6 Wednesday, November 11, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Library funding measure wins approval By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief Sisters Library will see upgrades and expansion in the coming years in the wake of voter approval of Measure 9-139 on the November ballot. The measure won 52 per- cent of the vote to pass. The expansion of Sisters Library is among multiple projects envisioned for the $195 million bond fund- ing, which will also include construction of a new main library. The Sisters projects will provide more open and flexible spaces for commu- nity uses from after-school tutoring to craft activities to book-club gatherings and small-business meeting space. Linda Davis, a Sisters resident who sits on the Deschutes Public Library District Board of Directors, said the voter approval vali- dates six years of planning work. <Of course I9m thrilled, as is the board,= she said. The timeline of the proj- ects has yet to be fully laid out. Davis expects that time- line to be clearer after the board meets this week. <I think it9s possible that the smaller branches will see their improvements before the big building is built, because they are smaller and more manageable projects,= she said. I think it’s possible that the smaller branches will see their improvements before the big building is built, because they are smaller and more manageable projects. — Linda Davis CORRECTION Sisters Middle School hopes to have fifth-graders return to in-person instruc- tion by November 30 at the earliest. A story in last week9s Nugget (<Sisters students in grades 4-6 may return to school soon, The Nugget, November 4, page 1) indi- cated a potential start date of November 10 for fifth-grad- ers, which was in error. Fourth graders are sched- uled to return to Sisters Elementary on Tuesday, November 10. Plans for the new library and branch improvements had been polling at 80 per- cent approval when the Library District initially proposed its plans. The board had delayed going to the voters when the coronavirus pandemic hit, unsure of how the public- health crisis would effect the economy and people9s outlook. <We decided that the worst thing that could hap- pen 4 with all the work we9d done 4 is that they would say 8no9,= Davis said. As it turned out, voters said <yes= by a comfort- able margin, allowing the Library District to move forward with plans that will carry it well into the 21st century. Focused effort… PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK Outlaws soccer continued its adjusted season last week.