News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Mayor Lon Kellstrom and planner Pauline Hardie broke ground on a new Sisters trail last week.
Mayor Lon Kellstrom and planner Pauline Hardie turned the first shovelfuls of earth on Sisters' latest trail project last Thursday in a groundbreaking ceremony for a trail that will connect downtown Sisters with the FivePine development to the east.
While the golden shovels did the symbolic work, construction of the base layer for the trail was actually already well under way, according to Paul Bertagna of the city's public works department.
The city received a cost-sharing grant from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to create the 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. The developers of those properties are paying to link the trail to their properties.
"We're excited to start it," said Mayor Kellstrom. He noted that many folks want to walk or bike into downtown from the FivePine area, but they had to travel along Highway 20, which is "exciting, to say the least, given some of our summertime traffic."
The new trail will give pedestrians and cyclists a safe and more pleasant route.
The grant was for $17,500, which will more than cover paving costs. The city's match, Bertagna said, will be in the labor to construct the trail. Bertagna said there will be pedestrian bridges and signage along the path.
He noted that the paving bid came in under the budgeted cost. The difference will be used to drop the grade on the ramps leading up to the park bridge over Whychus Creek, making it wheelchair accessible and compliant with Americans With Disabilities Act requirements.
Paving is expected to be completed on October 12 and pedestrians and cyclists may start using the trail the next day.
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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