City snapshot

• Deschutes County ballots must be received in the County Clerk's office or at Sisters City Hall by 8 p.m., May 15 in order to be counted. Postmarks don't count. Voter pamphlets and mail ballots should have been received two weeks ago. Be sure to turn over the ballot as there is a measure on the back to vote on.

The Sisters School District local option levy; a local option levy for SPRD and the Deschutes County Commissioners' primary are all on the ballot.

• A community meeting for the Sisters Country Horizons visioning project is scheduled for Thursday, May 17, 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Camp Sherman Community Hall. Watch the Sisters Country Horizons Facebook page for any other meetings that may be scheduled.

• The Public Works Department is making preparations for the approaching summer. The irrigation is on in all the City parks and mowing of the lawns has begun. The splash pad in Fir Street Park will be turned on sometime in May, depending on night-time temperatures. The East Portal will open when ODOT opens Highway 242, the McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway.

• Jack Nagel has been reappointed to a four-year term on the Planning Commission. Two more commissioners' terms will expire in June, and interested residents are encouraged to apply. Contact City Recorder Kerry Prosser 541-323-5213 for more information.

• Henderson LLC of Lake Oswego and Bend is the firm selected to do the design work for the riparian restoration on both sides of Whychus Creek where it runs between Creekside Park and Creekside Campground. They previously did the restoration project on the creek when the Leithauser dam was removed. They were chosen due to their expertise working in busy urban areas including parks, neighborhoods, and a highway, in a project involving multiple stakeholders.

• Michael Preedin has been appointed to a three-year term on the City Budget Committee that will meet this month to establish the City budget for 2018-19, which begins on July 1.

• The proposal for the "pollinator park" in the north end of Sisters received approval from the Parks Advisory Board. It was decided there should be a naming contest to determine what to call the park. The idea for the park grew out of a project by seventh-graders Jaxon Wetherell and Coral Pappe, students in Mrs. Burden's language arts class at Sisters Middle School. Jaxon was at the Parks Advisory Board meeting to present their design concept.

• On May 18, Economic Development of Central Oregon will be hosting a by-invitation-only tour of several Sisters businesses. Local, state, and county officials as well as stakeholders will have the opportunity to see what is going on in community businesses first-hand.

• The dishwashing station has been installed at Creekside Campground and is ready for use by campers. The station was added to encourage campers to not wash their dishes or other belongings in Whychus Creek.

• A dog waste station will be installed at an unofficial Peterson Ridge trailhead located at South Locust Street and Tyee Drive near the gate that leads to the City's treatment plant. Dog waste has become an increasing problem for neighbors in the area. If you walk your dog in this area, please be mindful of your pet's impact on the neighborhood. As an aside, the City provides 20,000 dog waste bags a year for use by citizens and visitors.

• Seven choke cherry trees were planted along the east side of Clemens Park for Arbor Day. Students in Josh Nordell's Life Skills class did the planting.

• Correction: The free City barbecue will be held on Tuesday, June 19. The date has been changed from the original June 21.

• Due to dramatically increased usage of wilderness areas in both Deschutes and Willamette National Forests, the U.S. Forest Service is discussing with the public five possible permitting options being considered to help protect wilderness areas from overuse and degradation. The five areas being studied are the Three Sisters, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, Diamond Peak and Waldo Lake.

The goal of the overall project is to sustain access to the areas, balance human needs and ecological health, and meet the long-term needs of communities and the wilderness. Public comment is still being taken. For more information, contact Sisters District Ranger Ian Reid at 541-549-7701 or Beth Peer at 541-383-5554. Documents are available online at data.ecosystem-management.org/nepaweb_project_exp.

• The Deschutes Country Sheriff's Office will be holding a document-shredding and prescription medicine turn-in in Sisters on June 23. Watch for details.