Sisters Trails Alliance, SPRD to part ways

Sisters Tails Alliance (STA) is parting ways with the Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD).

In a special meeting last week, the board of Sisters Trails Alliance voted to dissolve the relationship as a "partner committee" with SPRD.

The STA has for many years been a partner committee under SPRD and received administrative support through that relationship.

A prepared release from STA stated that, "Many of the STA board members attended a working session of the Sisters Park & Recreation District board on Tuesday, October 22. At that meeting it became apparent that the SPRD board had a number of concerns about the partner committee affiliation. Primarily those concerns centered on the fear that SPRD might experience financial encumbrances by the relationship with STA.

"Also several of the SPRD board members commented that because of the controversy surrounding the proposed paths connecting the communities of Crossroads, Tollgate and Black Butte much of their time was being taken up by those issues rather than more relevant issues to SPRD such as the change of the executive director from Anne Heath to Liam Hughes."

The proposed paved trail system has been controversial.

The board of Sisters Trails Alliance is incorporating as a non-profit organization so that it can independently sign contracts, apply for and receive grants and function independently.

Gary Guttormsen, the chairperson of STA, said, "Our relationship over the years with SPRD has been very fruitful and productive. That is changing now and it simply makes the most sense to become an independent organization in order to give us greater flexibility to the needs of the Sisters community."

The Sisters Trails Alliance will remain a community partner with SPRD, as are many other local Sisters organizations such as the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show and Sisters Folk Festival.