City snapshot

• Tuesday evening, August 2, will be the National Night Out with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office from 6 to 8 p.m. at Village Green Park. There will be opportunities to meet Sisters’ deputies and lieutenant, Search and Rescue personnel, a canine unit, and to explore emergency vehicles.

• July is the month for local Sisters nonprofits and other service organizations to apply for community grants offered by the City Council. A total of $20,000 is available for disbursements. Deadline for turning in an application, which is available on the City website, is July 31.

• Vicki Hickman has been named as the newest member of the Planning Commission, replacing former commissioner Mark Hamilton who stepped down several months ago.

• The City Parks Advisory Board (CPAB) received an update from Cameron McCarthy consultants on the progress of the Parks Master Plan update, summarizing findings from initial community outreach and involvement, and outlining draft deliverables, including the Community Profile and Demographic Trends, and Inventory and Conditions Report.

Following that background, the consultants and the CPAB conducted a broad policy discussion of desired plan goals, using the 2020 Sisters Comprehensive Plan Parks and Recreation Goal (Goal 7) as the basis for discussion. Two new areas of emphasis that will be addressed in the new plan are equitable access and overcoming barriers. The CPAB will receive another consultant update in September. Documents outlining the information reviewed are available on the City website, www.ci.sisters.or.us under 2022 City Parks Master Plan Project.

• Recommended City water system improvements between 2022-2040 were reviewed by the Public Works Advisory Board at their June 14 meeting.

Those improvements include rebuilding Well No. 1 pump station, constructing a new, larger reservoir, replacing aging asbestos/cement pipes, which are undersized, with PVC pipe for added capacity and fire flow in several areas, installation of several looping systems, Well #3 pumping station improvements, constructing Well No. 5, and the ongoing water meter replacement program.

The total anticipated costs for all projects over the next 18 years is projected to be $19.1 million, paid for through systems development charges and applications for state and federal grants.

• Recommended improvements to the City wastewater system that were also reviewed include the Rope Street lift station, where there are electrical issues and the pumps are nearing the end of their useful life, construction of new lift stations on the west side and Creekside Court, headworks improvements at the treatment plant, replacement of the pond’s 2 and 3 aerators, Phases 1 and 2 Lazy Z improvements, and periodic biosolids removal. The total anticipated costs for all projects over the next 18 years is projected to be $10.4 million, which will be covered by systems development charges and applications for state and federal grants.