Wednesday, June 5, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
USFS: Agency revisited
plan to relocate and
changed their mind
Continued from page 1
USFS staff decided to push
the pause button and revisit
their plans regarding the loca-
tion of their new headquarters
before any more sales agree-
ments came their way.
Their newest proposal
involves partitioning the 42
acres in the middle parcel
into one piece of seven to 12
acres called the lower cam-
pus, and the remaining piece
of approximately 30 acres,
where the current headquar-
ters building is located.
Plans call for new head-
quarters to be built on the
smaller parcel after selling
the East Portal and the 30
acres. By doing that, the staff
could continue to work out of
the current office while the
new headquarters are under
construction.
Sisters District Ranger Ian
Reid pointed out a number of
advantages to the new plan.
The Forest Service will be
able to maintain a presence
in the heart of Sisters, where
it has been for decades. They
will be able to stay in place
while building the new head-
quarters, providing a savings
in moving costs to temporary
headquarters.
Reid stressed the savings
to taxpayers:
<By staying on the cur-
rent property, there will be a
savings of about $1 million
in site development costs
and less permitting required.
City utilities already serve the
property.=
Another positive aspect
is that the USFS will retain
the highway frontage along
Highway 20, relieving a con-
cern voiced by many local cit-
izens about the nature of the
entrance into Sisters.
Design costs could be
minimal, as the plan is to uti-
lize the design used in con-
structing the headquarters in
Crescent, which Reid indi-
cated is a beautiful facility.
The Forest Service owns those
plans, so they can be reused
with minor modifications.
Reid said signage near the
roundabout could direct traf-
fic to follow Barclay Drive
out of the roundabout to the
new headquarters, reducing
turning traffic at North Pine
Street.
Several things need to hap-
pen before the local Forest
Service can move forward
with their newest proposal.
Plans need to be approved
by the regional office in
Portland and then forwarded
to Washington, D.C. The
zoning changes from public
By staying on the
current property, there
will be a savings of
about $1 million in site
development costs...
— Ian Reid
facility and open space need
to be approved by the City of
Sisters to allow for more uses.
The other two parcels of
land must sell. If the proceeds
from the sales don9t fully
cover the costs of the new
headquarters, staff will have
to figure out how to get nec-
essary appropriations from the
Federal government.
That9s a lot of mov-
ing pieces, but it looks like
Smokey Bear will continue
residing in downtown Sisters
along Highway 20.
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PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
Smokey Bear will continue to stand
watch at his current location.
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