The Nugget
Vol. XLIV No. 5
P OSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion
from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Sisters loses a beloved resident
Sisters and the Aspen
Lakes Community recently
lost a beloved resident.
Pete, a male trumpeter
swan and mate to Eloise, had
to be humanely euthanized
after battling a lethal infec-
tion. The loss not only has
the local community mourn-
ing, but is also a blow to the
Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife/The Trumpeter
Swan Society breeding resto-
ration program.
Pete was recently discov-
ered to be lame by an Aspen
Lakes resident. He was taken
to Broken Top Veterinary
Clinic for examination and
X-rays. Dr. Lodge found no
evidence of a break or frac-
ture, so it was hoped that he
had a sprain. Pete was trans-
ferred to Think Wild in Bend
for rehabilitation. When he
didn’t respond to initial treat-
ments, a further work up
was done and those results
revealed a bacterial infection.
At that point, Pete was
diagnosed with septic arthri-
tis. The source of the infec-
tion is unknown, but was
likely a cut or scrape on his
leg that allowed bacteria to
enter his blood stream.
Septic arthritis is usually
Correspondent
The City of Sisters is not
letting waste go to waste.
The Sisters City Council
last week awarded a public-
improvement contract in the
amount of $153,092 to Clear
Harbors Environmental
Services of California for the
Biosolid Removal Project at
the City’s wastewater treat-
ment plant.
The project is part of the
2016 Wastewater Capital
Facilities Plan and was esti-
mated to occur in 2021 — 20
years from when the plant
was started up. Establishment
of the City sewer system
was approved by the vot-
ers in 1997-98. Mayor Steve
Wilson acquired the 160
acres at the end of Locust
Street from the U.S. Forest
Service for locating the sew-
age treatment plant.
Inside...
and three avian specialists on
the East Coast, the decision
Sisters Folk Festival (SFF)
is packing up its big tents and
moving to October.
The Festival has
announced a permanent move
away from the traditional
festival weekend that could
begin as early as 2021 — if
the pandemic is controlled
enough to allow the event to
take place safely.
Sisters Folk Festival pro-
duced a COVID-safe Close
To Home concert at their out-
door backyard venue in early
August of 2020. Seating was
sold in pods of two to four
people, with ample spacing
in between, and mask use was
required. Since SFF had to be
postponed last year because
of COVID, staff built on that
successful concert model and
planned to host a weekend
See SWAN on page 18
See FESTIVAL on page 8
PHOTO BY AL KRAUSE
City launching major
biosolids project
By Sue Stafford
Sisters
Folk
Festival
moves to
October
Pete, Aspen Lakes’ trumpeter swan, has succumbed to a bacterial infection.
a fatal infection that causes
crippling pain. Pete’s case
was no exception. In spite
of aggressive treatments and
The removal of the bio-
solids required the creation
of a Biosolids Management
Plan (BMP) to determine
the disposal method and
location of the disposal site.
Staff developed the BMP
and received Department
of Environmental Quality
approval last November.
Three bids were received
from companies in Iowa,
California, and Washington,
all coming in under the bud-
geted $250,000.
Biosolids removal
includes the removal of
“sludge,” or the material that
remains in the ponds after
treatment. These biosolids
accumulate in the ponds and
reduce their capacity over
time. The City’s treatment
plant is comprised of three
ponds with the 2.1-acre,
10-foot-deep primary lagoon,
See BIOSOLIDS on page 15
therapies, Pete continued to
be unable to bear weight or
eat on his own after a week.
At the suggestion of local vets
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
ECRWSS
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
City of Sisters
Public Works crew
keeps city rolling
PHOTO BY TROY RAYBURN
The City of Sisters Public Works crew performs countless daily tasks to keep Sisters operating properly and
looking good. Pictured from left to right: Todd Milburn, Josh Stotts, Jackson Dumanch, Gus Johnson, Travis
Quimby, and Doug McIntosh. Not pictured, Troy Rayburn and Paul Bertagna.
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
It’s 1 a.m., and there is
a big windstorm coming
down off the mountains,
whipping the trees and
power lines back and forth.
Without warning, a large
ponderosa tree on the south
side of town is blown down
across the street and lands
on a homeowner’s car. The
City of Sisters Public Works
crew is there within a mat-
ter of minutes, removing
the tree. Just as quickly, for
safety’s sake, they are gone.
One of the best-kept
secrets in town is the City’s
Public Works headquar-
ters and shop located down
at the end of South Locust
Street, behind a modest
gate. Public Works truly is
See PUBLIC WORKS on page 22
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Roundabout Sisters .......... 4 Entertainment ................. 11 Fun & Games ....................16 Classifieds .................. 19-21
Meetings .......................... 3 Announcements ...............10 Gotta Have It! ..................12 Crossword .......................18 Real Estate .................21-24