News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Work crews laid sod and painted the final touches on the Sisters Fire Hall, which will be dedicated in a ceremony on Saturday, August 2, at 10 a.m.
Work crews are furiously laying on the final touches to meet a weekend deadline.
On Saturday morning at 10 a.m., longtime fire district board member Chan Cathcart will step up with a fire ax to cut the ribbon on the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District's brand-new $3.7 million Fire Hall.
The ribbon cutting will kick off a morning open house, including fire engine rides for Sisters children.
"We're obviously trying to get a lot of things done, but I think we're going to have a pretty presentable fire station," said Fire Chief Tay Robertson last week.
He said the event is planned to "give the community a chance to get a good look at their fire station. It's basically a community celebration. It's not about us, it's about the community and trying to say thank you for this wonderful facility."
Chief Robertson wants the public to thoroughly explore the facility that their tax dollars built.
"We'll have firefighters and EMTs throughout the building to help people and answer questions," Robertson said.
Fire engine rides will start at 10:30 a.m. and run till noon.
The taxpayers of the district approved a $2.5 million bond for the project and the balance was paid through reserves the district saved over many years in anticipation of the need for a new firehall.
The fire district received $225,000 in urban renewal funds from the city to improve the street frontage with lighting and porches.
City-required Systems Development Charges and street improvements amounted to approximately $90,000, Robertson said.
The Department of Environmental Quality required special drain filters that added an unexpected $40,000 to the project, Robertson said.
All-in-all, however, the fire chief said he believes the taxpayers got very good value for their dollars. He said the district intentionally made every effort to make the exterior of the building as attractive as possible, but they kept the interior spare and functional.
"We're not building a chalet here," he said. "We're building a public facility."
That facility is double the size of the former fire hall, at 22,000 square feet. The facility includes new equipment bays, training rooms, a community meeting center and sleeping quarters for full-time staff.
Chief Robertson emphasized that the facility was built with the entire firefighting community in mind, not just the paid staff.
"The building was built for volunteers as a family," he said. "Volunteers are an integral part of our operation."
There are some amenities - an improved kitchen, a weight room and a comfortable lounge and recreation area. The main feature of the rec area is the 1910 Brunswick pool table that has sat in the fire hall for years - fully restored and re-felted with funds donated by the district's fire and ambulance association.
Chief Robertson is obviously proud of the new facility, which he anticipates will serve the needs of a growing community for decades. He and his staff are hoping that a large contingent of Sisters residents comes out so they can show off the new facility the community now owns.
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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