Letters to the Editor 03/18/2015

To the Editor:

The Nugget article "Truckers take on 'roundabout rodeo'" (The Nugget, March 4, page 1) presumes that the roundabout is a done deal.

According to ODOT there is going to be a public forum this spring in Sisters. I sincerely hope that The Nugget keeps all of us informed of the dates and times.

Carin Baker

•••

To the Editor:

I read in The Nugget that a mockup of the proposed Highway 20/Barclay Drive roundabout was tested by professional truck drivers and they approved of it.

Good, but it got me to thinking: when will the promised community meeting be held? It seems that the citizens who will be paying for this and will have to live with it should also have some say in this project. Isn't the purpose of the meeting to help the community learn more and voice their opinions on having a roundabout or a traffic signal at that location? City Council, please schedule the meeting that you promised.

Pat Norman

•••

To The Editor:

I know I'm not alone in saying a BIG "Yahoo!" to the end of the insane back in parking. Just another thumbs up to common sense.

Kelsey Collins

•••

To the Editor:

I believe The Nugget has a done an admirable job of presenting a broad spectrum of opinions in regards to the paved-trail issue. I certainly have appreciated the space afforded to me to express my opinion.

That said, I feel compelled to raise the issue of editorial judgment regarding Randy McCall's response to my LTE regarding public funding (Letters to the Editor, The Nugget, March 11, page 2). Mr. McCall's full response, that appeared on The Nugget website, but did not appear in the paper, included the assessment that opinions expressed in opposition to the project are "100% pure unadulterated BS."

Omitting McCall's vulgarity is understandable in a community newspaper. However, in doing so, McCall's actual tone, thought, and the level of conversation was not accurately portrayed. Whatever.

The real issue is Mr. McCall's groundless assertion that I am a liar, and, more importantly, The Nugget's decision to print it. As this issue has dragged on for years, I and others that have voiced their objections to the project have been called a myriad of names. Though it never feels particularly good being on the receiving end of such platitudes from fellow community members, the sting is mild in that I believe that put-downs are at best a matter of opinion, but are more often than not just the refuge for an individual or group that is lacking a sound response.

Whereas we could endlessly argue just who is being "selfish" - and I am sure many feel that that milestone has long since passed - the truth is not subjective and is never a matter of opinion. To publicly accuse someone of lying is a serious thing that goes way beyond

name-calling.

Honestly, for Mr. McCall to call me a liar without substantiation or even reference to what I am supposedly lying about is not exactly surprising at this point. However, for The Nugget to choose to print it is reckless. It only serves to fuel contentious feelings that seem to be burning just fine on their own.

We are very fortunate to have a free community newspaper that provides, among many things, a platform for the public to share opinions. The weekly task of deciding what and what not to print must be a huge undertaking and responsibility. I am thankful for the service The Nugget provides, but am hopeful that in the future the paper will exercise editorial prudence beyond just leaving out the swear words.

Greg Werts

•••

To the Editor:

As an affected party of the food-cart issue, I would like to present some food for thought. Our family has owned and operated The Gallery Restaurant in Sisters for 36 years. I usually keep quiet on controversial issues, but in this case I believe someone from the restaurant industry in Sisters should voice an opinion. I do believe in free enterprise, but on a level playing field, and obviously I feel food carts are unfair competition and an eyesore. I would like to offer the following comparisons to consider next time you purchase food from a cart:

The Gallery: 

• Over one million dollars invested in our location.

• 25 year-round employees.

• $1,000 a month for local property taxes.

• $10,000 a week to local suppliers.

• Open year-round regardless of being unprofitable in the winter.

• Profits reinvested in the local community.

• We care and support local community efforts on all levels.

Food Carts:

• Small investment.

• No local property taxes.

• Very little spent at local suppliers.

• Only here to reap the profits from a busy summer.

• Profits not reinvested in the local community.

• Gone when summer is over.

• You are only dollars in their pockets.

Other Sisters restaurants have similar expenses and are also affected by the presence of food carts. In addition, there is a lot of available space in Sisters for these businesses to become a year-round part of our community.

Thank you for considering this, and The Gallery hopes to serve Sisters for another 36 years or more. Please support our local restaurants and not food carts. We have a wide variety of good restaurants.

Jim Cheatham

•••

To the Editor:

Since starting my newspaper career at The Bulletin in Bend nearly 40 years ago, I've been an occasional reader of The Nugget. The paper has never looked or read better. 

Get-to-the-point stories. Informative. Clean design. I'm impressed.

This, from a reader who's judged numerous Society of Professional Journalists contests and won a few National Society of Newspaper Columnists awards himself.

In a day when the quality of newspapers is generally declining, I hope Sisters readers realize what a wonderful exception The Nugget is. Bravo to the paper's staff.

Bob Welch

Eugene