Sisters still awaiting Bi-Mart

Rumors about the Bi-Mart store slated to fill the former site of Ray's Food Place have been swirling through Sisters for weeks. Like most spates of rumors, this one seems to feed on the absence of concrete facts.

Both Bi-Mart managers and Helmut Junge, the owner of Three Wind Shopping Center have been tightlipped about the project, declining comment until a lease is signed.

That had been expected sometime around the first of the year; that timeline has obviously been pushed back.

But local agencies involved in the project see indications that it is moving forward, albeit on a slower-than-anticipated timeline. Bi-Mart has paid for a building permit, based on a minor remodel of the former Ray's site. City staff say the permit has not been picked up yet.

"We have a building permit ready for them to pick up," city planner Eric Porter told The Nugget. "I haven't seen anything to indicate that the project is not going forward. Their timeline may be slower than they'd hoped. They were planning on opening in April - and it's April."

Porter said he has no knowledge of the status of lease negotiations or any other aspect of the project beyond the planning process.

"All I can tell you is my hope," Porter said. "I hope they don't stall the project. I think it would help that area."

There are other indications that there is movement on the project.

Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Erin Borla said the Chamber was approached by Work Source Oregon regarding locating space to conduct employment interviews.

No schedule was indicated or discussed.

Deschutes County Commissioner Dennis Luke, who was at Sisters City Hall for a workshop with the city council, said that outlying communities find Bi-Mart an asset. He said that La Pine likes their Bi-Mart store.

"They've been a great neighbor," he said. "They love 'em down there."

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

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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