Assets committee reviews project ideas

A town hall meeting held at Sisters Middle School in the wake of heightened citizen interest over a proposed Sisters amphitheater earlier this year resulted in the formation of the Community Assets Committee.

Mayor Brad Boyd has appointed 10 members to the committee, charging them with vetting the top four ideas developed on by attendees at the town hall and presenting their best plan for a successful project at a follow-up meeting. Further feedback and suggestions are to be gathered from attendees, then discussed further in committee. Financial aspects and funding sources will be investigated for the identified plan and the results will be delivered to Sisters City Council. The final plan will be presented to the voters.

The four ideas being analyzed are: a field house, a convention center, a winter sports complex, and a science/art/history center - or some combination thereof.

In a move to be more transparent with these kinds of issues, Mayor Boyd included community volunteers Matt Cyrus, Jerry Norquist, Bill Willitts and Bill Hall, who was subsequently elected chair. Also on the committee are: Caprielle Foote-Lewis, Economic Development for Central Oregon representative; Liam Hughes, Sisters Park & Recreation District representative; Marshall Jackson, Sisters School District representative; Ann Richardson, Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce representative; and representatives from the city council, Wendy Holzman and McKibben Womack.

Since the committee's first formal meeting in July, the scope of the project has been defined, descriptions of each of the projects were reviewed and refined, a project analysis form for processing information and factors to be considered was formulated, and four members volunteered to gather information to assess the merits of each of the four projects.

Liam Hughes addressed the values and benefits of erecting a field house adjacent to the present SPRD building according to the specific questions on the project analysis form. He discussed the opportunity for all ages to participate in sports indoors, day and night, year-round, and the ability to host competitions that would bring in teams and fans from out of town. The floor plan could include tennis and pickleball courts, a field and track area, batting cages, golf cages, a climbing wall and multi-purpose rooms.

Bill Willitts prepared a complete presentation to discuss the idea of a conference/activity center that would attract large groups year-round. His vision includes a large meeting hall and several break-out rooms, which could accommodate around 500 people, and include an ice skating rink, an art gallery and a commercial kitchen to allow catering by local restaurants. His plan was pared down to the original conference center idea, but could be expanded in later discussions.

Wendy Holzman and McKibben Womack will be presenting the science/art/history center project, and Jerry Norquist the winter sports complex at upcoming meetings, then all the ideas and combinations of ideas will be looked at to determine which, if any, appear to have good promise for success.

This process will also provide city council with a recommended procedure for the processing of future ideas received by the City from its constituents. The goal is to provide a thorough, consistent, efficient and transparent method for this purpose.

One of the committee's earlier discussions was about including more public outreach in the process so no one feels like an idea was sprung on them without due process, which was the issue with the amphitheater and a proposed Creekside Campground remodel. Progress will be reported at council meetings and brief updates will appear in the bi-weekly "Letters from Sisters City Hall" column in The Nugget.

The Community Assets Committee meets at City Hall on the first and third Thursdays of each month. Check the meeting calendar on the City's web site for updates. Call Kathy Nelson for information, 541-549-6022.