declare the old building and its furnishings surplus.
The furnishings were donated to the newly-incorporated City of La Pine; city officials would just as soon see the old building bulldozed tomorrow.
Before cutting ribbons to allow entry into the new council chambers, Jean Wells Keenan unveiled a huge quilt she crafted to grace the lobby.
"It's the biggest project I've ever done," Keenan said.
The capacity crowd gasped and cheered as Keenan pulled down the sheet covering the brightly-colored depiction of Sisters.
After the requisite speechmaking, councilors and city staff snipped the ribbons blocking the doors and allowed the public into its council chambers.
The crowd was audibly impressed with the elegant curved wooden dais and iron railings crafted by Jeff Wester of Ponderosa Forge.
After an invocation, the council settled down to business. Attorney Steve Bryant conducted the swearing-in of councilors Bill Merrill, Lon Kellstrom and Sharlene Weed. Merrill was elected to the council last November, while Weed and Kellstrom were reelected.
Councilor Judy Trego offered praise for outgoing Mayor Dave Elliott, who lost his seat in the election.
"He's been a blessing to this community," she said.
Trego listed Elliott's accomplishments, including the creation of new parks and the securing of a new recycle center.
The newly-seated council unanimously elected Brad Boyd as Sisters' new mayor (see story, page 1).
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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