K LOO E! D INSI Partners in Health & Wellbeing 12 pages featuring the stories of the dedicated healthcare professionals and wellness specialists who serve Sisters The Nugget Vol. XLI No. 13 P OSTAL CUSTOMER News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon www.NuggetNews.com Wednesday, March 27, 2018 lebrate collaborative effort Irrigators celebrate efforts By Cody Rheault Correspondent More than a dozen local agencies along with Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., gathered for a Celebration of Collaboration last Tuesday, March 19. Recognizing joint efforts between irrigation dis- tricts, land trusts, and energy corporations more than a hundred people gathered to express their appreciation in the midst of one of the largest modernization projects. Held at the Three Sisters Irrigation District head- quarters just east of Sisters, the event unveiled the new Watson Micro Hydro Demonstration Project Facility along with four new hydro turbines and a display of the new massive 84-inch piping used in local canals. For years local irriga- tion districts have worked to replace centuries-old open-air canals with new, pressurized underground piping. Years Planning commission approves Hayden plan By Sue Stafford Correspondent With a vote of six ayes and Commissioner Jack Nagel the sole nay vote, the Sisters Planning Commission approved Hayden Homes9 Master Plan Development for McKenzie Meadows Village, the Comprehensive Plan Map and Zoning Map Amendment, a Tentative Subdivision, and Development Agreement, accepting all of the City staff recommendations, with one small change of wording. The commission9s recom- mendation for approval has been sent to the City Council. At their March 27 meeting at 6:30 p.m., the Council can review the decision or let it contamination. With 59 of the 64 miles of See IRRIGATION on page 25 See DOG ATTACK on page 16 Senator Jeff Merkley joined local irrigation districts and agencies in celebrating collaborative efforts to modernize and improve irrigation efficiency. stand. Two of the five coun- cilors, Nancy Connolly and Michael Preedin, will be out of town and unable to weigh in. The decision will rest with Mayor Chuck Ryan and councilors Andrea Blum and Richard Esterman. At the Planning Commission meeting on March 21, the City Hall chambers were full of mostly residents of Village at Cold Springs who had a strong interest in the outcome of the commission9s deliberations. They have fought to stop the connection of Hill Street and Williamson Avenue between the Village at Cold Springs and the proposed neighboring See HAYDEN on page 18 through evaporation and seep- age into the porous Central Oregon earth, and exposed an uncontrollable vessel for Dog attacked and killed in Crossroads The Deschutes County Sheriff9s Office is seeking the public9s help in locating a dog that attacked and killed another dog in Crossroads on March 19. The attack occurred at approximately 4:30 p.m. in the area of Bluegrass Loop and Crater Way in Crossroads. According to DCSO, an investigation determined a family living near the inter- section had been preparing to leave their residence and were going to tether their 12-year- old female Chihuahua/Beagle named Lexi outside. Lexi PHOTO BY CODY RHEAULT prior, the open canals pre- sented an inefficient means of transporting water. The majority of water was lost PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15 Hotel and taproom planned for Ski Inn By Sue Stafford Correspondent At about 2:20 p.m. on a blustery day in early December 2013, a power- ful gust of wind uprooted a massive ponderosa pine on Cascade Avenue, sending the trunk crashing through the front of the Ski Inn res- taurant. No one was hurt, but the venerable old Sisters institution was destroyed. Now, it9s being resur- rected in a new form. If permits are issued by mid-summer, construction on the new Ski Inn hotel and tap room will begin soon after. According to the projected timeline, the Ski Inn could be operational by fall 2020. Pacwest Builders have designed and will build the new hotel and taproom on the site of the original Ski Inn, where the building was removed in the wake of the 2013 tree incident. Jim Yozamp and his fam- ily, Sisters resident residents for the past decade, will own the See SKI INN on page 24 An artist’s rendering of the once-and-future Ski Inn. GRAPHIC PROVIDED Inside... Letters/Weather ................ 2 Your Story Matters ............. 8 Entertainment ..................13 Dear Property Guy .............17 Classifieds .................. 22-24 Meetings ........................... 3 Announcements ................12 Sisters Naturalist ............. 14 Crossword ........................21 Real Estate .................24-28