22
Wednesday, October 21, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
walden:
Talk ranged from
energy to housing
CERTAIN AGE:
No COLA means
adjusting the budget
Continued from page 1
Continued from page 18
that he was visiting not to talk
about his work but to hear
from constituents.
“I’m actually here to listen
and learn,” he said.
Since he was being hosted
by airport owners Julie and
Benny Benson, who also
operate ENERGYneering
Solutions, Inc., Walden heard
first a good bit of input on the
need for consistent support
for renewable energy.
David Wentworth, of
Evensol, which is affili-
ated with ENERGYneering
Solutions, noted that, “People
should think of renewable
energy as an infrastructure
project” that should be “blind
to politics.”
Walden said that “the real
debate is how far does the
government put their finger
on the scale?”
The congressman also
acknowledged real concerns
about the vulnerability of the
electrical grid and the value
of distributed energy and
individual energy sources
— local infrastructure that
Sisters Country firms are
capable of developing.
“We could probably power
the whole town with renew-
able energy,” Benny Benson
noted.
Attendees also briefed
Walden on the Outlaw
Aviation program that is help-
ing high school students make
real strides toward careers in
aviation.
The conversation turned
to one of the major concerns
in the Sisters community: the
availability — or lack thereof
— of rental and workforce
housing. That is perceived
as an impediment to the eco-
nomic development of the
area.
Benson noted that his
company is growing and
employing more young engi-
neers and mechanics, but “we
But in the past decade, the
COLA has been that big only
once.
The five times I did
receive a small COLA,
it basically covered the
increase in my Medicare Part
B premium for outpatient
care. When that doesn’t hap-
pen, a long-standing federal
“hold harmless” law protects
the majority of beneficiaries
(70 percent) from having
their Social Security payment
reduced because of increased
insurance premiums and no
COLA.
However, there are 30
percent of Medicare benefi-
ciaries who do have to pay
an increased premium that
would otherwise be spread
among the full 100 percent.
Higher premiums (up $54)
will be paid by 2.8 million
new beneficiaries, and 1.6
million, whose premiums
are not deducted from their
Social Security payment. 3.1
million people with higher
incomes, many of whom
already pay higher premiums,
could see large increases. For
those with incomes above
$214,000 a year, premiums
next year could exceed $500
a month, up from about $335.
photo by Jim Cornelius
Rep. Greg Walden visited with locals at Sisters Airport last week.
fight, a bit, the rental market.”
Walden asked, “What con-
strains that?”
City Manager Andrew
Gorayeb replied that “capi-
tal availability is definitely a
little bit of a challenge.”
Gorayeb said, “We’ve got
property here in town ready
to be developed for multifam-
ily … there’s no capital fall-
ing from the sky available to
develop those dwellings.”
Walden noted that he hears
from bankers that they are
lending money and from com-
munities that capital avail-
ability is a problem. He hopes
to look into the question.
“How do you put those
two together?” he said.
Gorayeb is anticipating
a growing strain on local
infrastructure.
“The exodus from
California is going to be big-
ger than people realize,” he
said. “We’re going to be chal-
lenged with infrastructure …
we’re going to see a lot more
bodies.”
As talk turned back to
education, Steve Marsan, of
Innoviator Flight Science,
which recently located at
the airport, noted a need for
TREATING SPORTS
INJURIES
Children & Adults
Three Sisters Chiropractic
270 S. Spruce St., Sisters
Dr. Inice Gough, DC, 541.549.3583
ThreeSistersChiropractic.com
SISTERS HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Thrift Store
Halloween is
ReStore
We are getting ready to
transform the upstairs into
a winter wonderland, so
1/2 PRICE! 60% OFF
Outfi t not fi tting?
EVERYTHING UPSTAIRS IS
Come on down!
541-549-1740
ellie!
Whoa N e serious
m
That’s s a o vings!
s
541-549-1621
141 W. Main Ave., Sisters
254 W. Adams Ave., Sisters
Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday, 12-4 p.m.
Donations accepted
Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday, 12-4 p.m.
Donations accepted
Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
practical skill development.
For example, welders are in
constant high demand.
Walden recalled the shop
programs that used to be a
fixture of high schools.
“That all kind of got
wiped out,” he said. “If you
had a welding program at the
high school, I don’t know if
that would solve it, but it’s a
start.”
The congressman empha-
sized the need for public/pri-
vate partnerships to fill educa-
tional gaps. That’s a concept
Sisters embraces. Wentworth
noted the guitar-building pro-
gram at Sisters High School,
which is a partnership with
Sisters Folk Festival. Students
learn advanced skills, includ-
ing computer-assisted design.
“At the high school
they’ve got those kids build-
ing guitars,” he said. “They’re
not building birdhouses.
There’s some real skills being
developed over there.”
Walden concluded his
visit with a tour of the airport
facilities, which continue to
see upgrades as it becomes
an economic hub for the
community.
NuggetNews.com
is your online source for
Breaking News
Classifieds | Weather
GET READY FOR
WINTER TRAVEL
Tires, Suspension,
Brakes & Alignment
DAVIS TIRE
Serving Sisters Since 1963.
541-549-1026
188 W. Sisters Park Dr. In Sisters Industrial Park across from SnoCap Mini Storage
States’ budgets will also be
impacted because they pay
part of the Medicare pre-
miums for about 10 million
low-income beneficiaries.
There is pressure
being brought to bear in
Washington, D.C. urging
Congress to protect all retir-
ees from dramatic increases
in Medicare costs. With
the continual logjam in
Congress, it seems unlikely
they will be able to compro-
mise or enact any legislation.
In the absence of legisla-
tive action, the White House
could choose to do one
of several things. It could
authorize the big increase in
Medicare premiums for the
30 percent (15 million). Or
it could authorize the sec-
retary of health and human
services to take money
from the Medicare contin-
gency reserve, which acts as
backup in case actual spend-
ing is higher than projected.
Unfortunately, that fund is
already lower than the level
recommended by Medicare
actuaries.
Whatever action is taken
or not taken will be reflected
in my first 2016 Social
Security check, and I may
have to amend my budget for
the coming year.
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
OCTOBER
IS ITALIAN
MENU
MONTH
Serving up seriously
good Italian food
Come taste what everyone
is talking about!
541-549-EATS (3287)
Fri.-Tues., 5 p.m. to close
243 N. Elm St. Sisters
Walk-ins welcome!