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Wednesday, November 8, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Sisters parks get some new features
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
The first light snowfall dusted Sisters Country on Friday. Forecasters
expect a chilly, wet November.
Expect a chilly November
PHOTO BY GARY MILLER
According to preliminary
data received by NOAA’s
National Weather Service
in Pendleton Oregon, tem-
peratures at Sisters averaged
colder than normal during the
month of October.
The average temperature
was 43.6 degrees, which was
2.8 degrees below normal.
High temperatures averaged
58.9 degrees, which was 3.7
degrees below normal. The
highest was 78 degrees on
October 2. Low tempera-
tures averaged 28.3 degrees,
which was 1.9 degrees below
normal. The lowest was 18
degrees, on October 31.
There were 24 days with
the low temperature below
32 degrees.
Precipitation totaled 1.25
inches during October, which
was 0.20 inches above nor-
mal. Measurable precipitation
— at least .01 inch — was
received on three days with
the heaviest, 0.8 inches,
reported on October 23.
Precipitation this year has
reached 8.75 inches, which is
0.95 inches below normal.
The highest wind gust was
51 mph, which occurred on
October 22.
The outlook for November
from NOAA’s Climate
Prediction Center calls for
below-normal temperatures
and above normal precipi-
tation. Normal highs for
Sisters fall from 54.0 degrees
at the start of November to
41.0 degrees at the end of
November. Normal lows
fall from 29.0 degrees to
23.0 degrees. The 30-year
normal precipitation is
1.86 inches.
Showers are in the forecast
all through the next week.
The metal letters spelling
out Songbird Stage have been
installed on the stage at Fir
Street Park. The name reflects
the theme of the artwork on
the back wall of the stage, cre-
ated by local Sisters artist Paul
Alan Bennett.
The letters were crafted by
Sisters resident Martin Peck.
An information kiosk with
the map of downtown indicat-
ing the location of Chamber
of Commerce member busi-
nesses has been installed in
Barclay Park on Cascade Ave-
nue, next to The Gallery Res-
taurant. Funds for the kiosk
came from a grant received by
the Chamber.
In other parks-related
news, Senior Planner Bre-
Anne McConkie reported
that the $48,000 grant (80
percent funding) received
by the City from the Ore-
gon Parks and Recreation
Department (OPRD) to make
ADA improvements to the
approaches to the Creekside
Park/Campground pedestrian
bridge, will be consolidated
with the overall Whychus
Creek riparian project and
leveraged with the funding
being pursued by the Upper
Deschutes Watershed Coun-
cil (UDWC). OPRD is sup-
portive of using their grant
for matching funds toward the
larger grant.
The riparian project will
include bank stabilization,
improved controlled creek
access points, and improve-
ment of two sewer lines that
will be rerouted for safety and
to improve fish passage.
The riparian improve-
ment grant proposal to the
Oregon Watershed Enhance-
ment Board (OWEB) was
submitted on September 30.
The Technical Review Team
reviewed the application by
October 31. Verbal feedback
from OWEB on application
questions and a general feel
on whether funding will be
approved is due November 15.
A final decision on whether or
not the grant will be approved
is due December 1. If the
grant is approved, a signed
agreement will be in hand by
February 1, 2018.
PHOTO BY SUE STAFFORD
Locally crafted metal letters proclaim the name of Songbird Stage.
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