News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Public works crews have been out striping and crack sealing on Sisters streets.
The economy may be slow, but the City of Sisters Public Works Department is keeping plenty busy - thanks in large part to a number of grants.
The city recently received $94,000 in federal grant funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) which will be used to improve Larch Street from Main Avenue to Adams Avenue and to in-fill a bicycle path along Larch from the downtown area toward the new Sisters Post Office location.
Improvements between Main and Adams avenues will consist of new back-in diagonal parking.
"It'll be the first back-in diagonal parking we have in town," said Public Works Director Brad Grimm.
The back-in parking is bicycle and pedestrian friendly, offering better sight lines for drivers.
There will also be some road straightening and pedestrian amenities such as bulb-outs on Adams, Grimm reported.
The city hired the Sisters firm West Ridge Development Services to design the project before applying for the grant. Having a design in hand made the city more competitive for the grant, Grimm said.
"You got more points if it was shovel-ready," he said.
The city also received a cost-sharing grant from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to create a multi-use bike/pedestrian path along the east side of Whychus Creek and through the city's overnight campground. The path will link the proposed Highland Village residential area and the FivePine campus with the rest of the city.
Developers will be responsible for improvements to continue the trail to link up their properties.
The grant totaled $17,500.
"We'll do the labor and basically the grant will pay for the rock and the pavement," Grimm said. "It'll connect people east of the campground and in the campground and (give them) access to town."
A $25,000 Small City Allotment Grant will pay for asphalt sidewalk infill from Locust Street to Cowboy Street along East Cascade Avenue by Sisters Elementary School.
In addition, due to cost savings, the city was able to extend a bike path running from town to Sisters Middle School all the way out to Sisters High School and McKinney Butte Drive.
The public works department worked this winter to improve city campground sites, installing showers and new fireplaces.
"The overnight park looks totally different now," Grimm said. "The use is way up from last year."
Grimm said that keeping the work in-house allowed it to be done for under $60,000. He estimates that contracted costs would have run to about $250,000. He expects a two-year payback on the improvements.
Crews have also been out re-striping crosswalks, crack sealing and doing spring cleaning in city right-of-ways.
Grimm said the city will complete all the missing sidewalks on Hood and Main avenues this summer.
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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