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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 2018)
20 Wednesday, February 28, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Interim director has reins at SPRD HOME: Volunteers are welcome for active program Continued from page 3 By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief When Liam Hughe s announced that he was departing the Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) to take a position in Pendleton, the board of directors didn’t have to look too far to find someone to fill his shoes. Kris Harwell has been finance director at SPRD for the past four-and-a-half years. “There were all these tran- sitional items that I thought I should offer to help (with),” she told The Nugget. “I’d been here the longest, knew the operations of the district, the financial operations...” SPRD has three full-time staff and 10 FTE overall. Harwell is keeping the ship on course while the district conducts a search for a perma- nent executive director. And Harwell has applied for that position. “The interim piece has really opened my eyes to what I can do as a director,” she said. “Especially being here for four-and-a-half years, I can see where the district needs to go.” Harwell believes strongly that SPRD needs to tailor its offerings to the wants and needs of the community — but it’s hard for a small outfit to do the strategic work needed to accomplish that goal. “We’re just a small district, and we’re under-funded,” she told The Nugget. “It spreads us thin, and you’re not always able to put your finger on the pulse of the community and what they want. You’re caught up in the day-to-day.” SPRD is seeking to solidify its financial situation through a local option funding request that is headed to voters in May. Success in that would give SPRD some ability to plan. Harwell notes that SPRD’s programs “have to self-sustain themselves. And that’s chal- lenging when you’re a small community and you’re try- ing to keep your programs affordable.” Harwell has lived in Sisters for some time now. She’s married and has two young children. Her family enjoys skiing and all the other out- door activities that Central Oregon has to offer. “My parents lived here and I moved here when I was 20,” she recalled. “I was actually going to go to school in the east and I met my husband and the rest is history.” The application period for the executive director position closed on February 20, and Harwell expects a new execu- tive director to be in place by May. Whether she’s ultimately selected or not, she values the experience she’s having as interim director. “I like growth and if any- thing this appointment has taught me tons and I’m grate- ful for it,” she said. “It started a little flame in me.” PHOTO BY GARY MILLER Bear and Mary Gray are the latest to benefit from Sisters’ active Habitat for Humanity chapter. and Mary, and coffee and treats being served in Clara Eberius’ garage. Eberius, a recent Habitat homeowner, was the one who encouraged Bear and Mary to apply for the Habitat program. As it turns out, the Gray’s future home is right next door to her new house. Anyone interested in the homeownership or home repair program can find a guideline brochure at www. sistershabitat.org/housing- programs. Those interested in volunteering with Sisters Habitat can sign up to attend a volunteer orientation workshop the first or third Wednesday of each month at noon at the Habitat office, 141 W. Main Ave. To sign up please call 541-549-1193. DO VISITORS KNOW WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS? If they don’t, they won’t search for you. Get the word out with the Sisters Oregon Guide... Now in its 24th year! Sisters O r e g o n G u i d e 2 017- 2 018 35,000 Guides The Sisters Oregon Guide is the only official guide of the Sisters Chamber for these important reasons: • Proven for 24 years to be the most cost-effective way for you to promote your business, event or organization DISTRIBUTED STATEWIDE! • No other resource has all the information for the Sisters area in one place Reaching out to 200,000-plus annual visitors to Sisters • Comprehensive information and articles on recreation, the art and music scene, events, shopping, profiles, history, dining & lodging directories and more • Immense distribution locally and state-wide through chambers of commerce and welcome centers, shops and restaurants, museums, the Redmond airport, visitors and tourism associations, lodging, resorts and more A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO SISTERS COUNTRY Recreation • Lodging • Dining • Events • Galleries • Extraordinary Sisters Sisters Oregon Guide Always Sells Out! ❑ 1/4 Page: $355 ❑ 1/2 Page: $550 ❑ Full Page: $825 1/4 page: 3.25'' x 4.5'' 1/2 page: 6.75'' x 4.5'' Full page: 6.75'' x 9.25'' Photo/Artwork processing: first one FREE, then $5 each Guaranteed Placement: +$100 | Full Color: +$150 Dining or Lodging Listing (2.5") - $125 or FREE with full page ad! PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS Kris Harwell has been finance director at SPRD several years. To reserve your ad call Patti Jo or Vicki at 541-549-9941 il ttij @ gg t i ki@ gg t
