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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 29, 2020)
12 Wednesday, July 29, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon SPORTS: Plans are not yet definitive for fall activities Continued from page 1 that fall sports of cross coun- try, volleyball and soccer will begin official practice at the original start date of August 17 4 but contests will be delayed until September 23. That delay will give schools more opportunity to get the academic year underway and for other details, such as spectator policies, multi- team events, and scheduling considerations to be worked out. Football, along with cheerleading and dance/drill, are considered full contact activities, and as such, are currently prohibited under Oregon Health Authority guidelines. They do not have a planned starting date at this point. In its press release, the OSAA stated, <Based on strategies provided by the OSAA Football Contingency Group it is necessary that any football restrictions be lifted by September 28 in order to have a modified regular season this fall that would include some type of restructured postseason.= The recommendations came out of a three-day work session that spanned July 20-22. Sisters High School Athletic Director Gary Thorson, who recently accepted the position as foot- ball coach, said, <At first glance I was disappointed that there was not very much detail to this plan, but then, after re-reading it I realized that there is so much we still don9t know that the OSAA was wise to not commit to more specifics just yet.= Wa s h i n g t o n and California, which have laid out much more spe- c ific p lan s, in clu d in g Washington9s design of doing four shortened seasons during the school year rather than three longer ones and redistributing what time of year different sports will play. The OSAA press release stated, <If fall activities aren9t able to be held in the regular time frame, the OSAA Executive Board is committed to working with its contingency groups to exhaust all options for these activities including shifting, condensing, or stacking sea- sons, like our neighbors in Washington and California, with the fundamental objec- tive of providing participa- tion opportunities for stu- dents. These changes may ultimately force schools into choosing which programs they will offer and students into choosing between activ- ities, but the Board believes that a potentially difficult choice is better than no choice.= Thorson acknowledged the planning done in neigh- boring states. <If health issues don9t improve and we can9t get started in the fall the way that OSAA hopes right now, the four season idea might work in Oregon as well,= he said. <We could start the year with the lesser contact sports and move things around in hopes that the virus will be much more contained as the months pass.= Thorson says he is get- ting a lot of calls and mes- sages from people wanting to know the plan for fall. <I wish I could be more specific, but we all are going to have to wait, be patient and then work together to make the best of whatever plan is available to us,= he said. <We are in uncharted territory, but it is my hope that we can offer as much as possible, even if it means shorter seasons and less travel, rather than what hap- pened this past spring.= For cheerleading and dance/drill teams, the OSAA and contingency groups are working to develop possible modifications as to chore- ography, stunting and lift- ing that would make those activities meet safe health guidelines. More information regard- ing requirements for face coverings for indoor sports and other considerations will be forthcoming, according to the OSAA. Other guidelines that came out of the meeting included limiting sports practices to one per day not to exceed three hours, and athletes would be restricted to one hour of weight train- ing per day in addition to their practice time. In addi- tion, all fall sports athletes will be required to complete nine practices before being eligible for competition. The OSAA Executive Board is scheduled to meet again on August 3 as they anticipate more information to be available regarding the reopening of schools. CITY: Traffic measurement will provide data Continued from page 3 year and the start of another while meeting all guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The City is also temporarily down one full- time staff member/depart- ment head and others have stepped in to fill that gap. " The appointment of a short-term work committee is being considered to study the City9s disbursement of transient room tax receipts, a major percentage of which must go for tourist-related services, activities, and mar- keting. They will most likely be meeting during the fall, with an eye toward comple- tion and recommendations prior to the year-end holi- days. The committee9s task would be to draw up a stra- tegic tourism plan for how those TRT funds will be spent. " Traffic data recording equipment was recently pur- chased by the Public Works Department to improve the City9s ability to collect rele- vant data regarding numbers and types of vehicles trav- eling on City streets, their speeds, and the percentage of different speeds traveled, including the time of day or night. This information will help inform the Deschutes County Sheriff 9s officers assigned to Sisters where and when to patrol for traf- fic speed enforcement and safety. The data will also inform the City regarding the need for speed zone adjustments and possible installation of traffic mitigation equipment such as speed bumps, traf- fic calming installations, and speed signs. The recorders are initially scheduled to be used on 12 streets, with more in the future. GET OUTSIDE T S ID D E A AND N D E ENJOY N J OY NA NATURE AT U RE by boat, ATV, trailer or motorhome. Do you have the right coverage? AUTO • HOME • HEALTH • LIFE • BUSINESS • FARM • RENTAL 541-549-3172 1-800-752-8540 704 W. Hood Ave., Sisters Hope for a child. Change for a nation. Conie Miracle is an 8-year-old girl whose father passed away, leaving her mother to care for the children on her own. Conie dreams of becoming a nurse. Sponsor Conie today at HopeAfricaKids.com Your monthly gift of $39 will provide Conie with school fees, uniforms, shoes, food, medical care, and the hope that is found only in Jesus Christ. Your sponsorship pledge makes an impact on your child’s life that is both immediately transformational and eternal. Learn more about Sisters-based Hope Africa International at HopeAfricaKids.com. This ad sponsored by The Nugget Newspaper. The Nugget Newspaper offi ce is open to visitors! Our hours continue to be limited, so we do recommend making an appointment if an in-person meeting is required. For the well-being of our staff and clients we are heeding CDC guidelines for social distancing and masks are required. The Nugget Office: 541-549-9941 News & Letters to the Editor: Jim Cornelius, 541-390-6973 (cell) editor@nuggetnews.com Classifi eds, Subscriptions, Announcements, Events: Lisa May, lisa@nuggetnews.com Display Advertising: Vicki Curlett, 541-699-7530 (cell) vicki@nuggetnews.com Offi ce hours are Mon. & Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Tues. & Thurs., 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The Nugget Newspaper