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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2018)
2 Wednesday, May 2, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O EDITORIAL… GUEST EDITORIAL… Approve SPRD local option Sisters voters should support the Sisters Park & Recreation District local option levy, Measure 9-120. The District has seen a lot of turnover, and it would be easy to demand more stabil- ity out of the organization before committing to an increase in its tax base. But a good part of the reason for the instability is that the tax base is so paltry. It’s difficult to attract and retain quality employees in an environment where they’re continually asked to do more with inadequate resources. That’s a recipe for burnout. Paying more in taxes is never an attrac- tive proposition — even when the amount (15 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation) comes to no more than the cost of a coffee drink per month for most folks. In the case of SPRD or the schools, the money has immediate and real impact on the ground in our own community. Keeping programs accessible to all, maintain- ing our investment in facilities and expanding program offerings to meet growing and more diverse needs is a worthy way to invest in our local community. SPRD’s original tax base of 22 cents per $1,000 started the district off underfunded back in 1998, and it’s done a remarkable job of fundraising and creating events to sustain its programs. It’s past time to put SPRD on solid financial footing, to enable it to realize its potential to serve the Sisters community. Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief Letters to the Editor… The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer’s name, address and phone number. Let- ters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday. To the Editor: After 35 years as an educator, my hus- band, David, and I moved to Sisters for the schools. That’s right. Two 60-somethings put “great schools” at the absolute top of our relo- cation list. True, the natural beauty and clear evidence of community involvement were draws, too, but it was our serendipitous inter- actions with students in Sisters which capped our decision to choose Sisters. Seriously, who wants to live where its citizenry does not actively support education? Those engaging students eventually drew me into their schools as a volunteer and a member of the Sisters School Board. The quality of my interactions with the students, educators, and volunteers in Sisters schools, complemented by the passion and commit- ment of numerous Sisters community groups, convinced me once again that educated and compassionate citizens equal a vibrant, healthy community and are the backbone of Sisters Country. Sisters teachers and students consistently demonstrate a superior level of commitment to academics, while devoting endless hours to imagining and creating unique, life-changing programs. The renewal of the Sisters Local Option will ensure the continuation of a more personalized education for students, plus pro- grams unique to Sisters: all-day kindergar- ten, smaller class sizes, Mandarin Chinese, a thriving arts curricula (Thank you, Sisters Folk Festival!), the Sisters High School avia- tion program in cooperation with Sisters Airport, Science Technology Engineering Arts Mathematics experiences (Thank you, Sisters Science Club!), while simultaneously making meaningful connections through out- door experiences via Farm to Table and the Integrated Environmental Education program. It’s even clearer to me now, that Sisters out- standing schools are no accident. Renewing the Sisters Local Option is one vital way to See LETTERS on page 8 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Sunny Sunny Mostly Sunny Slt. Chance T-storms Chance Showers 69/39 73/42 72/41 67/40 66/39 Monday Slt. Chance Showers 69/45 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC Website: www.nuggetnews.com 442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, Oregon 97759 Tel: 541-549-9941 | Fax: 541-549-9940 | editor@nuggetnews.com Postmaster: Send address changes to The Nugget Newspaper, P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759. Third Class Postage Paid at Sisters, Oregon. N Editor in Chief: Jim Cornelius Production Manager: Leith Easterling Classifieds & Circulation: Teresa Mahnken Graphic Design: Jess Draper Community Marketing Partners: Patti Jo Beal & Vicki Curlett Accounting: Erin Bordonaro Proofreader: Pete Rathbun Owner: J. Louis Mullen The Nugget is mailed to residents within the Sisters School District; subscriptions are available outside delivery area. Third-class postage: one year, $45; six months (or less), $25. First-class postage: one year, $85; six months, $55. Published Weekly. ©2018 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. All advertising which appears in The Nugget is the property of The Nugget and may not be used without explicit permission. The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. assumes no liability or responsibility for information contained in advertisements, articles, stories, lists, calendar etc. within this publication. All submissions to The Nugget Newspaper will be treated as uncondition- ally assigned for publication and copyrighting purposes and subject to The Nugget Newspaper’s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially, that all rights are currently available, and that the material in no way infringes upon the rights of any person. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of artwork, photos, or manuscripts. SPRD is turning 21 By Becky Aylor, Jim Hammond, Sharon Ling, Rand Runco, Jayne Simmons, Theresa Slavkovsky, Lois Worcester, Tom Worcester, with Jeff Tryens The Sisters Park & Recreation tax district turns 21 next year. We are eight long-time Sisters Country residents who helped raise the Sisters Park & Recreation District since its infancy. As SPRD reaches adulthood, so to speak, we believe it is time for the tax- payers of Sisters Country to recognize that SPRD has grown into a mature, multi- purpose organization by supporting Measure 9-120, the local option tax measure on the May ballot. Many of us were involved in the creation of SPRD’s predecessor, SOAR, which provided after-school activities for kids who would otherwise go home to an empty house. In fact, one of our number, Tom Worcester (and his friend, Bob Grooney), came up with the name SOAR — Sisters Organization for Activities and Recreation. We were there when voters responded to a com- munity-wide campaign to support SOAR through a tax levy in 1998. Over the years, we have watched SPRD grow from a single- purpose organization, sup- porting “latchkey” kids, to an agency that responds to myriad community recre- ation, education, safety and health needs. And we’ve been involved every step of the way. Had it not been for SPRD’s pre- school program, Becky Aylor, then a single parent, would not have been able to hold a job. Rand Runco was the head coach for SPRD- supported basketball for many years. Jim Hammond of the Sisters Astronomy Club works closely with SPRD to put on its monthly “Stars over Sisters” events for the community. Theresa Slavkovsky, who works at the Family Access Network, has partnered with SPRD for years to provide schol- arships for kids participat- ing in SPRD activities. And Sharon Ling, who is deeply involved in senior programs supported by SPRD, even has a daughter who was one of the original pre-school teachers at SPRD. Current board member Jayne Simmons’ grandchildren have participated in numer- ous SPRD-sponsored sports. We know SPRD! And we are passionate about ensuring that this wonder- ful agency has a sustainable future. By now you have prob- ably heard many of the arguments in support of an SPRD tax increase: that cur- rent tax funding has dropped to less than 30 percent of total budget; that pre-school/ after-school programs have become expensive for many families; and that staff turn- over is unacceptably high; and that delayed mainte- nance is a growing problem. All true, but what really concerns us is that you, our friends and neighbors, may think that SPRD will keep on keeping on with or with- out this tax increase. We, who know SPRD inside and out, do not believe that the current funding model is sustainable for much lon- ger. Without additional pub- lic support, something will have to give. We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the important economic boost SPRD gives our little town every time a big SPRD-sponsored tour- nament occurs. To see for yourself, ask Pam Wavrin at The Depot Café how impor- tant those out-of-town sport families are to her business. Or check out the number of families with teens in uni- form making purchases at Ray’s on a tournament day. This is economic activity generated by SPRD, plain and simple. Most importantly, SPRD has improved the lives of literally thousands of peo- ple, particularly children, in Sisters Country over the past 20 years. It’s good for the town in so many ways. The SPRD Board of Directors is asking the aver- age homeowner to contrib- ute less than a dollar a week in additional support. We believe that is an investment well worth making. We hope that you will take the time to vote, and vote yes on Measure 9-120: “Five-year local option levy for improving recreation programs and facilities.” Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.
