Wednesday, April 15, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon City fills vacancies on boards By sue stafford Correspondent Free Event Jack Nagel, a 36-year resi- dent of Sisters and former business owner, was tapped to fill the vacancy on the Plan- ning Commission created by the resignation of Alan Holz- man. The Sisters City Coun- cil made three new appoint- ments to existing vacancies on committees at their April 9 meeting, Tim Clem, an architect, will serve out the nine-month vacancy on the Parks Advi- sory Board. One of three vacancies on the Budget Committee will be filled by William Hall, current chair of the Community Assets Com- mittee. Two vacancies remain on the Budget Committee, which usually meets two to three times during the last two weeks of May, to review the proposed budget for the com- ing fiscal year. Lynne Fujita-Conrads, City finance officer, reported that three contracts are up at the end of June, the close of the City’s fiscal year. She asked for direction from Council regarding a possible two-year extension to the contracts for the City attorney and the City insurance agent. The City engineer contract requires a new request for proposal. Council will discuss the possible contract exten- sions at their next workshop. Patrick Davenport, com- munity development direc- tor, received approval from Council to proceed with plans for development of a business owner survey to be conducted this summer, giving owners an opportunity to share their opinions about a number of issues that affect their busi- nesses. The City is especially seeking input from those busi- ness owners who do not live within the city limits and are therefore unable to vote on City matters. The survey will provide a tool for encouraging communication between all business owners and the City. Due to McKibben Womack’s resignation from the Council, effective April 30, 2015, Council is asking interested parties to apply for the remaining two years of his term by submitting an appli- cation to City Recorder Kathy Nelson by April 20. Appli- cants must have been a resi- dent within the city limits for the last 12 months and be a registered voter. Applications are available on the City’s website, www.ci.sisters.or.us, in the announcement section of the home page. For more information, Nelson can be reached at 541-323-5213 or knelson@ci.sisters.or.us. Prior to the Council meet- ing, at a joint workshop of the City and Deschutes County Councils, Roger Lee, execu- tive director of Economic Development for Central Ore- gon (EDCO), reported that EDCO has assisted in bring- ing seven successful business- development projects to Sis- ters that have created 77 new traded-sector jobs and $3.5 million in new capital invest- ment. Traded-sector busi- nesses are those whose goods and services are sold to cus- tomers outside of Sisters and/ or the region, bringing money into the city from outside the area. Caprielle Foote-Lewis, Sisters’ EDCO manager, is currently working on 27 pending projects and is also assisting commercial busi- nesses that are considering relocating to or expanding in Sisters. That assistance is unique to Sisters within Central Oregon because of the importance of commer- cial businesses to the city’s tourism. In other cities in the region, the EDCO staff focus solely on traded-sector jobs. Foote-Lewis has also worked on several strate- gic projects with the Sisters business community, includ- ing the establishment of Sis- ters Tech and conducting an inventory of existing indus- trial space. The Ford Family Foun- dation, Rural Development Initiatives, and EDCO are sponsoring an upcoming Sisters Country Economic Vitality Summit on Friday, May 8, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at FivePine Conference Cen- ter. The event is free and open to anyone interested in the economic vitality of the region. For more informa- tion contact Foote-Lewis at 541-977-5683. In other County news, Anna Johnson, public com- munication coordinator for Deschutes County, announced the formation of a 16-person committee to spearhead the creation of the Deschutes County Centennial Celebra- tion in 2016. They are look- ing for a representative from Sisters to join the committee. Their next meeting is May 12. Those interested may contact Johnson at 541-388-6570. Book store welcomes authors to Sisters Paulina Springs Books will welcome a couple of noted authors in very differ- ent fields this month On Friday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. at Paulina Springs Books in Sisters, bestsell- ing Oregon mystery author Phillip Margolin will pres- ent his new novel, “Woman with a Gun.” In this thriller set in Oregon, the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph “Woman with a Gun,” show- ing a bride facing an expanse of ocean with a six-shooter held behind her back, sparks the imagination of aspiring novelist Stacey Kim — espe- cially when she learns that the woman in question was sus- pected of killing her million- aire husband on their wedding night. What does the photogra- pher know? On Sunday, April 26 at 4 p.m., Thor Hanson will pres- ent a talk and slideshow based photo proviDeD thor hanson. Starting as low as $1,995! Come try some amazing new products! Art Journal Jam! Friday, April 17, 2-4 p.m. 392 W. Main Ave., #3 Tu-Sa 10-6 (Across from Bright Spot) 541-588-0931 www.alpenhimmel.com A creative place to call your own! Time for Spring Carpet Cleaning! Quality Cleaning at Affordable Pricing Over 20 Years Experience HIGH-POWERED TRUCK-MOUNTED EQUIPMENT 541-549-6464 We also provide property management new carpet installation ENVIROTECH 541-771-5048 Licensed • Bonded • Insured • CCB#181062 RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL 5 ActionAirHeatingAndCooling.com photo proviDeD philip Margolin. on his book “The Triumph of Seeds: How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses, and Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History.” We live in a world of seeds; they support diets, economies, and civilizations around the world. Throughout time, humans have manipu- lated plants to evolve their seeds into substances we can readily use for everything from food to pharmaceuticals to poison. In turn, seeds have shaped human history. For example, coffee beans helped fuel the Enlightenment, while cot- tonseed helped spark the Industrial Revolution — and the fate of nations continues to hinge on wheat. Refreshments will be served. The $5 admission will be refunded upon purchase of the featured books. For more information call 541-549-0866.