26 Wednesday, October 21, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Letter campaign... COMP PLAN: Citizen volunteer opportunities abound Continued from page 1 PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS Local activists presented the Sisters Post Office with some 6,000 letters on Friday, as part of the Vote Forward “Big Send” campaign. Local citizens composed letters to “unregistered and low-propensity voters” telling them why they vote and encouraging the recipient to do so. Several people produced more than 1,000 letters each. While the letters do not encourage the recipient to vote for or against a particular candidate, Vote Forward and The Big Send are associated with the pro-Democrat organization Swing Left. Highway 22 reopens Travel between Sisters and the Willamette Valley took a long step toward normalization as Highway 22 reopened to traffic in the Santiam Canyon on Tuesday, October 11. Oregon Department of Transportation officials esti- mate more than 30,000 haz- ard trees have been removed along a 40-mile stretch of Highway 22 that saw heavy roadside damage from high winds and wildfires in early September. Hazard trees include dead, dying or lean- ing trees that were damaged by the wildfires, and would likely fall down on and block the highway. As commuters resume travel on the highway, offi- cials advise: " The speed limit is reduced to 40 mph between Gates (milepost 33) and Pamelia Creek Road (mile- post 63). " Significant work contin- ues in the canyon and trav- elers should expect delays throughout the burn area. " Utility companies are working throughout the cor- ridor to repair power lines and are continuing to cut down hazard trees. " Other hazards to travel- ers include damaged guard- rail, roadside log decks and slash piles from the hazard tree removal, as well as the potential for falling rocks. " With fall and winter rains beginning, slides and debris flows are a particular concern, especially in areas where the vegetation, tree roots and underbrush have been stripped away. " Since many businesses and other facilities were damaged or destroyed by the fires, there are limited services available through- out the Santiam Canyon. Commuters should fill their gas tank, pack enough water, food and other supplies for the trip. " Access for pedestrians, including those with disabili- ties, will be available and identified through or around the work zones. Ore. relaxes asbestos rules to speed fire cleanup SALEM, (AP) 4 Oregon officials are relaxing some requirements for handling ash and debris containing asbes- tos to speed work in removing debris from homes and build- ings destroyed by wildfires. The Oregon Environ- mental Quality Commission on Friday also authorized the temporary stockpil- ing of asbestos-containing debris before being taken to landfills. The comp plan gener- ally addresses land within the City9s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) but there will also be an assessment done exploring the potential to expand the UGB while examining areas adjacent to the UGB. Oregon state law requires that all cities adopt and peri- odically update compre- hensive plans that are con- sistent with the state9s 19 Statewide Planning Goals. Since 2005, when the comp plan was adopted, Sisters has experienced rapid popu- lation growth and shifts in demographics. The original data, trends, and land-use categories used to establish the 2005 comp plan are now outdated. Also, a full update of the City9s comp plan is identified as an action item in the Sisters Country Vision adopted in 2019. The project management team includes City staff from the Community Development Department, supported by a team of consultants led by Angelo Planning Group that includes Johnson Economics and NXT Consulting that facilitated the Sisters Vision project. The process will be guided by a Stakeholders Advisory Committee of local agency partners to provide technical expertise, as well as a Community Advisory Committee to review plan policies and concepts. The comp plan update process will provide numer- ous opportunities for com- munity members to engage with and provide feedback on the goals, policies, and objectives of the plan, with a focus on making feedback opportunities accessible to the full range of Sisters com- munity members. Outreach efforts will incorporate a variety of activities and strat- egies to ensure that everyone is able to provide feedback in a meaningful way. The Project Management Team has identified a num- ber of ways to interact with and solicit feedback from the community. They will target stakeholders and par- ticipants including coordi- nation with City commis- sions, boards, and other local public agencies. The team will also engage other governmental, business, and advocacy groups and will conduct regular briefings, open to the public, with the Planning Commission and City Council. The project website (www.sisters2040.com) will be the primary location for project information and also will provide a platform to receive general feedback on the planning process and draft concepts. People can also sign up to receive regu- lar project email updates via an interested parties email list. Community members can also submit comments about the project, including an option to have a City staff person contact them to fol- low up. Throughout the year-long process, there will be a mul- titude of ways for citizens to be involved and provide feedback. COVID is going to require much of it to be done online, and the team is currently working on a vari- ety of other activities and events. Tables THE COLD NIGHTS ARE HERE, BE PREPARED! 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