Wednesday, September 23, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
s
LETTERS
Continued from page 2
failed Russia hoax, the failed impeachment, the
failed rumor of bounties placed on our servicemen9s
heads and numerous other hoaxes perpetrated by the
left and now the <losers and suckers= hoax.
Here are promises made and kept to our veter-
ans by President Trump:
" 2 0 1 8 Ve t e r a n s A c c o u n t a b i l i t y a n d
Whistleblower Protection Act: Allows the VA to
fire failing employees and establishes safeguards
to protect whistleblowers. This resulted in 4,300
VA employees being removed, demoted or sus-
pended for failing to provide adequately for our
vets.
" 2017 Veterans Appeals Improvement and
Modernization Act: Stream lines the process for
our Vets to appeal their disability claims with the
VA.
" 2017 President Trump signed the Veterans
Educational Assistance Act 3 funded educational
benefits to Vets, service members, and their fami-
lies including tuition, fees, books, housing and
additional costs. a post-9/11 GI Bill.
" 2017 VA Choice Program 4 an additional 2.1
billion authorized by President Trump. Provides
training in the private sector and training in the VA
reciprocally for the private sector.
" 2017 President Trump created a new White
House VA Hotline dedicated to answer the needs of
our Vets, Since May 2019 it has surpassed 250,000
calls.
" 2018 President Trump signed the VA Mission
Act, providing choices for our vets whether within
the VA or within our community.
" 2018 Anywhere to Anywhere Veterans Health
Care allows VA providers to use telehealth technol-
ogy no matter where the vet or provider are located.
They can connect by video across the country.
This doesn9t sound like a President who doesn9t
care about our vets. Quite the opposite. President
Trump promised to take care of our vets and he is
doing just that. Are there failures in the system?
Yes, but they are outnumbered by the successes.
Again, if you are going to write to the editor,
please set your personal prejudices aside and deal
in facts. I, for one, am tired of your vitriol.
D.S. Findlay
2012 RAM 1500
4x4, SLT, 5.7L Hemi,
only 70K miles!
and low-mileage
consignments!
s
To the Editor:
I am against the plan to rezone and to develop
the 31 acre property previously owned by the
Forest Service.
Traffic on Highway 20 and the connecting side
roads, McKinney Butte and Barclay through the
roundabout is already congested to the point of
vehicles stopped waiting for traffic to ease through
downtown and those using Barclay as an alter-
nate route. Adding up to 300 homes x 2 to 3 cars
per home will only increase the already clogged
highway. Previous traffic studies that were com-
pleted for the McKenzie Meadows development
with the expert stating <we need to preserve our
roundabout= and the report of the future commer-
cial development around Takodas and Bi-Mart are
a joke. What about future developments? What are
the plans for traffic flows?
It is stated in the article <Zone change a major
step for development,= The Nugget September
9, page 1) that they will preserve somewhere
around 200 trees. How many trees are on that site?
Whatever happened to the <City of Trees?=
<Planning for the future.= What is the present
citation with the water, sewage system and garbage
service capacity and roads for the City of Sisters?
This development of 300 homes and with the 200
homes presently being built by Hayden Homes
at the McKenzie Meadows Village Development
and the future continued development of
another possible 600 homes directly behind that
development, with an average of two cars per
household.
Affordability? People working service jobs and
for companies that already provide jobs in the City
of Sisters will not be able to afford 1,900-square-
foot homes making minimum wages. There are
380-square-foot studio homes on McKinney Butte
that rent for $1,200. Home developers are in it to
make money. The City can not subsidize home-
owners and renters.
The City should do a survey of homes and
apartments under construction and being sold pres-
ently to see who is buying and living in Sisters.
Are they the average local workers, people work-
ing out of town or retired? What is the vacancy
rate of the apartments that we presently have and
looking forward to the five-apartment units under
construction in the last phase of the Village at Cold
Springs South?
Marvin Inman
s
s
s
To the Editor:
As expected the Sisters Planning Commission
approved the rezoning of the 30-acre parcel on
the northwestern edge of town as the first step in
conceding to the owners9 desire to develop the
property.
Acting as the de facto agents of the owners, led
by the CEO of Laird, the Commission glossed over
or simply ignored the consequences of adding 250-
300 houses to the city, increasing the population
by some 30 percent at one stroke.
The primary objection to this housing is that
it is unnecessary and will permanently alter the
nature of Sisters. The CEO of Laird claims, on
highly dubious grounds, that the housing is needed
for his workers. But if that is true, it9s Laird9s
problem, not Sisters9. The city is under no obliga-
tion to provide housing for Laird9s workers, much
less make the said CEO a multi-millionaire in the
process.
Try to imagine 600 more cars on the streets,
plus increased pressure on the schools, public
safety, and water resources, not to mention the
inevitable increase in property taxes. And once
the population reaches a certain threshold, the big
box stores will come. All part of the Commission9s
<Vision?=
So, what is to be done? Three positions on the
City Council are up for election. Vote for candi-
dates who will work for the city and not special
interests or speculators. Contact the city and tell
the Council what you think of the Laird develop-
ment. Demand that the City revise its zoning laws
to give it more leverage over housing and industry.
And demand that it join other cities and work with
representatives in Salem to change State land-use
laws in their favor, not those of special interests.
Finally, demand a popular vote, if possible, on
whether to allow the Laird development to destroy
Sisters <Country.=
Gary Leiser
See LETTERS on page 16
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A Farewell and Thank You from
the Owners of B&R Gutters…
A
fter much deliberation, Jean and I have decided to sell B&R. It has been 25 years since we purchased
B&R. It is time now to say goodbye. As many of you know, I had a serious fall in 2017. Compound-
ing that, I have had to replace both shoulders. The ensuing years have taken away too much of my physi-
cal and mental reserves, and Jean’s mental reserves. We are no longer able to do the job the way we believe
it should be done.
Luckily for us, and you, we have sold the business to our long-time employee of 20 plus years, and
seemingly a member of the family, Scott Sims. Scott came to us originally with 10 years of experi-
ence.
This will ensure a smooth transition, as no one is more familiar with the operation than Scott. Scott
has also retained all of our current installers, Bruce, Joe and TJ. Many of you have met Scott, and you
should be assured of his commitment to continuing the highest standards of quality and service you have
come to expect.
A huge thank-you to three of our former installers who helped shape the company we are today. Tim
“TR” Ryan, Jason “Puddin” Chapman, and Dale “ Wally” Voris.
We want to tell you how much your loyalty, in good times and bad, has meant to all of us at B&R. We
consider many of you to, not only be customers, but also friends.
We will miss our interactions with you. It is time to go.
— Jean & Richard Marriner