Wednesday, March 18, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
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Forestry board
gets down to work
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
The Urban Forestry Board
(UFB) began their work of
caring for Sisters trees in ear-
nest at their March 11 meet-
ing, reviewing tree-removal
requests, approving the docu-
ment advertising for a city
forester, and getting updates
on current projects.
They reviewed the Request
for Proposal (RFP) drawn up
by City staff for contract-
ing a city forester to provide
urban forestry advisory ser-
vices for staff and the UFB.
RFP proposals are due April
1, 2015, interviews and the
See ForeStry on page 30
Sheriff’s office takes on
panhandler complaints
The Deschutes County
Sheriff’s Office and the City
of Sisters received a spate
of complaints recently about
the aggressive behavior of
a homeless man who was
apparently panhandling along
McKinney Butte Road where
it runs between the Bi-Mart
and the Ray’s Food Place
shopping centers.
Captain Erik Utter of the
Deschutes County Sheriff’s
Office told The Nugget that
law enforcement has limited
options in dealing with such
complaints.
If a person is on private
property, “it’s kind of incum-
bent on the property owner to
draw the line” regarding the
behavior of a person occupy-
ing their property.
A deputy can contact a
person and advise them that
they are being disruptive and
ask them to move on, but
that tends to just relocate a
problem.
“You end up following a
bouncing ball,” Capt. Utter
said.
One of the citizens who
lodged a complaint told The
Nugget that she has seen a
number of homeless men in
that vicinity and never had
any issues, but felt intimi-
dated when the man located
there now approached her car
aggressively with a sign.
“We understand that it’s a
quality-of-life issue,” Capt.
Utter said.
Actually coming out into
traffic or acting in a threaten-
ing matter are actionable vio-
lations, Utter noted. If a citi-
zen feels concerned or threat-
ened, it is helpful if they are
willing to be a named com-
plainant, which will allow the
sheriff’s office more leeway
to take substantive action.
“It puts people out of their
comfort zone, but that’s very
helpful to us,” Capt. Utter
said.
photo proviDeD
Local firefighters battled cancer through a grueling fitness test in Seattle.
Firefighters conquer tower climb
You may have noticed
firefighters out in the com-
munity over the last couple of
weeks soliciting donations for
the Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society. Firefighters sang at
Sisters Coffee, ran on a stair-
climber at Ray’s Food Place,
and threw an open house at
Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire
District Station No. 701.
All of these events led up
to the assault on the Columbia
Center Tower in Seattle by
five local firefighters, in
an effort to raise funds for
research into leukemia and
lymphoma.
On Sunday, March 8, two
Sisters firefighters, Dave
Keller and Travis Bootes, and
three Cloverdale firefight-
ers, Damon Frutos, Spencer
Cashwell, and Clinton
Weaver, joined over 1,700
other firefighters who com-
pleted the stairway climb at
the Columbia Center Tower
wearing their fire gear.
At the event, firefighters
line up outside the building
starting at 8 a.m. A firefighter
enters the stairwell every 12
seconds. The grueling climb is
a test of endurance and mental
toughness. The stairwell is hot
and unventilated. Firefighters
are wearing about 60 pounds
of gear as they make their
way up 69 floors, 1,311 steps,
more than 700 feet into the
sky. Air tanks, which hold a
limited amount of air, con-
nect to masks strapped to
their faces. Controlling their
breathing is a must. There is a
single opportunity on the 40th
floor to pause and change air
tanks if the need arises. There
are pictures at every turn of
cancer survivors and those
who lost their battle with the
disease.
All five local firefighters
completed the climb in less
than 30 minutes. The fastest,
Dave Keller (winner of this
year’s Sisters Fire District
Fire Fitness Award), finished
in just over 16 minutes.
The firefighters would like
to thank all of the people who
have donated to this fundrais-
ing effort this year. Cloverdale
firefighters are currently about
$600 short of their $7,500
fundraising goal for this year.
Sisters firefighters are approx-
imately $1,500 short of their
goal. Donations are being
accepted until March 31.
To donate visit www.llswa.
org/goto/sistersfire or www.
llswa.org/goto/cloverdalefire.
Checks or cash donations can
be dropped off at the Sisters-
Camp Sherman main fire sta-
tion on S. Elm St., or at the
new Cloverdale fire adminis-
trative offices on Cloverdale
Road.
SISTERS AREA MEETING CALENDAR
Central Oregon Fly Tyers Guild
4th Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For
location information: 541-549-2072.
ALANON Monday, noon, Shepherd
of the Hills Lutheran Church •
Central Oregon Spinners and
Wednesday, 6 p.m., The Episcopal
Weavers Guild 4th Saturday, 1 to
Church of the Transfi guration.
3 p.m. Sisters Library. 541-639-3217.
541-549-8737 or 541-549-1527.
Central Oregon Woodworkers
Alcoholics Anonymous Thursday &
Guild 1st Monday. 541-610-9022.
Sunday, 7 p.m., The Episcopal Church
East of the Cascades Quilt Guild 4th
of the Transfi guration • Saturday,
Wednesday, September-June, Stitchin’
8 a.m., The Episcopal Church of the
Post. All are welcome. 541-549-6061.
