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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 2015)
10 Wednesday, April 29, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon council focused on decision-making By sue stafford Correspondent photo by Jerry baldock Brenna Weems returns ball in tennis action against Cascade. Outlaws fall to cascade By rongi yost Correspondent The Lady Outlaws tennis squad lost 7-1 to Cascade on Tuesday, April 21, in a match that started warm and beau- tiful and ended in cold and blustery conditions. Sisters’ lone win of the day came from their No. 1 doubles team of Brenna Weems and Jesse Farr- Baenziger. The duo earned a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Hanna Pruett and Abbi Perth. “Brenna and Jesse had a great match, and Jesse had an awesome serving day,” said Coach Susan Fullhart. “The girls finished off the first set efficiently, but their opponents started the second set looking like a new team. Our girls were able to up their level, answer the challenge, and finish the match with strong play.” Four other matches were close, but the Outlaws were unable to pull out a win in any of them. Annika Stadeli and Rylee Weber (No. 3 doubles) lost in a nail-biter. The combo cruised through the first set 6-1, but in the second set Cascade upped their game and took the set 7-5. The match-breaker was a back- and-forth battle, with Sisters having a match point at 9-8, but the Cougars dug in and came out on top 11-9. Lacey Gilmore (No. 1 sin- gles) played against Elizabeth Suelzle who, along with her sister, was the district doubles champion last year. Gilmore played her best match of the season, and earned a set point in the second set. “Lacey is a solid player, and it’s amazing to watch her improve with every match,” said Fullhart. “It was a lot to ask of Lacey to put her in the No. 1 singles spot as a sopho- more, but rather than being discouraged by some tough losses, she has viewed it as an opportunity to grow as a player, and grow she has!” Fullhart told The Nugget that Cascade has a strong line-up from top to bottom, and in spite of the final score, she felt her girls played well and fought hard. The Lady Outlaws were to play at Junction City on Tuesday, April 28, against the Tigers and North Bend. On Wednesday, the team will play against Summit at home at Black Butte Ranch. Sisters will wrap up their week on Saturday at Black Butte Ranch with matches against Cascade and Vale. An atmosphere of coop- eration and amiability pre- vailed when the Sisters City Council held their workshop last Thursday night, condi- tions that have been absent of late. Councilor David Asson en co u rag ed h i s fel l o w councilors about taking a more involved role in the issues that come across their desks. In an effort to be better informed at the beginning of City projects, Asson proposed a simple process. “If we could use the old ‘who, what, where, when, why and how’ to identify what it is we want from any particular goal or project (before it is ever put out to staff and the public) we could have precluded some of the disappointment toward the City from the community,” he suggested. Councilor Nancy Connolly concurred with Asson, suggesting that such a process would provide a written history for future councils as to how and why decisions were made. She went on to say that the pro- cess would be a good way of organizing and solidify- ing their thoughts, provid- ing the same playbook for everyone. Mayor Chris Frye and Councilor McKibben Womack agreed and City staff provided several exam- ples of projects coming up where this kind of summary would be very appropriate. Such a tool would also allow for identifying and reaching out to stakeholders with an interest in a project, allow- ing for better communication and increasing transparency between City Hall and the citizens of Sisters. Building permits and residential sales in Sisters appear to be on the rise, according to figures pre- sented to the Council by Patrick Davenport, com- munity development direc- tor. Hayden Homes was the largest contributor, with 41 sales from July 2013 through February 2015. Timber Creek was second with 23 sales and 21 in Pine Meadow Village. There were a total of 174 residential sales in that same time period. For fiscal year 2014/15, 28 single-family building permits have been issued, with six of those so far in cal- endar year 2015. Davenport reported that within the next few weeks the 2015 number will double. Four citizens submitted applications to be consid- ered for the Council seat to be vacated by McKibben Womack effective April 30. The Council will interview the applicants at their May 7 workshop. The spirit of cooperation carried over into the Council meeting, where unani - mous approval on a number of issues moved Council quickly through the agenda. Changes to the policy regard- ing public records requests was approved, allowing for five free requests per cal- endar year per individual, if the time required by City staff is less than 30 minutes. For requests requiring more than half an hour to pro- cess, or beyond the five free requests, there will be a fee of $40 an hour. All records requests will require the applicant to fill out a form to be submitted to the City Recorder. Three requests for pro- posal (RFP) were approved for the services of City attor- ney, engineer, and insurance agent, with new contracts to begin July 1, 2015. Brook Jackson, counselor at Sisters Middle School, was granted the last $400 from the City’s Community Services Grant for the Sisters Outdoor Leadership Experience (S.O.L.E.), a pilot project he has developed to include a wilderness component in his work with at-risk middle school students. Kathryn “Kati” Lindbloom was appointed to the budget committee. Lindbloom, who volun- teers for the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, has an MBA in finance and accounting. Kari Sims Anthon, owner of Love.Life.Yoga., asked Council to either recon- sider the reductions in urban renewal grants or to allow applicants to reduce the scope of their projects by 25 percent to match the reduction in grants. The Urban Renewal Agency will meet on May 7 to take Anthon’s request under advisement. WE DID IT...with a lot of help! OPEN HOUSE Friday, May 1, 4-7 p.m. 506 S. Spruce St., Sisters Friday, May 15 Music • Refreshments 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 16 Noon to 10 p.m. All-weekend pass: $60 One-day pass: $45 Headliner pass: $20 At Lake Creek Lodge (Stage will be set up in our North Field) Tickets reservation 541-516-3030 www.lakecreeklodge.com Please join us as we celebrate the opening of this truly unique living experience. 541-588-6231 • www.ahometoshare.com