Workshop focuses on Forest Service property

The current Sisters home of the U.S. Forest Service on the west end of town remains an opportunity in search of a vision.

The city again asked, at a two-day workshop last Saturday and Sunday, October 6-7, for input from the community as to the needs, desires, hopes and dreams of locals regarding the future use of the 50-plus acre parcel that will soon become an integral part of city life.

The latest visioning session was more lightly attended than was hoped, and the day-and-a-half time commitment was perhaps the culprit.

"The turnout was a little less than everyone had hoped. There were 20 to 30 people there. I think that everyone's expectations were a little higher, and we had hoped there would be a little more community input on it. We are going to have some follow-up on this, but it does prolong the city's official position, and that slows down the process for potential developers," said Eric Porter, Sisters Planning and Community Development Director.

The results were considered positive by all who attended, and the development of a sense of commonality in community needs and wants showed that the time invested provided a good return.

"We have taken best and worst outcomes and taken it toward specifics. For example, what does 'best possible outcome' really mean and what does 'worst possible outcome' really mean? It has been very productive," said city manager Eileen Stein.

There were some common threads that emerged among each of the groups.

"I was a little surprised that each group came about with some similar threads. They didn't want to see 'big box' stores, and they didn't want to see highway commercial," said mayor Brad Boyd.

"They did want to see some kind of a community center and a section zoned for some kind of a medical use. All we probably need now is some kind of an immediate care center, but to have an area zoned so that as the town grows and has more needs, there could be a little medical center emerged as a common thread."

There was also a universal recognition that this property is not a bottomless cookie jar that can be devoted entirely to providing community desires.

"Most people understood that if you want to get some of these community amenities, you can't tell the people who are going to buy the property what they are going to do with every acre. A medical center could be a profit center for a developer, but a community center would probably not generate much profit. There needs to be enough room there zoned to meet the economic needs of a developer," said mayor Boyd.

It emerged that some of the community desires might be better addressed in a different location.

"If there is a public facility, for example a swimming pool, perhaps it is better suited somewhere else in town, perhaps closer to SOAR. So we are starting to see some of those ideas emerge, like the idea of a pool but just not there. The real challenge is finding out what all the needs are and then deciding what can be accommodated on this parcel," said Stein.

Porter feels that from a practical sense there is only so much land available and it will ultimately become a matter of priorities.

"It seemed like there was a lot of interest in a senior facility, perhaps an assisted living facility, and there was a lot of interest in an area for a medical center or clinic. What I think so far is there may not be enough space for the desires of the community on that piece of property," Porter said.

Mayor Boyd is still hoping for more input before the door closes on the process.

"We want to get as much input as possible. We may send out notices in the water bills, send out e-mails, take out ads in The Nugget. We are going to have a meeting to show what we have so far and hope that we can get some more input so that everyone has a say. Not everyone was able to attend this because it took up a whole weekend," he said.

"The most common things that I have seen in the groups is what they don't want to see rather than what they want to see. They don't want to see 'big box' stores or lots of asphalt. Maintaining as may trees as possible seems to be the common denominator between the different groups," Stein said.