Major renovation at
Sisters Coffee Co. page 5
Outlaws wrestler is
Athlete of the Month page 9
A garden grows
in Sisters page 15
The Nugget
Vol. XXXX No. 11
P OSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion
from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Airport lands on Oregon state listing
By Jim Cornelius
News Editor
In a unanimous decision,
the Oregon Department of
Aviation (ODA) board of
directors agreed last week to
list Sisters Eagle Airport in
Appendix M as a privately
owned, public-use airport
of State concern. ODA con-
firmed that the airport meets
all three of the criteria for
listing:
A. Provide(s) important
links in air traffic in this state;
B. Provide(s) essential
safety or emergency services;
C. (Is) of economic impor-
tance to the County where the
airport is located.
The listing essentially
resolves what may have been
a paperwork oversight of the
previous airport owner when
airports across Oregon were
listed some 30 years ago. The
actual impact of the listing is
minimal.
“No change in the cur-
rent use of the airport occurs
as a result of the vote,” ODA
Director Mitch Swecker told
The Nugget.
The listing does make
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
ECRWSS
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
A thousand
engage in
Battle of
the Books
By Erin Borla
Correspondent
PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
Sisters Eagle Airport has been added to a state listing. The airport has become considerably more active in recent
years, which has led to some conflicts over noise.
the airport eligible for State and blown completely out of airport, like it has been since
P a v e m e n t M a i n t e n a n c e proportion. It does not mean 1933.”
Benson said that the top
Program (PMP) for Airports there will be F-18 fighter
jets or Blackhawk helicop- priorities of her and her hus-
of Significance.
Critics of some of the ters flying in and out of band Benny in operating the
airport’s operations had Sisters. Boeing will not be airport is to support their
requested a delay of the ODA setting up test operations of company ENERGYneering
767s at Sisters. The Olympic Solutions, Inc. in progress
decision.
Airport co-owner Julie Skydiving team will not be toward filling the firm’s mas-
Benson told The Nugget that relocating to Sisters. The ter plan.
“the importance of the listing airport will not be expanded
See AIRPORT on page 21
has been greatly exaggerated, 400 percent. It means it’s an
More than 1,000 people
congregated at Sisters Middle
School prepared to battle this
past weekend. The Region 7
competition for Oregon Battle
of the Books kicked off at
8:45 a.m. on Saturday.
A team of Sisters Middle
School teachers including Deb
Riehle, Becky Aylor, Tiffany
Tisdel and Julie Patton, have
worked together for the last
two years to host the regional
battle here in Sisters.
Oregon Battle of the
Books is a statewide vol-
untary reading competi-
tion that is sponsored by
the Oregon Association of
School Libraries in conjunc-
tion with a Library Services
See BATTLE on page 25
Science Fair set to
electrify Sisters
Sisters Ranger announces retirement
The 2017 Sisters Science
Fair is set to electrify and
energize scientific minds this
Saturday, March 18, at Sisters
High School from 12 to 4 p.m.
A flight simulator from
ENERGYneering will test
airborne abilities. Flight sci-
ence and rocketry exhibits,
along with a high altitude bal-
loon from ISTAR and moon
rocks on loan from NASA
will stimulate interest in the
wild blue yonder. Or, perhaps
your highflying talents are
better suited for the paper air-
plane contest.
All of this and much more
will be packed into Sisters
High School with plenty to
Kristie Miller is hang-
ing up her spurs after a long
career with the U.S. Forest
Service — the last five spent
as Sisters District Ranger. She
will retire effective at the end
of this month.
“It was time,” she said of
the decision. “Everybody says
you know when it’s time —
and now I know what they
mean.”
Miller has weathered some
storms as Sisters District
Ranger. The Pole Creek Fire
hit Sisters hard the first sum-
mer she was here. And a
controversy over a proposed
paved trail from Sisters to
Black Butte Ranch scorched
Inside...
see, lots to learn, and even
more to captivate the senses.
Are you more interested
in terrestrial travel? COCC
Automotive department will
be there with a display. How
about bicycle travel? There’s
a “reverse bicycle” waiting
for you try the six-second
experiment. Can you do it?
Odds are, you can’t.
Science and art are two
disciplines that always go
hand-in-hand. SciArt images
have been submitted for
judging.
The highlight of the
Science Fair is always the
See SCIENCE FAIR on page 9
By Jim Cornelius
News Editor
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
Kristie Miller will retire from the Forest Service at the end of this month.
the district, too.
“The paved path was really
hard,” Miller acknowledged.
“That was a difficult time.”
But Miller puts the
passions elicited by that
debate — still not really
resolved — into perspective
See MILLER on page 23
Letters/Weather ................ 2 Obituaries ......................... 8 Movies & Entertainment ....11 Bunkhouse Chronicle ....... 16 Classifieds ..................28-30
Meetings ........................... 3 Announcements ............... 10 Home & Garden ........... 13-22 Crossword ....................... 27 Real Estate .................30-32