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Wednesday, May 6, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
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Editorial…
City’s role to grow as Sisters recovers Communication is key
as Sisters ‘reopens’
Sisters9 city government will have a big-
ger and bigger role to play as Sisters moves
from hunkering down and trying to weather
the COVID-19 storm toward navigating the
changed landscape the storm has left behind.
The City used its very limited capabilities
to respond to the rapidly-unfolding crisis in a
timely and judicious manner, taking early pre-
cautions for the health and safety of staff and
public; discouraging but not aggressively shut-
ting down travel to Sisters; working with sud-
denly shuttered or interrupted businesses and
out-of-work residents to manage utility billing
and the like.
Civic leaders and staff have worked hard to
make sure that Sisters has a seat at the table,
access to resources, and a voice in decisions
that will have a profound effect on the commu-
nity 4 though Sisters must recognize that we
are one very small voice amid a great clamor.
Going forward, the City will need to
maintain a fine balance between consistency
and flexibility when it comes to enacting or
modifying policies to help residents and busi-
nesses recover. The City will have to commu-
nicate very clearly and consistently with local
residents, visitors and businesses in an envi-
ronment where information can be confusing,
contradictory 4 and can change quickly.
Effective communication is a two-way
street; the City needs to hear from its constitu-
ents regarding their circumstances and needs,
always recognizing that the City has limited
resources and capabilities and is constrained
by the requirements of county and state
authorities.
Right now, it9s easy to get frustrated to the
point of fury and despair with government
action or inaction that seems confused, out-
of-touch and often counterproductive. Here in
Sisters, we can make sure that we9re all pull-
ing in the same positive direction, working in
good faith under profoundly trying circum-
stances to do what we can with what we have.
Jim Cornelius,
Editor in Chief
Letters to the Editor…
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer9s name, address and
phone number. Letters 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 10 a.m. Monday.
To the Editor:
I would like to take this opportunity to
thank all our teachers who provide such an
excellent education to our children. As a
grandparent raising three kids I have watched
for eight years these dedicated profession-
als going above and beyond expectations to
expand these young minds. In so many cre-
ative and innovated ways they create an atmo-
sphere where children are eager to go to school
and learn.
These days, the schools are closed and we
are all learning from a distance. I have heard
stories from parents in other districts who say
that their children are struggling, that the way
lessons are set up is a nightmare. My children
have concise lesson plans and a flexible sched-
ule. Teachers want their students to continue
to learn but not get too stressed out about
it. The well-being of everyone is taken into
account.
I moved here when my oldest grand-
daughter was starting seventh grade. The
district we were living in had a seventh
through twelfth combined middle school/
high school. It was not a place I wanted her
to go. I knew the reputation of the Sisters
schools and had to get these kids over here
for their education. I have never regretted this
move. Having been an educator myself for
30 years I realized immediately the dedica-
tion these amazing people have toward their
students.
As we navigate through these strange times
our teachers are a lifeline connecting us to a
sense of normalcy. They work harder now pro-
viding students an education than they did in
the classroom. I know how much my kids miss
their teachers and classroom and I know how
much the teachers wish they could greet their
See LETTERS on page 8
Sisters Weather Forecast
Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon
Wednesday
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The Nugget Newspaper, LLC
Website: www.nuggetnews.com
442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, Oregon 97759
Tel: 541-549-9941 | Email: editor@nuggetnews.com
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The Nugget Newspaper,
P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759.
Third Class Postage Paid at Sisters, Oregon.
Editor in Chief: Jim Cornelius
By Mayor Chuck Ryan and
City Manager Cory Misley
During these challenging
times, one thing that cannot
be overstressed is commu-
nication. In that regard, the
City is determined to keep
everyone as informed as pos-
sible as we progress through
this pandemic. You can be
assured that we are in sync
with many decision-making
bodies whose guidance and
recommendations are being
shared daily and the City is
committed to present that
data in an organized format
every week in cooperation
with The Nugget.
While public safety has
been the first priority, our
businesses are clearly strug-
gling during these chal-
lenging times and the City
is reaching out to many
of them in order to bet-
ter understand their situa-
tion firsthand. Again, this
communication can only
enhance informed decision
making through this pro-
cess. In our next weekly
article, we will share some
of the key themes from these
discussions. But one thing
that is clear, the resolve and
ingenuity of our small busi-
nesses is frankly amazing.
Their positive attitude and
complete understanding of
the severity of the situation
is to be commended.
In the meantime, let us
attempt to summarize the
latest thinking from the
Governor9s office in regard
to the phased re-opening of
our economy in Oregon.
The Federal Government
is giving authority to each
state in regards to setting
the parameters for re-open-
ing of our businesses. The
Governor has established a
three-phase approach to this
re-opening. The first phase
includes restaurants and
bars, most retail, childcare,
outdoor recreation, and other
personal services (hair/nail
salons, etc.).
This phase is targeted
for completion sometime in
the second half of May but
there are prerequisites that
must be met before a county
or region can initiate Phase
1. While many of these
prerequisites are set at the
county level, some are set at
a health region (Deschutes
County is in Health Region
7 that includes seven other
Central and Eastern Oregon
counties).
D e s c h u t e s C o u n t y
has been working on a
<Reopening Framework=
they plan to get to the State
by the end of this week. As
they are available, we will
post the latest drafts of these
prerequisites in detail on the
City9s website. For brevity,
we listed the seven criteria
but will not got into details
for this column:
1. Declining Prevalence
of COVID-19 (from a
statistical standpoint)
2. Minimum Testing
Regimen
3. Contact Tracing System
4. Isolation Facilities
5. Finalized Statewide
Sector Guidelines
6. Sufficient Healthcare
Capacity
7. Sufficient Personal
Protective Equipment
(PPE) Supply
Once the above prerequi-
sites have been met, a county
will be allowed to initiate re-
opening of the businesses
that are qualified in Phase
1. The final step will be
public safety requirements
that businesses (sector by
sector) must follow which
again will be dictated at the
State level. These include
social distancing factors,
PPE (like masks, gloves,
and sanitation) and capacity
constraints of the particular
business. A final recom-
mendation on public safety
requirements is forthcoming
from the State and will be
published in a future article.
Another thing that is clear
from our recent discussions
with our businesses is that
they are more than willing to
follow these parameters and
keep our community safe.
Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and
are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.
Production Manager: Leith Easterling
Creative Director: Jess Draper
Community Marketing
Partner: Vicki Curlett
Classifieds & Circulation: Lisa May
Owner: J. Louis Mullen
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