SPRD cuts days

Sisters Park & Recreation District will be open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for the immediate future as the district pulls back to retrench its finances.

Executive director Carrie Ward is cutting back her hours from 40 to 24 as a means of saving the district scarce cash. After-school and Teen Center programs have been eliminated.

On Tuesday, September 1, the SPRD board reviewed a thorough recasting of SPRD's finances prepared by board treasurer Andrew Gorayeb. With the cuts, deferral of payment on some bills until November and more than $30,000 in fundraising between now and next June, the district will be stabilized to a position that Gorayeb describes as "sipping air."

Gorayeb also identified $8,500 in accounts receivable from the Sisters community that he deems "highly doubtful" of collection.

Gorayeb emphasized that the district remains vulnerable.

"We do have $33,000 in fundraising in here," he said. "We've got to do it."

However, he believes the current actions will allow the district to be solvent in a year.

The board undertakes a "retreat" on September 17, where it will begin planning for the revamping of the district.