City snapshot

• At their September 27, 2017 meeting, the Sisters City Council will hold a public hearing on an ordinance amending the nuisance, abandoned vehicle, and dangerous building provisions in the Sisters Municipal Code.

The amendments deal mainly with abatement procedures, which will spell out clearly what constitutes a nuisance, abandoned vehicle, or dangerous building and the steps that will be required to remove, eliminate, or correct such a situation. Those with an interest in the amendments may testify at the hearing.

• At their September 27 meeting, City Council, acting as the Contract Review Board, will consider a motion to award a contract for the Highway 20 and Barclay roundabout landscape design with a scenic byway interpretive theme to Cameron McCarthy Landscape Architecture and Planning of Eugene. The 20-member firm has completed a wide variety of projects for both private and public-sector clients. Their qualified personnel include 11 licensed landscape architects, a licensed planner, and a certified arborist.

• According to Sisters Schools Superintendent Curt Scholl, come Spring 2018, the district school buses will be housed at the new district transportation facility, scheduled for construction in the high school's southwest parking lot. In addition to serving as the bus barn, there will also be space for technical high school classes like metal shop and auto shop. The facility is being constructed using some of the funds provided by the last school bond passed by the voters.

• The stage at Fir Street Park is now officially known as Songbird Stage, since the installation of large metal lettering crafted by Sisters resident Martin Peck. The name was selected to acknowledge the songbird art installation on the back wall of the stage, created by Sisters artist Paul Alan Bennett.

• All the new cabins at FivePine Lodge and Conference Center are completed and ready for occupancy, according to General Manager Greg Willitts. The cabin interiors incorporate a new design including a 65-inch television, three-sided fireplace, cast-iron tub, a "monster shower" with large showerhead and a view to the fireplace and TV. The interior finishes include black tile and grout for a sleek look. In the plans for the future are a hot tub and pool to bolster winter business.

• The revision to the 2010 System Transportation Plan is closer to reality as the committee continues its work. The plan covers all modes of transportation - pedestrian, bicycle, motor vehicle, and transit.

After looking at what exists now and estimating needs in the future, recommendations will be made for action plans to meet those future needs. A large number of the projects proposed in the 2010 TSP have become reality including sidewalk infilling, Safe Routes to School plan, the renovation of Cascade Avenue, and construction of the roundabout at Barclay and Highway 20. One recommendation that was tried and later scrapped was back-in parking along Main Avenue to improve bicycle safety. The experiment proved highly unpopular with citizens, and after two years the street was returned to front pull-in parking.

Under consideration this time around is a mini-roundabout at the Locust and Highway 20 intersection and a large roundabout at the Highway 20/126/Buckaroo Trail area on the east end of town. There will be an opportunity for the public to weigh in prior to formal acceptance of the revision.