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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 13, 2015)
Wednesday, May 13, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 25 sisters seeks economic vitality at summit By diane goble Correspondent Many of those who want to be part of shaping the future and strengthening the economy of Sisters were at FivePine Conference Center last Friday as part of the Economic Vitality Summit — Shaping Sisters. The event was spon- sored by the Ford Family Foundation and organized by Rural Development Initiatives (RDI) with assis- tance from Sisters Economic Development Manager Caprielle Foote-Lewis. RDI is a nonprofit formed by the Oregon legislature to help rural communities across the Pacific Northwest grapple with the economic downturn. They focus on leadership development, building capac- ity of rural groups, and mov- ing capacity to action. The agenda of this event was not a visioning process but an opportunity to look at things that are being done successfully in similar com- munities in similar economic situations and make them applicable to Sisters by tap- ping into the broad base of knowledgeable, skilled and motivated leaders, a diver- sity of effective organizations and productive collaborations among organizations available in this town. After a presentation of ideas related to the chang- ing rural and world economy, Agenda... Sisters City Council City Hall, 520 E. Cascade Avenue May 14, 6 p.m. workshop 1. Transportation System Plan (TSP)/Transportation Growth Management (TGM) grant. 2. City council candidate discussion. A. Public hearing — Ordi- nance No. 458: Amending development code. B. Ordinance No. 459: Comprehensive plan amend- ment eliminating references to back-in diagonal parking. C. Approve FY 2015/16 City of Sisters goals and priorities. D. Instream lease for the Lazy Z Property – P. Bertagna E. Contract with Spend- thrift Forestry Consult- ing LLC for City Forester services. F. Contract with Richards Bartell’s Construction for the E. Jefferson and E. Washing- ton parking and pedestrian improvements. G. Finalize business-owner survey. there were several panel dis- cussions with current and former Sisters High School students, nonprofit organizers, and local business leaders and entrepreneurs demonstrating the level and variety of talent available in Sisters Country. Panelists talked about the current situation and what they think needs to be done to attract more fami- lies, improve our schools, create living-wage jobs, provide affordable hous- ing, take care of our seniors, attract new businesses, and energize the economy. The afternoon session, Taking Action Locally & Building Momentum led by Noelle Colby-Rotell and Alexa Carey from RDI and Foote-Lewis, split the approximately 100 attendees into four groups, each with a facilitator, to generate ideas about what could be done in certain areas that would lead to a more robust, collabora- tive, and growing economy in Sisters Country. The discussions were ani- mated and productive as each group generated a list of action items, which will be compiled and distributed to the email list. Follow-up groups will be organized by the sponsors to facilitate further discussions and grow community engage- ment in the process. Foote-Lewis hopes this event will ignite passions, stir imaginations and encourage participants to become part of the solution by continuing the discussion beyond the summit to get the friends, neighbors, and co-workers excited about contributing to Sisters’ future economic growth. Following the conference, participants were invited to Three Creeks Brewing Co. for hors d’oeuvres and libations, and to continue the conversa- tion. Comments about the pre- sentation were positive, but there’s a wait-and-see attitude about what’s going to happen next. Jessica and Douglas Mohr of Mohr Solutions in Sisters appreciated the networking opportunities and being able to put names with faces; he felt this kind of event “evens the playing field and the bar- riers start to come down.” She believes in “pursuing excel- lence and capitalizing on Sisters’ unique heritage.” Jay Wilkins said the con- ference was a great use of time... “a lot of information all in one place, good conversa- tions, brought the community together.” Several people mentioned there didn’t seem to be a coherent vision for the future of Sisters. Are we a tourist town, a retirement community, a destination resort, a great place to live and raise a fam- ily? Are we all of the above? They seemed to feel that until there is a clear vision, all this great conversation will go nowhere because people don’t agree on what Sisters is. Bill Birnbaum thought the conference would continue to stimulate creativity. “When you get enough smart people in a room,” he said, “they are bound to come up with some good ideas.” He sees this as an important first step. He and Bob Hoffman agreed that the energy has to be directed. “Come up with a vision and that gives you the direction,” Hoffman said. For more information, con- tact Caprielle Foote-Lewis at 541-549-6022.