Wednesday, December 7, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon C O M M U N I T 3 Y Fire district saves taxpayers $195,000 The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District recently completed the pro- cess of issuing a general obligation refunding bond to lower the interest expense on the District fire station. District taxpayers approved the issuance of bonds to fund the construc- tion of the headquarters fire station in 2007. Annual inter- est rates on the bonds issued in 2007 were 4.5 percent. Recently, interest rates have fallen to the point that it made sense for the District to seek proposals to issue refunding bonds to lower the cost for District residents. David Ulbricht with Special Districts Association of Oregon Advisory Services guided the District through the process. Six proposals were received by the District and Columbia State Bank was determined to have pro- vided the best proposal with an annual interest rate of 1.87 percent. The total savings for District residents is estimated to be $195,000 over the next See FIRE DISTRICT on page 30 Locals seek to establish cold-weather shelter By Sue Stafford Correspondent Imagine, if you can, what it would be like without a roof over your head and facing a nighttime tempera- ture in the teens. Your few belongings may be wet. That would be a challenging situa- tion by yourself. Add a child or two to the scenario and it becomes untenable. A group of people in Sisters has been meeting and planning how to extend Sisters’ spirit of generosity by opening an emergency shelter on nights when the temperature is forecast to be 32 degrees or lower. The shelter will be open from about the time public places like the library close until morning. This will be the first effort in Sisters to provide shelter to those who find themselves homeless in the winter. It will be known as Sisters Cold Weather Shelter. Pastor Ron Gregg of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church and Lois Kaping of Westside Church are co-chairs of the group. Mandee Seeley See SHELTER on page 22 PHOTO BY ERIN BORLA Sisters IEE students cleaned up Camp Polk Cemetery in advance of a service later this month. Students clean up cemetery By Erin Borla Correspondent Sisters High School Interdisciplinary Experiential Education (IEE) students got to experience a piece of Sisters history last week. 23 students from the IEE pro- gram participated in a cleanup at Camp Polk Cemetery on Thursday, December 1. Students learned a little bit about the cemetery’s history in the classroom earlier in the week and then took a bus to the cemetery. As they hiked in from Camp Polk Road the weather was chilly but it didn’t dampen their spirits. The service project came about in advance of the upcoming Wreaths Across America ceremony at Camp Polk Cemetery. Camp Polk Cemetery is unmanaged, and current own- ership is not clear. In the past, community volunteers have cleaned up the graves around Memorial and Veterans days. Led by a team of IEE interns, teachers Samra Spear and Rand Runco, as well as community volunteers includ- ing Lance Trowbridge and Earl Schroeder from Sisters American Legion Post 86 and Sisters V.F.W. Post 8138, stu- dents divided the cemetery into sections and got to work. Armed with rakes, brooms, buckets and wheelbarrows the students cleaned pine needles, trash, and other debris from each of the gravesites. Runco talked with students about the emotion he felt when he walked through the cemetery the week prior and saw four past students buried in this location. “It hit me and I wasn’t prepared for it,” he told the group. “It’s okay to feel unex- pected emotion.” A small trailer-load of pine needles and other debris was removed from the site dur- ing the cleanup. In addition, graves were swept and raked. Many students had questions about community members who were buried at the cem- etery and had an opportu- nity to learn Sisters history from community members in attendance. “I feel like the whole expe- rience was a good way for See CEMETERY on page 30 SISTERS AREA MEETING CALENDAR Central OR Spinners and Weavers Sisters Astronomy Club 3rd Guild 4th Saturday, 1 to 3 p.m. Sisters Tuesday, 7 p.m., SPRD. 541-549-8846. Al-Anon Mon., noon, Shepherd of the Library (NOT Nov.-Dec.). 541-639-3217. Sisters Bridge Club Thursdays, Hills Lutheran Church / Wed., 6 p.m., 12:30 p.m., The Pines Clubhouse. Episcopal Church of the Transfi guration. Central Oregon Woodworkers Guild 2nd Tuesday. 541-639-6216. Novices welcomed. 