Letters to the Editor 09/12/2018

To the Editor:

Early in this year's Sisters Folk Festival, I was searching online for what Lifetime Achievement or Artistic Director Hall of Fame for which to nominate Brad Tisdel for his curatorial work every year on SFF.

While our hearts are full listening to acoustic folk, this year was out of this world as Brad introduced us to the many fusion directions current folk music is evolving such as The Dustbowl Revival, Kahulanui, Ron Artis II, GangstaGrass.

On Sunday, artist Ron Artis II (Ron Artis II & the Truth) said it best from the stage:

"Everyone in Sisters should be writing letters to the world that say THIS is how you curate a folk festival."

Couldn't agree more, Sisters Folk Festival 2018. Bravo to Brad and the entire SFF team for a flawless event.

Jeanette Pilak

s s s

To the Editor:

The discussion about policing in Sisters is a real issue this summer. I have had to slam on my brakes (with my dog slamming the back of the seats) six times this summer from rolling stops of side-street drivers who ignore the stop signs. I am not alone in this complaint, nor are these all tourists.

On the contrary, most have been locals. I was cited in 1984 for this at $93. That put the brake on my rolling stops. When we had our own police force, this violation was much more controlled.

Parking an empty sheriff's car in town precisely where the traffic has to slow anyway is not much of an assist. The worst speed violations are at the elementary school, where I have clocked even government cars driving as fast as 45 in a 20 mph zone at a

school.

We need more presence. We need to get results from what the city pays to the

county.

Bonnie Malone

•••

To the Editor:

The City of Estes Park in Colorado has adopted and upheld a no-marijuana-sales law in their city. In their words, "...wishing to take measures to minimize the exposure of residents and guests to this industry ... Estes Park has chosen to remain a family-friendly destination and community, upholding (their) traditions of physical & spiritual wellness, outdoor recreation, meaningful connections with nature & each other, and timeless family fun."

I urge the City of Sisters to look to and reach out to cities like Estes Park to learn from their experience.

With all the recent talk about funding our own city police department, would marijuana sales add to the need for a police force in our town? Has the City of Sisters looked to Sheriff Shane Nelson for input on marijuana-related police regulation costs in Bend? Remember, our own city police force would come to us by way of a major tax increase. The added marijuana sales tax would probably have a minimal impact on city income, the few who aren't growing their own will likely travel to Bend to avoid that tax just like so many do to avoid our gas tax.

Sheriff Nelson is clearly another great resource; I urge the City of Sisters to talk with him directly about the subject of marijuana sales.

Then I got to thinking about my trip on an airplane last month. An onboard announcement stated that a passenger had a severe peanut allergy, we were requested to refrain from opening/eating any snack we'd brought along that contained peanuts. So every passenger on the plane took action in order to protect the one.

My point being: I'm requesting the City of Sisters and every one of us residents to keep asking questions and educate ourselves so we can make a truly informed decision on marijuana sales.

That decision might even be to simply defer it until we have a clearer picture of the impact, because there's no going back once it's done.

I hope our community can make a decision based not on short-term personal convenience and gratification, but based on the long-term goals of our community for business atmosphere, a family-friendly lifestyle, a reasonable cost of living tax base, and the long-term effect on every vulnerable person in our community.

A strong healthy community has the ability to look beyond each individual's immediate personal gratification in order to take care of the community as a whole.

Lorna Clarke