Public weighs in on amphitheater

Citizens of Sisters Country turned out in big numbers to hear the city's Wednesday-night presentation on a proposed 3,000-plus-seat $4-million amphitheater to be sited on the vacant property just south of the post office.

Addressing those who could not hear or see at the densely packed city presentation Wednesday night, Mayor Brad Boyd said, "Five months ago when we first put a contract in for this property we needed to do our homework on the cost to build, etc. This is the first substantial information (that has) gone out to the public. As you can see we are going to have another meeting next week."

That meeting was to be held Tuesday evening, (visit www.nuggetnews.com for updates).

Many entered the meeting believing that a decision had already been made and the project was moving forward regardless of public opinion. Boyd says that is not the case.

"It is not a done deal. Our next decision date will be in mid-March," said Boyd.

About 150 largely skeptical Sisters Country residents turned out at City Hall. Many were unable to enter the council chambers. Detailed handouts were gone 30 minutes before the meeting started (a copy of the handout can be found on the city's website). Microphones were not used, so many of the attendees in the back of the room and in the lobby had difficulty hearing the discussions.

Rather than take direct public input, Boyd asked that people submit their questions in writing on cards provided.

"Every question that has contact information will be answered," Boyd said.

During the second half of the meeting Boyd did his best to summarize the large stack of cards he received, but actually he only got to four or five of the major issues raised. Public concerns have centered around how the project came about; impact of noise and parking; and whether the public is getting a real say in the proceedings.

Boyd acknowledged that perhaps 80 percent of Wednesday's audience was skeptical or opposed to the project. He told The Nugget that he felt a substantial portion had moved toward a more open stance.

Local entrepreneur Angeline Rhett may be representative of these. She addressed Boyd and the audience: "You were very open. I was pretty dead set against it, and I'm still on the fence. But Brad has made it really clear that he was open for questions. I think that is really important. I just wanted to say that at least you guys are thinking of the community in the long run. At least it is something different. The fact that so many people are here means they care."

Mayor Boyd declined numerous calls for a yea or nay "straw vote" from the audience on the project, stating, "If we (the city) can't work together and find something that the majority of the community supports we won't do the project."

Boyd said later, "I think the first metric is going to be public opinion, and the probability of being able to raise funds. Both of those metrics will go into that first (decision point)."

The city put down a $25,000 refundable deposit on 11.5 acres on the southwest corner of Locust Street and Barclay Drive, extending west to Larch Street and, separately, immediately north of Barclay Drive and west of the former Conklin House. The property is owned by Sisters developer Richard Carpenter. In mid-March there is a trigger point where $10,000 of that deposit is no longer refundable.

Boyd expressed some uncertainty about how the city council will gauge public opinion. He acknowledged that opinion of the crowd was pretty evident at Wednesday's meeting, but he believes that it is not clear how representative the opinions of meeting attendees relate to the broader Sisters community support for the project.

Jerry Norquist told The Nugget, "I think we need to be seeing more community input on this before we move forward. It's wonderful that so many people are here tonight. I think it says a lot about our community."

Boyd expressed appreciation for the level of engagement.

"I'm so appreciative that we saw the participation that we did," said Boyd. "I love seeing the community out and being engaged."

Longtime Sisters Country resident Debbie Newport was relieved to see that there will be an ongoing dialog.

"I walked out of here confident that a process will take place and the community will be trusted to take part in that process," she told The Nugget. "That's all I wanted. I'm not a strong opponent or supporter. I trust the community."

The mayor clarified one area of confusion he created with his remarks on Wednesday. Addressing questions during the meeting, he noted that a local nonprofit with experience in staging musical events would take on management of the amphitheater. That led many to believe that the nonprofit in question is the Sisters Folk Festival, which is not the case.

"The folk festival is not envisioned as the venue manager," he told The Nugget.

Local resident Linda Wolff urged caution. Wolff moved to Sisters from Sedona, Arizona, and approached The Nugget with information about a 5,000-seat amphitheater project undertaken in Sedona that opened in 2000, went bankrupt in 2003, and now sits as a "weed infested eyesore in the city."

Sedona is a high desert community of 10,000 that enjoys significant tourist traffic in the summer months. They have a highly developed arts community that is supported by an affluent regional community, and they enjoy name recognition

nationally.

While the details are undoubtedly different between the Sedona and Sisters projects, Wolff believes there are enough similarities to justify a deeper look at what worked and what didn't work for Sedona (see story, page 3).

(Nugget editor Jim Cornelius contributed to this report.)