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Wednesday, January 27, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
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Getting into action…
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2021 priorities for
Sisters Country Vision
Janel Ruehl , Vision Coordinator
Emme Shoup , Assistant Community
Engagement & Program Coordinator.
PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
Youth sports action is underway with flag football being played in Sisters under COVID-safe conditions.
Letters to the Editor…
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer9s name, address
and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited
opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond
or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words.
Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is 10 a.m. Monday.
To the Editor:
Now working in a grocery store envi-
ronment, I have a serious plea to every-
one. Please only send one member of your
family to the grocery store. There is abso-
lutely no reason to bring your entire fam-
ily. Couples, only one person needs to shop.
People with children, one parent stay home
with the kids.
This is not your opportunity to, <Get out
of the house for a while.= I have to be there.
You can shop alone. I promise, you9ll be
OK. Don9t know what to buy? Make a list.
Call your partner for advice if necessary.
But get in and get out.
Nicole Edwards
s
s
s
To the Editor:
Oregon Law SB 579: Death with Dignity
Act needs to be revised to consider the unique
circumstance of dementia patients. There is
no morally relevant reason why dementia
patients should be treated differently than
cancer patients except for the fact that the
six-month requirement gets in the way.
See LETTERS on page 11
Sisters Weather Forecast
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Mostly Cloudy
PM Rain/Snow Showers
Partly Cloudy
AM Snow Showers
42/27
42/25
41/28
42/30
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Rain/Snow
Snow Showers
PM Snow Showers
43/30
40/26
39/22
The Nugget Newspaper, LLC
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Owner: J. Louis Mullen
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2021 brings renewed hope
for many residents of Sisters
Country, even as some of our
friends and neighbors con-
tinue to feel the compounding
effects of the coronavirus on
livelihoods and local business,
food security, housing, and, of
course, health.
It may all feel overwhelm-
ing at times, but each of us can
do something to continue to
make Sisters Country a com-
munity where all can thrive.
The Sisters Country Vision
was originally undertaken in
2018 and facilitated a com-
munity conversation that
helped identify clear, positive
directions for the future, and
engaged local organizations,
businesses and residents in
putting the community vision
into action. The Sisters Coun-
try Vision has continued to
serve as a unifying project,
bringing together a group of
local leaders and residents
committed to collaborating
and directing resources to the
20 Vision Strategies.
Supporting the Vision9s
goals to be a more prosper-
ous, livable, resilient, and con-
nected Sisters Country in 2021
has never been more urgent in
response to the stressors of the
past year. In 2021, the Vision
Implementation Team (VIT)
members have prioritized
projects improving broadband
access, offering new platforms
to connect virtually, exploring
new and expanded transporta-
tion options, conserving and
expanding outdoor recreation
resources and trails, and bring-
ing new medical care options
to Sisters Country.
Broadband expansion to
underserved areas has been
taken on by Sisters Coun-
try Economic Development
(SCED), the Central Oregon
Intergovernmental Council
(COIC), and other regional
partners, who are currently
supporting area needs assess-
ments and exploring grant
options for improved service.
Thanks to Citizens4Com-
munity (C4C) and VIT mem-
bers9 collaboration with the
Community Website Part-
nership, the Sisters Country
Community Connects Web-
site serves as a bilingual, vir-
tual, one-stop-shop hub where
residents can learn more
about local organizations and
resources, find opportuni-
ties to volunteer in the com-
munity, see upcoming events
and encourage local economic
activity.
Deschutes County Com-
missioner Patti Adair has taken
the lead in exploring options
for a new urgent care center, or
other opportunities to provide
on-demand medical care to
residents.
<We do believe it is an
important part of the vision-
ing project to implement this
medical urgent-care facility in
Sisters,= shared Adair.
Age Friendly Sisters Coun-
try9s STARS Transportation
Program received a grant from
the VIT to support their work,
providing Sisters Country
residents free rides to medi-
cal appointments located in
other parts of the region.
Vision Implementation Team
partner Cascades East Tran-
sit is also halfway through an
optimization study for alter-
native options for on-demand
transportation in Sisters Coun-
try and throughout Central
Oregon.
The past year has brought
a whole new appreciation and
demand for accessible outdoor
recreation, which has never
felt more important to qual-
ity of life! Deschutes County,
USFS, and the City of Sisters
4 all members of the VIT
4 have celebrated progress
on expanded recreational trail
systems and local greenspace
goals in 2020 and have exciting
projects in the works for 2021.
The county adopted a new
rural trails system plan, includ-
ing a conceptual implementa-
tion strategy to begin in 2021,
which includes new trail sys-
tems in Sisters Country. USFS
completed several notable
trail upgrade projects on the
Petersen Ridge Trail System in
2020. This year, they will focus
on implementing the Central
Cascades Wilderness Strategy,
which aims to improve visi-
tor experience on trails in the
Three Sisters, Mt. Washing-
ton, and Mt. Jefferson wilder-
ness areas. District Ranger Ian
Reid also says they will com-
plete Phase One of the Green
Ridge Trail reroute, restoring
the section of trail damaged
from fire suppression activities
during 2020 Green Ridge Fire.
Sisters Country residents can
help identify needs and gaps
in the trails system around
Sisters, identify areas unsuit-
able for new trail construction,
and prioritize new trail ideas in
USFS9s upcoming 2021 Trails
Master Planning Community
Kick-off meeting.
These projects represent
just a small portion of the
VIT9s 2021 priorities, which
also include the adoption of
new fire-resistant building
codes, new County Transporta-
tion Plan Update, new public-
art development, new youth
leadership and recreation pro-
grams and more. Thanks to all
our VIT members and many
community partners who have
continued to work so diligently
to address immediate commu-
nity needs and provide sup-
port through collaboration and
coordination.
To learn more about the
Sisters Country Vision, please
visit www.sistersvision.org