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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2017)
16 Wednesday, November 15, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon LETTERS Continued from page 2 These grant funds are being earmarked in a rush, for projects from a wish-list created by school district insiders. Details of this plan are hard to find. A City “Notice of Land Use Action” flier at the site tipped me off. The School District seems poised to act first and answer questions later. (Does the tree-cutting incident at the elementary and middle schools ring a bell?) Maybe a transportation facility is neces- sary, but surely there is a safer and less intru- sive place to locate it. If you are concerned and want more info, contact BreAnne McConkie, the principal city planner at 541-323-5208, or email her at bmcconkie@ci.sisters.or.us. The next bond oversight meeting is on December 6 and the next school board meeting is on December 13. Dixie Eckford s s s To the Editor: The proposed bus barn to be built in the existing student parking lot of Sisters High School and Sisters Park & Recreation District could be more aptly named a bus warehouse. This outsized metal shed will have the same charm and function as the most unin- teresting and obtrusive examples of its type. Additionally, it would be plunked right down in the existing high school landscape, thereby reducing the number of parking spaces and necessitating convoluted access routes (think fun-house maze) for users of the high school, the skate park, the new bike park and SPRD. The Bus Warehouse requires severe tree reduction at the southern edge of the lot, as well as significant intrusion on portions of the disc golf course. And, oh yes, a chain-link fence. Who authored this remarkable plan; when was it conceived? And how does it happen to be but one step from approval? I urge any regular visitor to SPRD, the high school, the skate park, the new bike park or the disc golf course to check out the proposed site. Look first at the little forest between the school lot and Highway 242, then imagine that view blocked by a large metal warehouse and fleet of school busses, all surrounded by chain-link fencing. While you’re at it, think about driving into the parking lot or trying to walk or bike to the SPRD building or the other play spaces in the complex. The proposed plan seems hostile to walking or biking and cur- rent use of the area. It will be a big lot, for big vehicles, user-friendly only for busses. Let me be clear, I recognize the need for an improved facility, but this design seems to have been conceived in another time, for a dif- ferent space. There is no need to get in a fever to spend the bond windfall on an outdated, uncomfort- able plan. Our community is filled with smart, creative people. We can put energy into creat- ing a solution that will actually solve the prob- lem as well as respect the site and those of us who use it. Options for action exist. The comment period is still open. Attend the bond oversight meeting December 6 at 5 p.m. Attend the school board meeting December 13 at 5 p.m. Send comments to BreAnne McConkie, city planner, bmcconkie@ci.sisters.or.us. Linda Hanson s s s To the Editor: Once again Sisters High School honored See LETTERS on page 24 Court orders rewrite of term-limits title By Steven Dubois Associated Press PORTLAND (AP) — The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a rewrite of the ballot title for an initiative petition that seeks to enact term limits for state lawmakers. Ballot titles are intended to provide a concise, neu- tral description of a measure. They’re regarded as crucial information for voters who haven’t done homework on an issue, and the language is fre- quently challenged in court. The ballot title certified by Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum this summer accu- rately says the measure would prohibit state legislators from serving more than eight years during any 12-year period. But Oregon’s high court agreed with an opponent of the ballot title that it omits a piece of key information: The mea- sure would apply retroactively, quickly changing the composi- tion of the Legislature. The opinion written by Justice Martha Walters said there are instances when a measure is complex and some details can’t be included in the brief description. But, she added, the caption must accurately identify the major effects of a measure in terms that won’t confuse voters, and the term-limits title fails in that regard. “Without further informa- tion, voters reasonably could think that the measure is pro- spective only; that is, only leg- islative service after the effec- tive date of the measure will affect a legislator’s continued service.” The initiative petition was filed by former Republican gubernatorial candidate Bud Pierce. To qualify for the November 2018 election, sup- porters must collect nearly 90,000 signatures from regis- tered voters. The rewrite was sought by Matt Swanson, executive director of the Oregon chap- ter of Service Employees International Union. Voters overwhelmingly approved term limits for state legislators in 1992, but the state Supreme Court reversed their decision a decade later on tech- nical grounds. The governor, state treasurer and secretary of state are subject to limits. 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