Wednesday, May 20, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
PARkING: Striping
will be done when
weather permits
Continued from page 1
forecast for this week isn’t
very promising. They also are
going to have to piece it into
the existing schedule of work.
Once started it shouldn’t
take more than about a week
in man-hours to complete.
Bertagna hasn’t had time yet to
pencil in an estimate of costs.
The bike lane will remain
on Main Avenue, and all of the
crosswalks will receive new
paint as well.
Work on the Main Avenue
Bicycle and Pedestrian
Improvement Project was
begun in February 2012. The
project was funded by a grant
from Oregon Department of
Transportation’s (ODOT)
Bicycle and Pedestrian divi-
sion to enhance pedestrian and
bicycle safety within the city
of Sisters by having drivers on
Main looking forward while
pulling out of a parking space.
At that time, Main Avenue
was designated as the bicycle
route through Sisters.
Because Cascade Avenue
was made narrower during its
upgrade project, there was no
longer room there for the TSP-
required bike lanes. Through
aggressive grant-writing, the
City and ODOT were able to
get grants to upgrade the road-
bed, parking and sidewalks
while also allowing for the
requisite bike lanes. The belief
is that Sisters was awarded the
grant in part based on back-in
parking along the bike route.
In addition to the contro-
versial back-in parking, the
project included widening and
reconstructing existing side-
walks, striping bike lanes, and
improving the storm-drainage
system. There were also addi-
tional streetscape features like
lighting and landscaping. The
grant from ODOT covered 90
percent of the project. Total
cost was $723,409.85. Of
that amount, the State paid
$651,068.87 and the City
$72,340.98.
Back-in parking was origi-
nally recommended by the
Sisters TSP Project Advisory
Committee and added to the
Sisters TSP in December
2008 and approved in 2010
following six community
workshops in 2007 and 2008.
Main Avenue merchants were
also included in a number of
focused workshops during that
same time period.
There was controversy
over the back-in parking
before the project ever began
and the discontent continued
for two years until the cur-
rent council chose to return
the parking on Main Avenue,
a block of Larch Street and a
block of Pine Street to head-in
parking.
A search of The Nugget
website for references to back-
in parking over the past two
years revealed a long list of
letters to the editor, both pro
and con, guest columns, and a
number of news articles.
One letter to the editor on
April 3, 2012 warned that the
back-in parking “could be an
expensive experiment for the
City of Sisters” and ques-
tioned why “such a matter was
not brought before the voters.”
Others feared the mer-
chants on Main Avenue would
suffer financially from loss
of business due to locals and
tourists choosing to not adapt
to the new parking regulation
and electing to shop in other
areas of town.
There were pleas for the
Council to have the “courage
to admit that the decision was
wrong” less than a month after
the project was completed.
One letter-writer pointed
out that although Main Avenue
“is the designated east-west
route through Sisters for
cyclists … both bike shops are
on Hood and the vast majority
of cycling venues are on the
Hood side of town; McKenzie
Pass, Three Creek Road, the
trails to FivePine and Tollgate,
and the extensive Peterson
Ridge system.”
Not everyone thought the
new parking project was a
mistake. There were those
who found “it not at all dif-
ficult and a much easier and
safer way to reenter traffic.”
There were kudos to “those
who brought it to Sisters.”
After the 2012 summer
tourist season the Sheriff’s
office announced it would
enforce the new parking regu-
lations by issuing a $25 ticket
for anyone parked illegally,
which included backing into
a front-in diagonal parking
space or parking front-in in a
designated back-in space.
The ODOT grant funding
the improvements on Main
Avenue included a clause that
required the back-in parking
to remain in place for at least
24 months. The end of that
time period is approaching,
allowing the City to reverse
the back-in parking.
A year ago, the City engi-
neer determined that reversing
the striping to front-in park-
ing would eliminate 45 of the
314 parking spaces due to the
direction of current bulb-outs.
However, this week Bertagna
indicated that with some
realignment of curbs and the
removal of the mid-block
bulb-out in front of the Habitat
Thrift Store, the number lost
will be lower.
Overall there seemed to be
decidedly more criticism than
support for the back-in park-
ing and to this day, it is only
intermittently observed. Many
citizens have considered it a
waste of money, a confusing
scenario for tourists, and an
unsafe condition that needs to
just go away. The City Council
apparently agrees.
House: Bikers may turn on red
By Sheila V kumar
Associated Press
SALEM (AP) — Citing the
annoyance of having to end-
lessly wait for a green light
while on a bike or motorcycle,
Oregon House lawmakers
unanimously passed legis-
lation Wednesday allowing
them to run a red light if sen-
sors under the pavement don’t
flip the signal to “go.”
“On my way home I sat
at a light for, OK I’m exag-
gerating, 17 hours. I sat for a
long time, being a law-abiding
citizen, waiting for the light
to change and it would not
change, I hated it, it drives me
crazy,” said Rep. Bill Post, a
Keizer Republican.
