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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 27, 2018)
2 Wednesday, June 27, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O N Airport is an outstanding community asset By Mike Macon & Sharon Karr Guest Columnists Editorial… Tariffs threaten newspapers Tariffs on newsprint are threatening the existence of community newspapers across the country. Thanks to the support of the Sisters community and our advertisers, The Nugget remains a healthy and vibrant publication — but we’re not sheltered from national trends. The vast majority of economists will tell you that protectionist policies and tariffs do far more harm than good. In a global economy — which the U.S. has operated in for well over a century — imposing tariffs merely triggers tit-for-tat retaliation. Protecting one industry often causes harm to others. That’s what’s happening with tariffs on newsprint. In order to protect one paper mill in Longview, Washington, employ- ing approximately 400 people, the Trump Administration has imposed tariffs on Canadian uncoated groundwood paper that threaten 600,000 jobs across a multitude of industries. NORPAC (the North Pacific Paper Co.) argues that it is unfairly impacted by uncoated groundwood paper subsidized by the Canadian government being sold below market value in the United States. Addressing unfair trade practices — where they exist — is a laudable goal. But tariffs are a blunt instrument at best, and igniting trade wars with North American trading partners will hurt everyone in the end. The Commerce Department will decide this summer whether to make the newsprint tariff permanent. Hopefully, once the full rami- fications of the policy are understood, offi- cials will dump it. And Congress may act to freeze the tariff while directing the Commerce Department to better assess its impact. Some community newspapers are seeing printing costs increase by 20 to 30 percent. The Nugget, which prints in Bend at The Bulletin’s facility, has seen a smaller increase than that — but there’s no assurance that that line can be held. If cost increases put newspapers and other publishers out of business, the paper industry as a whole will suffer a huge blow — which is why the rest of the industry doesn’t support the tariffs. As Republican Senator Susan Collins, a co- sponsor of the bill to suspend and reassess the tariffs noted, tariffs are “harming the industry they were intended to protect.” Hopefully, in an overheated political envi- ronment where ready, fire, aim seems to be the norm, cooler heads will take into account the broad and long-term effects of an ill-conceived action. Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Sunny Sunny Partly Cloudy Sunny Sunny Sunny 77/46 72/45 75/45 81/48 82/48 80/45 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. 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. We attend the Sisters Airport 4th of July Fly-In, no matter what. This commu- nity event started six years ago to celebrate the airport makeover, including the re- paved runway, new hangars, offices, and aviation fuel. The festivities start at 7 a.m. with pancakes, the buzz of planes arriving, and the rumble of classic cars for the hot-rod show. The Sisters Fly-In is just one of the many ways Benny and Julie Benson con- tribute to our community. When the Bensons became the owners of Sisters Eagle Airport, the facilities were in a sad state of disrepair. The Oregon Department of Aviation had designated the airport runway as “failed.” There was no business base, and no jobs at the site. Under the new ownership of the Bensons, revitalization of the dilapidated airport began immediately. Every time we drove by the airport, we noticed projects underway, from painting the fence to digging up the house-sized boulder that created the hump in the runway. The Bensons dedicated their airport as a commu- nity asset, and received two ConnectOregon grants, which provided 45 percent of the project costs to resurface the runway, and helipads for emergency and fire services. The Bensons paid the remain- der. While most airports are owned by a public agency and receive funds for the operation and maintenance, the Sisters Airport is entirely financed by the Bensons, but still operates as a community asset for the public. The annexation of the airport into the City of Sisters was facilitated by the Bensons, supported by an unprecedented voter approval of 87 percent, seven pub- lic hearings, and unanimous city council approval. The 34-acre airport property now provides Sisters with addi- tional tax revenue, along with recreational uses, including a fly-in campground and the community garden. These improvements drive tourism, recreation and business to Sisters. The Bensons proved the airport met the criteria to be included on the Oregon Department of Aviation (ODA) list of Airports of Significance, including a public hearing which demon- strated overwhelming support of the community and Flight Science students. Now listed, the Sisters Airport is recog- nized and protected for cur- rent and future aviation uses. Julie Benson helped start the Flight Science program at Sisters High School (SHS), and then founded Outlaw Aviation with the purchase of a Cessna 172. Julie also facilitated the donation of the FAA-certified simula- tor from COCC, which is available for students to use after school. The Bensons plan to host a new Career Technology Education class at the airport starting next fall for SHS students to build an airplane. The Bensons’ business, ENERGYneering Solutions, Inc, (ESI), employs more than 50 living-wage employ- ees, providing services for over $10 million in renew- able energy projects. ESI also designed and built the new biomass boiler at SHS in 2011. As a traded- sector business, ESI brings revenue from distant proj- ects back into the Sisters economy. ESI received the Sisters Pioneering Spirit Award in 2013, Business of the Year Award in 2014, and the Oregon Business award “Best 100 Companies to Work for in Oregon” in 2015. Their projects are making a difference and are actually changing the world. ESI’s combined projects offset the carbon footprint equivalent to two million cars per year! More than a half-million dollars in infrastructure and street improvements is directly tied to the jobs being created by ESI. Funding is partially from grants, the remainder was covered by the Bensons. Their community con- tributions reach beyond the airport. They donated HEPA filters for all three Sisters schools when unsafe levels of smoke from fires filled the schools, and they serve as advisors for the SHS engi- neering academy, Aspire mentors, and Pursue Your Passion programs. The Bensons’ goal is to provide an airport which is a true community asset. We congratulate Benny and Julie for contributing tirelessly to the Sisters community. We hope you join us to celebrate the 4th of July! Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.
