Letters to the Editor 07/18/2018

To the Editor:

Sisters needs a dog park.

The July 11 column by Craig Eisenbeis about Whychus Creek Trail being defiled by dogs emphasizes the need for a community off-leash dog park. About one third of U.S. households have dogs, and here it's probably more, yet there is no place to let dogs play and exercise safely. The local grapevine informed me that Peterson Ridge and Whychus Creek Trails are de facto off-leash areas ("You won't get arrested."). Mr. Eisenbeis points out the downsides with that approach. In addition we have a problem here with dogs running free and attacking wildlife. (See The Nugget, September 27, 2016, "Sisters is not a dog park" by Jodi Schneider McNamee.)

Dog parks build social relationships among the widest range of people - cutting across age, ethnicity, economics, and politics. Everyone is welcome and included. Over the years I've met veterans, new moms, people with disabilities, athletes, long-time residents, first-time visitors, teens, newlyweds with their first dog, people who have had dogs all their lives.

Users police themselves. Poop is scooped; if you don't notice your dog pooping, four or five people will make you aware. Redmond has an excellent off-leash park, well worth a visit for ideas - a public and private co-operative venture.

I've met with the Sisters Parks Advisory Board, SPRD, the Redmond Public Works manager, and the benefactor who funded the Redmond Park. All agree that the critical element here is land. The Master Plan sets aside land for a dog park at the East Portal, but it belongs to the USFS and must be bought from them. The alternatives are for someone to donate a parcel to the city or to start a GoFundMe approach.

Please go to the FB group "Sisters Dog Park Supporters" or "Community Watch of Sisters, BBR, Camp Sherman" if you are interested in furthering this project. It takes a village.

Joellyn Loehr

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To the Editor:

Typically, July is a slower time of the year for a school district. At our last board meeting, Jeff Smith was nominated and approved to continue to be the Sisters School Board Chair. Jay Wilkins was nominated and approved to be the Board Vice-Chair. The various other committee assignments were established and assigned.

I want to thank our board for the time and energy they put in to help make Sisters School District a great organization and cornerstone of the Sisters Community.

We had an unusually long consent agenda, as we have been very busy hiring staff to replace those that have retired and/or moved on from the Sisters School District. Although we will miss our colleagues that have moved on, we are very excited about the depth and the quality of the new staff that will be joining the Outlaw Family this fall.

Finally, we have been very busy working on bond projects, with the largest project this summer being the remodel of our middle school. This fall, not only will all of our schools have deferred maintenance upgrades, additionally, all of our schools will have double-door entry systems, card-lock doors, improved ADA access and cameras as advanced safety measures.

We are also re-engaging in the conversation about a new transportation center (not located in the high school parking lot) to continue to move toward the long-term goal of centralizing our facilities on one

campus.

Curt Scholl

Superintendent, Sisters School District

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To the Editor:

Once again, Mr. Rullman has inflamed the liberal residents of Sisters.

It is no wonder that calls have been made, that his "Bunkhouse" does not suit the sensitive tastes of progressive and government party elements in our community.

However, progress toward harmony has been made. The shunning of their political opponents will give the left an aura of theological superiority rather than the actual hatred of the Deplorables as represented by the Resistance.

Now hopefully the government party elites will allow the fly-over country rubes to retain our flintlock muskets while they pursue an end to magazine violence.

Larry Benson

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