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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2021)
DE i - n 2 s 2 ide I S IN 13 ES PAG focus on health winter 2021 The Nugget Vol. XLIV No. 3 School staff begin receiving vaccine P OSTAL CUSTOMER News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15 www.NuggetNews.com Wednesday, January 20, 2021 Mugging for the camera... What’s happening with Sisters’ weather? By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent About 30 specialists, paraprofessionals and sup- port staff were the first of the Sisters School District staff members to receive their ini- tial dose of the COVID-19 vaccination. The vaccinations come amidst concern that Oregon’s supply may not be as substantial as first reported (see related story, page 12). In a news conference on Friday, January 15, Governor Kate Brown expressed her dismay that the total number of available vaccines was apparently misrepresented, By Ron Thorkildson Correspondent PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK A pair of otters enjoying some prime Sisters’ habitat last week showed off the personality that makes them celebrities of the animal kingdom. See TEACHERS on page 29 See WEATHER on page 26 New well will add to Sisters’ water system By Sue Stafford Correspondent Sisters is adding a new well to its water sys- tem, which will substan- tially increase its pumping capacity. At last Wednesday’s City Council meeting, the City awarded a public improve- ment contract to J. P. Prinz Co. LLC in the amount not to exceed $713,317, the lowest of five bids received for the construction of a new Well 4, Phase B. Phase A, just completed, was the drilling of the well by Abbas Drilling on land at the east end of the Creekside Campground. While Phase A was underway, the design for the well house and all the equipment (Phase B) was being finalized. The well Inside... Except for a couple of light dustings of snow that quickly came and went, Sisters Country has been remarkably free of winter- like conditions even as we advance deeper into the heart of the cold season. Last fall weather prognos- ticators advertised a La Niña was on the way that would likely result in a colder and wetter than normal winter. Not only was her arrival right on time, but she’s depth ended up being 293 feet. Work included drill- ing, casing, screening, grout seal, developing and testing as required for a complete 1,500-gallons-per-minute well. Water, or the lack of it, here on the high desert deter- mined what areas were set- tled and farmed back in the late 1800s. As in the past, water today determines how much growth is possible. The first water brought to Sisters came from the sur- rounding creeks in the hand- dug ditches that crisscrossed the region with water from high up in the Three Sisters. People were awarded water rights for their use and his- toric early water rights are valuable to have because See WELL on page 30 Local public officials sworn in By Sue Stafford Correspondent Three city councilors, two new and one re-elected, were sworn into office on Wednesday. Michael Preedin was elected the new mayor by a unanimous vote of the Council at their first meet- ing of the year, and Nancy Connolly was again elected to serve as council presi- dent and will act as mayor in Preedin’s absence. She is beginning her seventh year as a councilor. Jennifer Letz was elected to a four-year term and Gary Ross to a two-year term. Returning Councilor Andrea Blum will serve for four years. Letz’s work as a sus- tainability specialist with the U.S. Forest Service and earlier as a wildland fire- fighter for the National Park PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK Michael Preedin, left will serve as Sisters’ mayor, working with City Manager Cory Misley. Service have equipped her to serve as a councilor address- ing issues of importance to Sisters, such as managing growth while enhancing sus- tainability, and wildfire pre- paredness in Sisters Country. Ross has previously served as an elected official in Springfield and has exten- sive experience with pub- lic budgeting, long-range See COUNCILORS on page 31 Letters/Weather ............... 2 Bunkhouse Chronicle .........7 Announcements ...............10 Fun & Games ................... 24 Classifieds ..................27-28 Meetings .......................... 3 Page by Paige .................... 8 Entertainment ................. 11 Crossword ...................... 26 Real Estate ................ 29-32