News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Paul Bertagna will accept a Big Chainring Award for the city’s paved path from downtown to the Three Wind Shopping Center.
Sisters Public Works Director Paul Bertagna will be honored with a Big Chainring Award for the creation of the Santiam Multi Use Path, a paved path that runs from downtown Sisters to the Three Wind Shopping Center.
The Deschutes County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) selected the 2013 Big Chainring Award recipients, recognizing contributions to pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly environments in Deschutes County.
The awards will be presented at the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners business meeting on Monday, June 24, at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held in the Barnes and Sawyer rooms of the Deschutes County Services Center at 1300 N.W. Wall St. in Bend.
The citation reads: "Paul Bertagna, City of Sisters Director of Public Works, was a driving force behind the planning, design, and construction of the Santiam Multi Use Path, a 2,000-foot-long bicycle and pedestrian hard-surface path connecting Sisters' downtown and residential areas to the city's major shopping center on the west side of town.
This roadway-separated path provides a comfortable and safe route for residents and visitors to Sisters.
This project is an excellent example of the effectiveness, usefulness, and safety of a wide hard surface path separated from the highway.
The path has received outstanding response from the community and it would not have happened without Mr. Bertagna's efforts."
While expressing appreciation for the award, Bertagna emphasized to The Nugget that "It's a 'we,' not an 'I.' It's just a good community effort with the (Sisters) Trails Alliance, the city, the Forest Service."
Bertagna singled out Michelle Sims, Chuck Humphreys, Erik Huffman and an Oregon Department of Transportation "bike-and-ped grant" for making the project possible.
The budget for the project was $125,000.
"We came in under budget," Bertagna said. "That's why we've been so successful with ODOT Bike & Ped - we do a lot with their money."
The paved path allows easy access from the downtown area to the outlying shopping centers to the west without being right on the highway.
"It's getting used like crazy," Bertagna said. "On the weekends, tourists. A lot of kids are using it. Skateboarders, which I think is cool."
Bertagna thinks more pedestrians than cyclists are using the path.
"(Memorial Day) weekend, there was a steady stream of people using it."
The public works director was pleased to accept the award on behalf of all those involved.
"This is a huge award for the Sisters community," he said.
Since 1996, the Big Chainring Awards have been awarded annually to honor individuals, businesses, and public agencies that have made significant contributions in support of better bicycling and walking in Central Oregon. In addition to Bertagna, Rick Root with the City of Bend, Andy Barram, Ken Cardwell, Jeff Schuler with Bicycle Re-Source, Katie Hammer and the RARPD board, and West Bend Property Company will be recognized.
For more information about the annual Big Chainring Awards, contact Deschutes County Associate Planner Cynthia Smidt at 541-317-3150.
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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