City snapshot

• City Council agreed to move ahead with finalizing the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) which defines the roles and responsibilities of each party regarding acquiring all of the right-of-way areas required for the future roundabout at East Cascade and Locust Street.

An independent fee appraiser will prepare an appraisal of the property, which may take up to 60 days. That appraisal then goes to the ODOT review appraiser for approximately 30 days. Following the appraisal and review, an offer will be made to Sisters School District for purchase of the property located at the southwest corner of the elementary school property and a small piece across North Locust on the administration headquarters property. The hope is to have a deal struck with the school district by late summer/early fall and have the transfer of the property to ODOT completed in eight to 12 months from now.

• A joint City Council/Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 22 at 4 p.m., available on Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/92805488729 to discuss the recently completed Urban Growth Boundary Sufficiency Report and get an update on the Comprehensive Plan project. The public may join the Zoom meeting.

• In recognition of 2021 being the 75th anniversary of the incorporation of Sisters, at the start of each City Council meeting a Jubilee Minute will be observed with the reading of a passage from Council minutes of years gone by.

• As the holding ponds at the City’s sewer treatment plant were pumped out by Clean Harbors Environmental Services Inc., it was discovered that there was more sludge in the bottom than anticipated. This is the first time the ponds have been pumped out since the City activated the sewer system 20 years ago, and the company that installed the system had estimated that 20 years would be soon enough.

Public Works Director Paul Bertagna told Council that from here on out, the ponds will be pumped every seven to 10 years. An additional $61,908 was approved by the Council to cover the extra days and services required to complete the job. Even with the additional fee, the entire project has come in under the budget of $250,000.

• Finance Director Joe O’Neill told Council that his department is deep in preparations for the upcoming budget season with budget committee meetings to review the 2021-22 proposed budget scheduled for May 17-18.

• Community Development Director Scott Woodford announced there will be another virtual open house for the public regarding the updated Comprehensive Plan in late May and a survey will be available regarding City infill and the Urban Growth Boundary.

• City Manager Cory Misley noted that since the onset of COVID-19, all public events need to have a public safety plan approved by the Deschutes County Public Health Department.

• Most of the work is completed on the ADA upgrade to the Creekside Park bridge, according to Public Works Director Paul Bertagna. Due to difficulty securing the necessary materials, the railing on the ramps has not yet been installed.