The Nugget
Vol. XLIII No. 24
P OSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion
from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Sisters
enters
Phase 2 of
reopening
plan
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
ECRWSS
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Schools
looking
toward
future
Cleaning up the backyard...
By Charlie Kanzig
Correspondent
Deschutes County has
been approved to enter Phase
2 of the State9s reopening
plan for Oregon on Saturday,
June 6. County officials
announced the approval on
Friday afternoon.
By entering Phase 2,
Deschutes County will be
able to continue with the
reopening process, follow-
ing updated health and safety
guidance:
" Gathering limits will be
raised to 50 people indoors,
and 100 people outdoors.
" Indoor and outdoor
venues, including churches,
faith-based organizations,
and theaters, with six feet of
physical distancing and other
PHOTO BY PROVIDED
Gavin Schultz and his dad, Brian, cleaned up dispersed camping sites at Round Lake as part of a Black
Butte School Parent Teacher Organization program. The program made a fun engagement project out of
cleaning up after campers who hit the area when campgrounds were closed. See story, page 3.
See REOPENING on page 29
See SCHOOLS on page 29
Planned development
will add housing
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
Sisters could see 250
to 300 new homes in the
next couple of years as
plans get underway for the
development of 31 acres of
land along Pine Street and
Highway 20.
Kevin Eckert of Build
LLC is designing the project
for Paul Hodge and Paul and
Carla Schneider of Sisters,
who purchased the property
that was formerly part of the
U.S. Forest Service admin-
istrative site because, as
Eckert says, <they just saw
an opportunity for positive
growth.=
Hodge, who is CEO of
Laird Superfood, has long
been an advocate for work-
force housing that will allow
people who work for a pay-
check in Sisters to live in
Sisters.
Eckert said that the Sisters
Woodlands development,
bounded by Pine Street, West
Inside...
Sisters schools are wrap-
ping up a very challenging
school year and the school
board is digging into what the
budget will look like for next
year, given the economic dis-
ruption of COVID-19.
Steve Swisher, the chair
of the school district bud-
get committee spoke during
the public comment portion
of last week9s Zoom school
board meeting to high-
light some of the <what-ifs=
regarding funding from the
state next year.
The committee approved
a budget, but Swisher made
clear that adjustments
by the school board may
become necessary due to the
Barclay Drive and Highway
20 (see map) will feature
<cottage development= of
approximately 1,500-square
feet each utilizing shared
open space; townhomes and
home-over-garage units; and
apartment or condominium-
style units along Highway
20 with a significant setback
from the road.
<We9ve almost ruled out
doing true single-family
(housing),= Eckert told The
Nugget. It9s just not afford-
able. It9s the most expensive
housing you can build.=
Eckert said that the cot-
tage development plan will
allow the preservation of
somewhere around 200 trees.
Eckert said that an appli-
cation is in process at City
Hall and the planning com-
mission should meet on
the project in August and
the developers hope to be
through the planning process
by October or November.
See DEVELOPMENT on page 28
Residents demonstrate for justice
By Ceili Cornelius
Correspondent
More than 50 people
gathered on the corner of
Locust and Highway 20 last
Saturday in a demonstration
advocating for racial justice.
In the aftermath of George
Floyd9s death at the hands of
a police officer in Minnesota,
hundreds of protests and
demonstrations have been
happening across the world.
In Sisters, a group of locals
decided it was time to show
their support in their town.
Katie (who requested that her
last name not be published
due to professional security
concerns) helped organize the
event on Saturday. She put
out on her social media that
she wanted to create a gather-
ing of demonstrators.
<I think it is important,
especially here in a predomi-
nately white town, to show
our support and make every-
one feel welcome here, espe-
cially kids and young people,
and for them to know that
they matter,= she said.
Katie reached out to
PHOTO BY CEILI CORNELIUS
Some 50 people gathered for a rally at the corner of Locust Street and
Highway 20 on Saturday.
friends and family who then
reached out to others and
word spread, creating a gath-
ering of over 50 demonstra-
tors holding signs and wav-
ing at passing cars. Passing
drivers would often honk and
wave back in support.
<I hope that people driv-
ing by really start to think
critically about why they
wouldn9t be able to agree
with the statement »Black
Lives Matter.9 I hope that we
can be examples for others as
well,= Katie said.
Sisters High School art
teacher Bethany Gunnarson
brought sign-making materi-
als to the event Saturday.
<I think it is awesome
that the city of Sisters is get-
ting their voices out there,=
said Gunnarson. <Words
are usually not really my
thing, I more create things
See DEMONSTRATION on page 30
Letters/Weather ................2 Sisters Country Naturalist..5 Property Guy .................... 12 Crossword .......................25 Sudoku ............................28
Meetings ...........................3 Announcements ............... 10 At Your Service.............14-19 Classifieds ..................26-27 Real Estate ................ 30-32