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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 5, 2017)
Wednesday, July 5, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon City snapshot By Sue Stafford Correspondent • Wednesday, July 5, is the first official day on the job for Sisters’ new city man- ager, Brant Kucera. Over the coming weeks, he will be meeting with staff and Sisters City Council, becom- ing familiar with City Hall and the city, and settling in. Outgoing City Manager Rick Allen will initially be avail- able to help make a smooth transition. Kucera was hired from among three finalists in a nationwide search. He comes here from Cannon Beach. • At last week’s City Council meeting, Rick Allen was presented with several tokens of appreciation for the work he has done over the past year as city man- ager, cleaning up unfinished City business, securing new legal counsel for the City, providing for needed edu- cation for the City Council on their responsibilities and duties, and establishing pro- tocols and procedures to aid in efficient running of the City. Officials noted that he helped to create a new culture at City Hall, making it a more enjoyable place to be. The Chamber of Commerce and City Council presented Allen with Chamber gift certifi- cates redeemable at busi- nesses throughout town. The Council also presented him with a pottery bowl crafted by local Sisters potter Ken Merrill of Canyon Creek Pottery. Council President Nancy Connolly told Allen that she hoped he would think of Sisters fondly each time he used the bowl, which was decorated with the Three Sisters. He said the bowl will go to his cabin in Camp Sherman. Allen offered his thanks and made a few comments. “Sisters is a desired place to be. There’s not another city in Oregon like it. Coming here was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I couldn’t pass it up even though I was already pretty busy. The job met my expectations with its chal- lenges and also its opportu- nities. I would do it again tomorrow.” • Council approved sev- eral 2016/17 supplemen- tary budget items before the June 30 end of the City’s fiscal year. Additional legal fees of $50,000 were neces- sary as a number of linger- ing legal issues were suc- cessfully addressed and settled. Going forward, bar- ring any unexpected legal issues, the amount budgeted should remain fairly con- stant. An additional $5,000 was approved for the salary offered to the new City senior planner. Due to the extraor- dinary amount of snow this past winter, expenses for snow removal and manage- ment required an additional $25,000 for the Street Fund. The Water Fund required an additional $18,000 for con- tracted services. Enjoy a Passion Orange-Guava-Sangria and a quick lunch on our shaded patio or in our air-conditioned Legislature passes record education budget By Kristena Hansen Associated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A record-$8.2 billion package to fund Oregon’s K-12 pub- lic school system cleared the Legislature in a 31-28 vote after a lengthy debate in the Oregon House. The package approved Tuesday is up 11 percent from the current biennium and now heads to Gov. Kate Brown. It provides public schools with the majority of their funds, about 70 percent, for the 2017-19 budget. The next budget cycle begins July 1, meaning educators may need to retroactively adjust their budgets for the upcoming school year accordingly. For most of the state’s 200 or so districts, it’s enough money to keep current ser- vices going. But others like metro Portland’s Beaverton School District say they needed at least another $200 million to avoid scaling back staff and programs. RAILROAD: Drought and depression killed homesteads Continued from page 16 be there at 4:30 p.m. will see the train go by. Construction of the rail- road in 1911 necessitated con- struction of a bridge over the Crooked River Gorge, with the river 860 feet below. At the time it was constructed, the bridge was the seventh highest structure of its kind in the world and the high- est cantilevered arch in the United States. When the first train crossed the bridge on September 17, 1911, only half of the rivets were in place. Nothing remains of Opal City, which was a com- munity six miles south of Culver along the Oregon Trunk (Burlington Northern) railroad line. Named for the nearby Opal Springs located in the Crooked River Canyon, a post office was established in 1911 shortly after the 17 railroad arrived in Central Oregon. The town served as the place to stockpile supplies for the construction of the nearby Crooked River Gorge bridge. A wild tent city grew up rapidly, providing space for saloons and bordellos. Residents from surround- ing homesteads would come to Opal Springs simply to watch passengers get off the train. Their winter wheat could be shipped out via rail. When a well was drilled and a water tower was built to ser- vice the trains, the railroad made water available to local homesteaders for a nominal fee. As soon as the bridge was finished, so was Opal Springs, except for a few businesses that remained. Following a drought and the Great Depression, many of the homesteads failed, the land was declared marginal, with the government paying homesteaders to give up their land. Most remaining build- ings were torn down. Beautiful things for your Home! Pillows • Kitchen • Candles Towels • Wall Art • Home Decor & More! 21 delectable fl avors of homemade Fudge! Open Daily 541-549-8591 | 150 W. Cascade Ave. tap takeover on the patio at Friday, July 7 6-8 p.m. Live music: Rhonda Funk 532 E. Hwy. 20 541-549-RIBS SistersSaloon.net 190 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters NEW LOCATION IN F FIR STR STREET PARK June-September Fridays We’re Athletic Supporters! EXTENDED HOURS 2 to 5:30 PM Local Organic Veggies plus a Cornucopia of Artisans, Food Carts & More! Live Music every week! SNAP Benefi ts Accepted SistersFarmersMarket.com 160 S. Fir St. • 541-549-0711 • M-Sa, 7am-7pm Smoothies. Deli. Organic & Local Groceries. Produce. Supplements.