Transfi guration • Monday, 5 p.m.,
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church
Friends of the Sisters Library
• Tuesday, noon, Big Book study,
Board of Directors 2nd Tuesday,
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church • 9 to 11 a.m., Sisters Library. Public is
Thursday, noon, Sober Sisters Women welcome. 541-977-8285.
Meeting, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Heartwarmers (fl eece blanketmakers)
Church. 541-548-0440.
1st & 3rd Tuesdays, 1 p.m., Sisters City
Authors Support Group 2nd Friday,
Hall. Just bring scissors! 503-880-5832.
10 a.m., Sisters Area Chamber of
Hero Quilters of Sisters Thursday, 1 to
Commerce. 541-588-0081.
4 p.m. 541-549-1028 or 541-548-3304.
Black Butte Macintosh Users Group
3rd Thursday, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Sisters Military Parents of Sisters 2nd
Library community room. 541-549-1471. Thursday, 5:30 p.m., Ray’s Food Place
community room. 541-647-7483.
Black Butte Ranch Bridge Club
Oregon Band of Brothers – Sisters
Tuesdays, 12:30 p.m., Black Butte
Chapter Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m.,
Ranch community room. All welcome;
Takoda’s Restaurant. 541-408-5594.
partner required. 541-595-6236.
SAGE (Senior Activities, Gatherings
Central Oregon Council on Aging
Senior Lunch Tuesdays, noon, Sisters & Enrichment) Wednesdays, 1 to
4 p.m. at SPRD. 541-549-2091.
Community Church. 541-678-5483.
BOARDS, GROUPS, CLUBS
Sisters Area Photography Club
2nd Wednesday, 4 p.m., Sisters Library
community room. 541-549-6157.
Sisters Area SketchUp Users Group
2nd Wednesday, 7 p.m., Earthwood
Timber Frame Homes. 541-549-0924.
Sisters Astronomy Club 3rd
Tuesday, 7 p.m., SPRD. 541-549-8846.
Sisters Bridge Club Thursdays,
12:30 p.m., The Pines Clubhouse.
Novices welcomed. 541-549-9419.
Sisters Cribbage Club Tuesdays,
11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Ray’s Food Place
community room. All are welcome.
541-923-1632.
Sisters Habitat for Humanity Board
of Directors 4th Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Location information: 541-549-1193.
Sisters Kiwanis Thursdays, 7 a.m.,
Brand 33 Restaurant at Aspen Lakes.
541-410-2870.
Sisters Red Hats 1st Friday.
Location information: 541-389-9554.
Sisters Rotary Tuesdays, noon,
Aspen Lakes Lodge. 541-977-6545.
Sisters Trails Alliance Board
Meeting 2nd Thursday, 8 to 9:30 a.m.,
The Pines Clubhouse. 541-719-8822.
Sisters Veterans Thursdays, noon,
Takoda’s Restaurant. 541-903-1123.
Three Sisters Irrigation District
Board of Directors 1st Tuesday,
4 p.m., TSID Offi ce. 541-549-8815.
Three Sisters Lions Club 2nd
Tuesday, noon, Ray’s Food Place
community room. 541-595-6967.
VFW 8138 & American Legion
1st Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Sisters
City Hall. Service offi cer available.
541-903-1123 or 541-549-1132.
CITY & PARKS
Sisters City Council 2nd &
4th Thursday, 7 p.m., Sisters City Hall.
541-549-6022.
Sisters Park & Recreation District
Board of Directors 1st Tuesday,
5:30 p.m., SPRD building. The public is
welcome. 541-549-2091.
Sisters Planning Commission
3rd Thursday, 5:30 p.m., Sisters
City Hall. 541-549-6022.
FIRE & POLICE
Black Butte Ranch Police Dept.
Board of Directors Meets monthly.
541-595-2191 for time & date.
Black Butte Ranch RFPD Board of
Directors 4th Thursday, 9 a.m., Black
Butte Ranch Fire Station. 541-595-2288.
Cloverdale RFPD Board of Directors
3rd Wednesday, 7 p.m., Main Station,
George Cyrus Rd. 541-548-4815. See
the agenda at www.cloverdalefi re.com.
Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD
Board of Directors 3rd Tuesday,
5 p.m., Sisters Fire Hall, 301 S. Elm St.
541-549-0771.
Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD Drills
Mondays, 7 p.m., Sisters Fire Hall,
301 S. Elm St. 541-549-0771.
SCHOOLS
Black Butte School Board of
Directors 2nd Tuesday, 5 p.m.,
Black Butte School. 541-595-6203.
Sisters Christian Academy Board
of Directors 2nd Thursday, 8 a.m.,
RE/MAX Revolution offi ce at Outlaw
Station. 541-549-4133.
Sisters School District Board of
Directors One Wednesday per month,
SSD Admin Bldg. See schedule at www.
sisters.k12.or.us. 541-549-8521 x4011.
This calendar is for reg
scheduled meetings; ularly
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teresa@nuggetnews.c ail to
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