26
Wednesday, May 31, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
ANNEXATION: Change
clears way for housing
construction
Continued from page 1
facility. After hundreds of
thousands of dollars in legal
fees, the Bend developer
pulled out of the project.
Despite receiving City
approval for an assisted-liv-
ing facility on another parcel
of land in town, Adolf has
never paid the fees required
to pick up his building per-
mits, so his approved project
is not yet under construction.
Their request to remove
the requirement for the
assisted-living facility frees
the developers up to start
building affordable and
market-rate apartments
and houses for all ages of
residents.
The approved revised
and restated amendment
spells out clearly the provi-
sions regarding affordable
housing, water rights, infra-
structure, master plan, and
open space. The requirement
for the senior-living facil-
ity is removed. However, it
could still be built at a later
date.
During the hearing sev-
eral community members
spoke in favor of the pro-
posed amendment with no
one speaking against it.
In his testimony before
the Council, Bill Willitts
indicated that Mark Adolf
had already requested the
records of the evening’s pro-
ceedings. He closed his tes-
timony by saying, “We can’t
continue the war. It’s just
untenable.”
The Nugget Newspaper Crossword
By Jacqueline E. Mathews, Tribune News Service
— Last Week’s Puzzle Solved —
KUCERA: Manager
previously served
in Cannon Beach
Continued from page 24
strategic planning process.”
Eric Jensen and Jeff Aprati
of Jensen Strategies received
high praise from those who
participated in the various
parts of the selection process.
Community member Cris
Converse “loved every min-
ute of it and would do it again
in a heartbeat.”
Converse thought very
highly of the job done by
Jensen Strategies.
“They were worth every
penny the City spent on them.
Jeff (who facilitated the com-
munity panel) was respect-
ful, thoughtful, and insight-
ful, such a professional,”
Converse said.
Converse’s impression of
Kucera is that “he will pro-
vide stability — someone
both the City Council and
staff can trust.”
She noted his experience,
his education, and his knowl-
edge of Oregon land-use laws
as strengths.
“Because he knows
Oregon law, he won’t have
a big learning curve,” she
noted.
Aaron Okura, owner of
Sisters Saloon and Ranch
Grill, also thought the inter-
view process was very good.
“They (Jensen Strategies)
were very professional and
gave us good guidance as
how to be most helpful to the
process,” Okura said.
He liked being able to
communicate with the other
community members on the
panel and hear their different
perspectives.
“I’m glad I did it,” he
added.
Okura thinks there are a
number of important quali-
ties and abilities that Kucera
brings to Sisters.
“His experience with
another tourism-based small
town. He recognizes the
importance of change and
looking to the future. He
has strong communication
skills and was able to answer
our questions concisely. He
wasn’t afraid to say ‘I don’t
know’ when he needed to. He
has a likeable personality. He
clearly understands his role
as city manager. The Council
are the policy makers and
he’s the implementer,” Okura
summarized.
Fire Chief Roger Johnson
agreed with the others that
the interview process was
effective.
“It was professionally
managed and all the candi-
dates were very qualified,” he
said. “It was an open, trans-
parent process.”
Family Access Network
representative Dawn Cooper
enjoyed the process.
“We were provided with a
script of questions to ask and
then we could ask follow-up
questions,” she explained.
Cooper found Kucera to
be genuine, honest, and very
comfortable.
“He answered all of our
questions completely. He
stayed on topic and knew the
most about the issues. Brant
was very impressive. I think
he is a good fit,” Cooper said.
She thought it was refresh-
ing to hear him speak about
the importance of nonprofits
to the community.
“I think the 5-0 vote is
exciting,” she concluded.
“I feel great about the pro-
cess and where it led us,” said
Mayor Chuck Ryan.
He talked about how
important the right fit is
between the City Manager
and the community.
“I think we have the right
fit with Brant. He has the
intangibles that are difficult
to measure.”
This Week’s Crossword Sponsors
When the going gets tough, even the tough call us.
Buy More, Save More!*
25% OFF BLINDS!
FREE Cordless Upgrade!
PLUS buy 5 blinds GET AN EXTRA 5% OFF
or buy 15 GET AN EXTRA 10% OFF
541-788-8444 • Free Consulting • Find us online at www.BudgetBlinds.com
CCB Licensed #197715 | Bonded | Insured | 30+ Years Experience
Offer valid through Budget Blinds of Deschutes County only. Cannot be combined with any other offers. *On Signature Series. Expires 6/30/17
Pain,
Injuries
& Sports?
Sisters Acupuncture Center
Let us help.
G Greg
reg Wieland
W i ellannd L L.Ac.
A c | 27 yrs. experience
i
541-549-1523 | 352 E. Hood Ave., Ste. E