Many intersections are
embedded with inductive
loops, and those use electro-
magnetic fields to detect when
cars are present. But the loops
need to be set specifically for
bicycles and motorcycles in
order to sense them, and most
jurisdictions in the U.S. don’t
bother with that, said Krista
Nordback, a research associate
at Portland State University.
So cyclists or motorcycle
riders can sometimes find
themselves waiting for sev-
eral minutes at a light while
other lanes get the green to go
ahead.
Under this bill, they would
be able to proceed cautiously
through an intersection if
they’ve waited through a full
cycle of lights without getting
a green.
“If you go through one full
cycle and the light does not
change, you may proceed cau-
tiously through the intersec-
tion or make your left turn, or
make your right turn, without
having to sit there indefinitely
for the rest of your evening,”
said Republican Rep. John
Davis, who carried the bill in
the House.
He said research from
Idaho shows there hasn’t been
an increase in motorcycle or
bicyclist deaths since a similar
law was put in place.
Similar measures, some-
times known as the “dead
red” or “safe red” laws, have
been passed in 16 other states,
including Washington state in
2014.
House
lawmakers
approved the measure 55-0 on
Wednesday. It now heads to
the governor for her signature.
23
OUR DRINKING WATER QUALITY
TOLLGATE WATER COMPANY 2014
Federal and state agencies require each community water system to provide
an annual Consumer Confi dence Report (CCR) to each customer. This is Tollgate
Water Company’s (TWC) 2014 report.
Where does my water come from?
TGW’s water is derived from two wells, which pump from a ground water
aquifer. One well is located at the east end of Wagon Wheel in section 5. The other
is located just north of the fi re substation.
Source water assessment and its availability
The 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act require all states to con-
duct Source Water Assessments for public water systems within their boundaries.
The assessments consist of (1) identifi cation of the Drinking Water Protection Area,
i.e., the area at the surface that is directly above that part of the aquifer that supplies
water to our wells, (2) identifi cation of the potential sources of pollution within
the Drinking Water Protection Area, and (3) determination of the susceptibility or
relative risk to the well water from those pollution sources. The purpose of the
assessment is to provide water systems with the information needed to develop
a strategy to protect the drinking water resource. The respective Drinking Water
Programs of the Department of Human Services and Environmental Quality have
completed the assessment for Tollgate’s wells. A copy of the report is on fi le at the
water system’s offi ce.
Why are there contaminants in drinking water?
Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain
at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does
not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about con-
taminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the Environmental
Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791
Is my water safe?
Last year, 2014, as in years past, your tap water met all U.S. Environmental Pro-
tection Agency and state drinking water health standards. Tollgate Water Company
is proud to report that our system has not violated a maximum contamination level
or any other water quality standard. Not all contaminants are tested annually. For
those, which are not tested annually, the most recent sampling results occurring in
the last fi ve years must be reported, if the contaminant was present.
To help you understand terms and abbreviations found in Table One we provide
the following defi nitions:
Parts per million (PPM) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) – one part per million
corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.
Maximum Contamination Level – the “Maximum Allowed” (MCL) is the high-
est level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close
to MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
Maximum Contamination Level Goal – the “Goal” (MCLG) is the level of a
contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to
health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
MCLs are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health ef-
fects described for many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink two
liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million
chance of having the described health effect.
Health effects
Some people who drink water containing fl uoride in excess of the MCL over
many years could develop bone disease, including pain and tenderness of the
bones. Fluoride in drinking water at half the MCL or more may cause mottling of
children’s teeth, usually in children less than nine years old. Mottling also known
as dental fl uorosis, may include brown staining and/or pitting of the teeth, and oc-
curs only in developing teeth before they erupt from the gums.
Infants and children who drink water containing lead in excess of the action
level (Action level is the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, trig-
gers treatment or other requirements which a water company must follow. Action
level for lead and copper are the same as their respective MCLs) could experience
delays in their physical or mental development. Children could show slight defi cits
in attention span and learning abilities. Adults who drink this water over many
years could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure.
Copper is an essential nutrient, but some people who drink water containing
copper in excess of the action level over a relatively short amount of time could ex-
perience gastrointestinal distress. Some people who drink water containing copper
in excess of the action level over many years could suffer liver or kidney damage.
People with Wilson’s disease should consult their personal doctor.
Infants below the age of six months who drink water containing nitrite in ex-
cess of the MCL could become seriously ill and, if untreated, may die. Symptoms
include shortness of breath and blue-baby syndrome.
Some people who consume water containing alpha emitters or radium in ex-
cess of the MCLs over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
Do I need to take special precautions?
Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than
the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with can-
cer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants,
people with HIV/Aids or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and in-
fants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice
about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by
Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe
Water Drinking Hotline (800-426-4791).
How can I get involved?
Your continued cooperation in such programs as the cross connection program
helps insure the quality of our water. If you have questions about the water system
or the quality of your water, call Betty Fadeley at 541-549-7962 or Lynn Loun-
sbury at 541-419-9593, or attend water board meetings, which are held the fourth
Tuesday of January, April, July, and October in the Tollgate Recreation Hall at
7:00 p.m.
Malcolm Murphy
Lynn Lounsbury
Board Chair
Distribution Manager