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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2020)
The Nugget Vol. XLIII No. 27 P OSTAL CUSTOMER News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon www.NuggetNews.com Wednesday, July 1, 2020 Locals rally in support of first responders By Jodi Schneider Correspondent Sisters residents turned out on Saturday morning, June 27, to show appre- ciation for firefighters and police. Cort Horner, Sisters resident and organizer of a rally held on the corner of Highway 20 and Pine Street, said that this was a positive, all-inclusive gathering with the sole purpose of letting all first responders know they are appreciated. First responders are always at the forefront of every incident or disaster, and they assure the safety and well-being of the population. E m e rg e n c y M e d i c a l Technicians (EMTs), para- medics, firefighters, and police officers are all consid- ered first responders. Horner told The Nugget, <This 8appreciation gather- ing9 was a spontaneous idea. Like all of us, I think we9ve been overwhelmed with negative messaging toward police forces across the country and regionally, and it just seemed to me like the negativity was very out of balance with all the positives they provide every day. I floated it on one of our local community pages and there PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15 Sisters City Council sets goals By Sue Stafford Correspondent Nearly 15 supporters held signs with a positive message for all first responders. Retired firefighter Gary Eidsmoe held up the American flag with the thin blue line representing law enforcement, promoting compassion for our nation9s police officers. The Sisters City Council is keeping core City services and essential infrastructure at the forefront in goals and a budget adopted in challeng- ing times. The Council adopted Fiscal Year 2020/21 goals on March 11, which guided the creation of the 2020/21 City budget. Due to the current effects of the COVID-19 pan- demic on the local economy, no one can confidently pre- dict what the economy will look like over the next fiscal year and beyond. <The City is well posi- tioned to weather and rebound from these chal- lenges,= said City Manager Cory Misley. <We should remain optimistic about our community and take a proac- tive, yet measured, approach to the next fiscal year. One critical component is that our economy is more diverse and sustainable than ever. We are more well positioned than ever to weather economic See RALLY on page 23 See GOALS on page 9 PHOTO BY JODI SCHNEIDER Sisters folks turned out on Saturday morning for a rally supporting local first responders, from sheriff’s office personnel to firefighters and EMTs. was immediate support, so I thought there was no better time than the present to orga- nize something.= He added, <So many organizations work together to keep Sisters Country safe, I expanded the idea to include first responders as well 4 our Fire, Police, EMS, USFS, ODFW 4 all of them are dedicated to their jobs and our community, and deserve thanks too, so this is for all of them.= Sno-Cap owner Lacey Weeks and general manager Jennifer Seher expressed immediate support by offer- ing their front sidewalks as a gathering place, as well as offering any first respond- ers a free meal from the restaurant. Urban renewal funds go Cundiff closes out school career to improvement projects By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent By Sue Stafford Correspondent Some of the major proj- ects in town have utilized funds from a local govern- ment entity perhaps not well known or understood by a majority of Sisters residents: the Urban Renewal Agency (URA) established in 2003. Projects include the Cascade Avenue improve- ments, the Village Green restrooms, the creation of Fir Street Park, and small-busi- ness improvement grants. The URA is a legally separate entity from the City of Sisters, with the Sisters City Council serving as its board of directors and being financially accountable for Inside... its operations. The URA prepares its own budget in accordance with Oregon law and the board of direc- tors approves its annual appropriations. The current Urban Renewal District cov- ers much of the downtown Sisters commercial core. The Sisters downtown Urban Renewal Agency Plan iden- tifies improvements slated within the district. The current URA Plan is set to expire in 2023 but the URA can play a significant role in furthering downtown investment and growth. So, this year9s plan (2020-21) will serve as a transition while the board looks to See URA on page 19 Shirleen Cundiff rolled into Sisters in 1998 with her two daughters, Jamie and Kelly, the day before school started, fulfilling a dream she and her husband, Gary, had kept for many years of resid- ing in Central Oregon. The dream became reality when Gary was offered a manage- rial job at J and J Carpets in Bend. <We researched schools in the area and Sisters quickly rose to the top of our list,= she said. Sisters, with around 800 residents within the city lim- its at the time, was quite a change from her hometown of Camarillo, California, just north of Los Angeles. Jamie enrolled at Sisters PHOTO BY CHARLIE KANZIG Shirleen Cundiff has played a key role in making the Sisters School District work for nearly 20 years. High School as a freshman while Kelly entered Sisters Middle School, which is where Shirleen9s career with the district first got traction. <Mary Lesowske asked See CUNDIFF on page 15 Letters/Weather ............... 2 Sisters Situation Report .... 4 Announcements ...............10 Crossword .......................19 Sudoku ............................21 Meetings .......................... 3 Stars Over Sisters ............. 8 Stars & Stripes ............11-14 Classifieds ................. 20-22 Real Estate ................ 22-24