Wednesday, October 10, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
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Planners will look at marijuana rules Workshop to reach
‘Across the Divide’
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
Voters will decide in the
November election whether
they want to allow recre-
ational marijuana-related
businesses in Sisters. By
that time, the City will have
decided what rules such
businesses would oper-
ate under if the voters say
“yes.”
Voters can get a look at
those rules now.
The Planning Commission
will hold a public hearing
on the draft time, place and
manner (TPM) text amend-
ments to the Development
Code for marijuana-related
businesses on October 18,
5:30 p.m. at City Hall.
In preparation for the
general election results in
November, the City Council
and Planning Commission
over the past year have both
conducted public hearings
and numerous work sessions
on the TPM issues for mari-
juana sales, production, and
processing.
With the arrival of bal-
lots in the mail next week,
residents of the city of
Sisters will have the oppor-
tunity to vote on the ques-
tion of whether or not
marijuana-related businesses
should be allowed in Sisters.
The second measure to be
decided is whether or not
the City shall impose a three
percent tax on marijuana
sales, if the businesses are
allowed.
Two former Sisters city
managers during their tenure
here suggested to the City
Council it would be prudent
for them to establish policy
regarding marijuana locally
before either national laws
are changed or the November
ballot measure allowing
sales in town is approved or
defeated.
TPMs regulate things
such as where retail outlets
or growing and processing
operations may be located –
distance from parks, schools,
and each other, and which
areas or zones of town. They
also regulate hours of opera-
tion, signage, appearance of
storefronts, and elimination
of processing and grow-
ing odors and waste. There
are already 10 state regula-
tions enforced by the Oregon
Liquor Control Commission,
and cities are allowed to
impose even more regula-
tions beyond what the state
does.
In an effort to more
clearly understand the many
facets of the burgeoning
marijuana industry, mem-
bers of the City Council and
staff have spent a good deal
of time over the past year
reviewing draft legal docu-
ments prepared by the City
attorney’s office, visiting
marijuana facilities in other
cities, including a produc-
tion-licensed facility (can-
nabis farming), a laboratory-
licensed business (cannabis
testing), and a processing-
licensed business (cannabis
extracts, concentrates, edi-
bles, etc.). They also toured
retail outlets, medical mari-
juana dispensaries, and spoke
with owners and employ-
ees about their experiences
and any advice they had to
offer.
They thought the time
and effort put into edu-
cating themselves was
time well spent to prepare
them for adopting TPMs
that will offer the type
of regulation desired for
Sisters.
The public will have the
opportunity to weigh in on
the draft TPMs at next week’s
Planning Commission meet-
ing and at a City Council
public hearing, probably in
November.
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
In the spirit of election
season, Citizens4Community
is sponsoring an “Across
the Divide” workshop on
Tuesday, October 30, 4 to
8:30 p.m. at City Hall. They
are currently recruiting 12-15
people who identify politi-
cally as Red (conservative)
and 12-15 who identify as
Blue (liberal).
The workshop is designed
to help people on either side
of the divide understand
and value their differences,
while co-existing along-
side one another, resulting
in development of empathy
for each other and mutual
conversation.
Heidi Venture, of Heidi
Venture Consulting LLC in
Hood River, received her
master’s degree in organi-
zational leadership from
Gonzaga University. She has
long been concerned about
the lack of civility between
political parties. She is tak-
ing on the challenge of help-
ing people learn to have civil
discussions and relationships
across the political divide.
Venture will educate the
participants around common
values, the problems of dehu-
manization, and communica-
tion skills that don’t strive
to change people’s minds
but build bridges to greater
understanding of differences.
The communication skills
include reflective compas-
sionate listening, listening
for values, using “I” mes-
sages, and forming questions
to deepen understanding.
These skills make it possible
to discuss political issues —
and keep talking.
Venture’s main goal is to
have workshop participants
from either side of the aisle
end the evening with a hug
and perhaps going out for
pizza together.
This is an experien-
tial workshop just for par-
ticipants with no audience.
There will be a light meal
provided. It is offered free
of charge thanks to financial
support from the Ford Family
Foundation.
For more information
and to sign up as a partici-
pant for the workshop go
to the C4C website www.
citizens4community.com.
Dan & Julia Rickards would
like to invite you to visit
Clearwater Gallery
Saturday, October 13
at 10 a.m.
....
Complimentary print of
Dan’s newest painting to
the fi rst 150 people.
“Green Lakes Trail”
Dan Rickards will be at the gallery on
vaturday at 10 a.m. to individually sign each
print until they have all been given away. Limit
one per family, please. Clearwater Gallery
will be off ering special framing package pricing
and a limited giclée edition on canvas in
conjunction with the new release.
We look forward to seeing you.
303 W. Hood Ave., Sisters • 541-549-4994 • www.theclearwatergallery.com • www.danrickards.com