Letters to the Editor 08/12/2015

To the Editor:

As suggested in some previous letters to The Nugget I support the idea of a paved multi-use path that is located on the north side of Highway 20 for the following reasons: First, there is the existing network of trails called the Sisters Tie trails that meander through the forest from the north Pine Street intersection in Sisters to Indian Ford Campground where there are facilities for parking, restrooms, and even camping!

These trails could be paved with much less expense than creating a new trail as proposed. With the dollars saved paving already existing trails we could construct one or two highway crossings near Black Butte Ranch and/or Tollgate. There is a beautifully innovative green highway crossing in Holland that provides access for people as well as animals like migrating deer and elk herds, which are known hazards for motor vehicles.

With these improvements we suddenly have access and connection for many more communities (Indian Ford, Sage Meadow, Squaw Creek Canyon Estates, etc...) on both sides of Highway 20. Consequently the road becomes safer for motor vehicle traffic and for the many animals injured or killed while trying to cross. The benefits are wide-spread and friction would be greatly reduced from folks in Tollgate and Black Butte Ranch that are opposed to a paved path so close to their neighborhood.

Sarah Rowland

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To the Editor

I attended the concert (Matt, the Electrician) on Thursday August 7.

What a pleasurable event! Thank you to all who made the event possible - Sisters Folk Festival and The Roundhouse Foundation. I also want to express my thanks to the City of Sisters and in particular the City Council members, both past and present, who had the forward thinking to create the Fir Street Park. What a nice addition to our community resources.

Please keep your visionary thinking going!

Again, thank you!

Ken Serkownek

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To the Editor:

Re: "Signing on for a tough job in Sisters" (The Nugget, August 5, page 1): This article states; "City officials are considering what it takes to attract and retain qualified people to step into these volunteer positions in a challenging environment."

I suggest that the City Council move to open up the positions to a broader spectrum of candidates. The decisions of the City Council do not only affect the citizens within the city limits.

My suggestion; Expand the area for viable candidates to match the Sisters School District boundary. All of us, from Camp Sherman to Fryrear Road, are participants in the outcomes that the council and planning commission decide.

I personally do not know the rules, regulations or statutes that would either allow or deny the ability to make this happen. I do believe it would benefit Sisters Country in ways that will make living here even a greater joy!

Michael Valoppi

(Editor's note: This idea has arisen frequently over the years. There are significant legal obstacles; see related story, page 1).

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To the Editor:

I am writing in response to the article in The Nugget by Jim Cornelius regarding the roundabout on Barclay Drive and Highway 20.

According to Mr. Farnsworth, I guess I am one of those who agree to disagree! I still do not believe a roundabout will alleviate the traffic on Cascade Avenue. It will continue to be bumper-to-bumper. A traffic light at that intersection would create a lull in the flow of cars and trucks, thus allowing cars to safely cross or turn left on Cascade. I believe that lull would also help the congestion at Locust and Highway 20.

The article mentioned a need to create long left-turn lanes at the traffic signal. When the temporary light was in effect, I do not recall any long lines of cars waiting to turn left. The majority of traffic is heading either east towards Bend or Redmond, or west to the Valley. I never heard one word of dissension when that signal light was in use.

Mr. Farnsworth mentioned that there is no magic solution to Sisters' traffic problems. He also said a traffic light and a roundabout are about equal in terms of their effectiveness in moving traffic. If this issue is not going to be put to a vote before the citizens, I urge the City Council to make the decision to install a traffic light at Barclay Dr. and Highway 20. It would take far less time and be less destructive to the city.

Donna Holland

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To the Editor:

I'm coming out of the closet on this one: I can't stand the name "Whychus."

In my opinion the tribal naming committee, which had taken on the task of renaming Squaw Creek did a less than satisfactory job.

To me the word "Whychus" conjures up images of detritus, or maybe the sound of someone blowing their nose. Along with the name Clatsop, which sounds like, "someone spilled the catsup," this has to be one of the worst sounding Native American place-names in the Northwest.

I know there are many more pressing issues in the world and even in our community that demand our attention, but language is important, too. How a word sounds when we say it affects how we feel. The spoken word definitely has an effect upon our psyche.

No one can even agree on how to pronounce this homely word. Some say wy-CHOOS, which rhymes with juice, others say wy-CHUS, which rhymes with bus, and I also hear WYchis, which rhymes with righteous. The interesting part is that there doesn't seem to be any hint of a disagreement about this. No one seems to care. Its like I only say the word when I have to, as if mentioning an unpleasant bodily function in polite company. Once it's out of my mouth I forget about it.

By contrast there are so many other wonderful place-names in the Northwest that come from Native American words. Think of Seattle, or Paulina, or Winema, or even Billy Chinook - all of these named after people. There are names that are sonorous, pleasant sounding, like Nehalem, Salishan, Chehalis, or Tualatin; names that are fun to say, like Olallie, Calapooia, Klickitat, or Wickiup; strong, solid names like Modoc, Klamath or Multnomah; and all the great river names on the coast like Umpqua, Siuslaw, Siletz, Nestucca, etc., and closer to home, names like Santiam or Tumalo.

Even place-names starting with the awkward letter/syllable "y" like Yreka or Wy'east (the native name for Mt. Hood) are pleasant to speak. And there are wonderful "ch" words like Ochoco or Chehalem and great names ending in"us" (or use), like Metolius or Cayuse. But unfortunately these three sounds together, wy-ch-us by themselves just don't make it.

So my hope is that the naming committee will reconvene, start over, and get back to the drawing board. Our beautiful river deserves better.

Irv Givot