City snapshot

• Last week, one of the oldest ponderosa pines in the city had to be removed due to disease and bug infestation. A large crowd gathered in Creekside Park to bid farewell to this forest giant. A "cookie" section of the tree has been saved and will be displayed by cutting a V-shape in the remaining stump and setting the section up on its side. It will be varnished to protect it from the weather. Visitors to the park will be able to count the rings (well over 400) to estimate the age of the tree and appreciate its longevity.

• The newly established Housing Policy Board will act in an advisory capacity to Sisters City Council on issues regarding housing in Sisters. Applications are currently being accepted for four positions to be filled by residents who reside within the city limits and three who are residents of greater Sisters Country. Applications are available on the City website, http://www.ci.sisters.or.us, under Living in Sisters - How to Get Involved.

• Restrooms, like those located at Fir Street Park, will be installed this summer at Clemens Park in the southeast corner of the park.

• The City is seeking a volunteer to fill a vacancy on the Parks Advisory Board. The applicant may be a high school student who has time to attend 4 p.m. meetings the first Wednesday of each month or an adult resident of Sisters Country. Applications are available on the City website, http://www.ci.sisters.or.us, under Living in Sisters - How to Get Involved.

• The possibility of installing shade sails at Fir Street Park, which currently lacks any kind of shade at all times of the day, is being investigated by the public works department.

• Public works wants to remind everyone that road construction season is coming up and asks citizens to be mindful of equipment and workers on the city streets and roads. Please give them a "brake."

• Drive by Creekside Campground and take a look at all the improvements made by public works to the Locust Street side of the campground, in response to almost two years of meetings and public hearings conducted by the Parks Advisory Board. They have enlarged and extended the earthen berm and planted 25 large blue spruce trees on it to help screen the campground from the adjoining neighborhood. The old exit has been removed and the existing entrance has been widened to allow for both entering and exiting from one location. Several camping sites located next to Locust have been removed and several others have been shortened to reduce the size of motorhomes able to use those sites.

• The online reservation system for Creekside Campground is performing well. The number of phone calls to the City regarding reservations has been greatly reduced, saving staff time. There are already 1,400 nights reserved, and reservations only started March 1.

• ODOT is moving forward on the planned roundabout for the intersection at Highway 20 and McKinney Butte Road, by Ray's Food Place and the Best Western Ponderosa Lodge. Right-of-way work is underway and ODOT plans to hold focus-group meetings, starting with the businesses closest to the roundabout. They will also be engaging the community, much as they did on the Cascade Avenue project. Construction is projected to begin in

2017.

• The Army Corps of Engineers is beginning a two-year study of the Carver Lake moraine dam, which is located above Sisters in the Whychus Creek watershed. They will be making presentations to the community regarding the study and why it is being undertaken.

• City Council is preparing to adopt a resolution supporting the Speak Your Peace Sisters Civility Project. They are joining a number of other local businesses and organizations in this community-wide effort.

• In May, a grand opening will be held to celebrate 1.1 miles of accessible trail on the Peterson Ridge Trail near the new scenic overlook. It is the first ADA trail in the Sisters Ranger District and was funded by a grant from the National Forest Foundation. Sisters Trails Alliance assisted in its construction and is providing signage and benches.

• Work on an update to the Transportation System Plan will begin in July and the City will be looking for citizens to serve on the committee.

• Infrastructure improvements on Hood Avenue have been completed. The underground power and irrigation systems are all on the City grid now. The ADA ramp replacements are complete and repaving should be complete this week. The Sisters Arts Association is working with Travel Oregon and the Chamber of Commerce to create an arts district on Hood.

• The Deschutes County Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee has an opening for a representative from Sisters. If interested contact Wendy Holzman,

[email protected].