City snapshot

• Work on the Highway20/Barclay roundabout continues to be on schedule with plans for it to be operational on Friday, May 26, the beginning of Memorial Day weekend. Barrels and cones will still be in use over the weekend.

The large truck bypass will still be under construction during the summer. ODOT representative Gary Farnsworth reported to Council that, despite winter weather delays, the contractor on the project, Knife River, has been very efficient in keeping the project on schedule. The Highway 20/Barclay roundabout has been carefully planned and executed because it is the first one in the state on a major state highway and will serve as the model for others to come, Farnsworth noted.

The artwork planned for the center of the roundabout will hopefully be in place by September 2018.

• Community Development Director Patrick Davenport reported that the Sisters Planning Commission is involved in an extensive review of possible text amendments to the City codes, including those dealing with nuisance abatement. Davenport also said that plans for a community visioning project are underway including participation by the Citizens for Community organization.

• Public Works director Paul Bertagna reported to the Sisters City Council that the original design concept is completed for all four intersections on the east end of town - Highway 20/Larch, 20/Jefferson, 20/Buckaroo Trail, and junction of 20/126. The concept will be reviewed with ODOT and the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee and will then be available for public review and comments.

• Bertagna reminded everyone that the City is now in "road work season" which means a small paving project on Hood Avenue near La Magie Bakery will be taking place, as well as striping of streets and crosswalks will be occurring. City crews will be performing maintenance in the City's public right-of-ways. Bertagna also reported that plans are underway to rearrange the traffic flow at the elementary school and to create a parking plan on East Cascade Avenue. When those plans are complete, an asphalt overlay will be applied to East Cascade Avenue.

• Future Council business will include approval of a new three-year contract for policing services to the City by the Deschutes County Sheriff's office at the May 24 Council meeting. A review of social gaming in the City will occur at the June 24 Council workshop at 5:30 p.m.

• The City issued eight new business licenses in April. Those businesses include: a carpet cleaner; mobile repair service; nail spa; sports equipment manufacturer; home cleaning service; a catering company; hot tub and sauna sales; and business services.

• At the May 24 City Council meeting, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, Council will hold a public hearing on an application by the owners of the property known as McKenzie Meadow Village to revise the original master plan to make it more flexible for the property owners, while providing sufficient controls for the City.

The original master plan was unusually prescriptive regarding uses and time frames so that the property's availability for development is currently very limited. The restrictions have made it especially problematic with the market fluctuations as a result of the economic downturn and three Land Use Board of Appeals filings by Mark Adolf. Adolf was unable to secure financing to build the planned MMV assisted-living facility and subsequently applied with the City to build an assisted living facility separate from MMV and received approval. However, that project currently appears to be stalled.