541-549-9419. 541-549-8737 or 541-549-1527. East of the Cascades Quilt Guild 4th Alateen Thursday, 7 p.m., Episcopal Sisters Caregiver Support Group Wednesday, September-June, Stitchin’ 3rd Tuesday, 10 a.m., Ray’s Food Place Church of the Transfi guration. Post. All are welcome. 541-549-6061. 541-549-1527. community room. 541-771-3258. Friends of the Sisters Library Board Alcoholics Anonymous Thurs. & of Directors 2nd Tuesday, 9 to 11 a.m., Sisters Cribbage Club Tuesdays, Sun., 7 p.m., Episcopal Church of the 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Ray’s Food Place Transfi guration / Sat., 8 a.m., Episcopal Sisters Library. 541-977-8285. community room. 541-923-1632. Church / Mon., 5 p.m., Shepherd of the Heartwarmers (fl eece blanketmakers) Hills Lutheran Church / Tues., noon, 1st & 3rd Tuesdays, 1 p.m., Sisters City Sisters Habitat for Humanity Board Big Book study, Shepherd of the Hills / Hall. Materials provided. 541-408-8505. of Directors 4th Tuesday, 6 p.m. Wed., 7 a.m., Gentlemen’s Meeting, Location information: 541-549-1193. Shepherd of the Hills / Thurs., noon, Hero Quilters of Sisters Thursday, 1 to Sober Sisters Women Meeting, 4 p.m. 541-549-1028 or 541-548-3304. Sisters Kiwanis Thursdays, 7 to Shepherd of the Hills. 541-548-0440. 8:30 a.m., Brand 33 Restaurant at Military Parents of Sisters 2nd Authors Support Group 2nd Friday, Thursday, 5:30 p.m., 17549 Knight Rd., Aspen Lakes. 541-410-2870. 10 a.m., Sisters Area Chamber of Bend (Plainview area). 541-388-9013. Sisters Parent Teacher Community Commerce. 541-588-0081. 3rd Wednesday, 3 p.m., Sisters Oregon Band of Brothers – Sisters Black Butte Macintosh Users Group Elementary C-wing. 971-570-2405. Chapter Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m., 3rd Thursday, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Sisters Takoda’s Restaurant. 541-408-5594. Sisters Red Hats 1st Friday. Library community room. 541-549-1471. Location information: 541-279-1977. SAGE (Senior Activities, Gatherings Black Butte Ranch Bridge Club & Enrichment) Wednesdays, 1 to Tuesdays, 12:30 p.m., BBR community Sisters Rotary Tuesdays, noon, 4 p.m. at SPRD. 541-549-2091. room. Partner required. 541-595-6236. Aspen Lakes Lodge. 541-977-6545. Sisters Area Photography Club Central Oregon Council on Aging Senior Lunch Tuesdays, noon, Sisters 2nd Wednesday, 4 p.m., Sisters Library Sisters Trails Alliance Board 1st Wednesday, 5 p.m. Sisters Art community room. 541-549-6157. Community Church. 541-678-5483. Works. Public welcome. 541-719-8822. Sisters Area SketchUp Users Group Central Oregon Fly Tyers Guild Sisters Veterans Thursdays, noon, 2nd Wednesday, 7 p.m., Earthwood 4th Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For Timber Frame Homes. 541-549-0924. Takoda’s Restaurant. 541-903-1123. location information: 541-549-2072. BOARDS, GROUPS, CLUBS Three Sisters Irrigation District Board of Directors 1st Tuesday, 4 p.m., TSID Offi ce. 541-549-8815. Three Sisters Lions Club 1st Thursday, noon, Ray’s Food Place community room. 541-419-1279. VFW 8138 & American Legion 1st Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Sisters City Hall. 541-903-1123 or 541-549-1132. CITY & PARKS Sisters City Council 2nd & 4th Thursday, 7 p.m., Sisters City Hall. 541-549-6022. Sisters Park & Recreation District Board of Directors 1st Tuesday, 6 p.m., SPRD building. 541-549-2091. Sisters Planning Commission 3rd Thursday, 5:30 p.m., Sisters City Hall. 541-549-6022. Cloverdale RFPD Board of Directors 3rd Wednesday, 7 p.m., Main Station, George Cyrus Rd. 541-548-4815. See the agenda at www.cloverdalefi re.com. Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD Board of Directors 3rd Tuesday, 5 p.m., Sisters Fire Hall, 541-549-0771. Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD Drills Mondays, 7 p.m., Sisters Fire Hall, 301 S. Elm St. 541-549-0771. SCHOOLS Black Butte School Board of Directors 2nd Tuesday, 5 p.m., Black Butte School. 541-595-6203. Sisters Christian Academy Board of Directors 2nd Thursday, 8 a.m., RE/MAX Out West Realty offi ce at Outlaw Station. 541-549-4133. Sisters School District Board of Directors One Wednesday per month, SSD Admin Bldg. See schedule at www. sisters.k12.or.us. 541-549-8521 x4011 . FIRE & POLICE Black Butte Ranch Police Dept. Board of Directors Meets monthly. 541-595-2191 for time & date. Black Butte Ranch RFPD Board of Directors 4th Thursday, 9 a.m., Black Butte Ranch Fire Station. 541-595-2288. This listing is for reg scheduled meetings; ularly email teresa@nuggetnews.c om