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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 26, 2021)
The Nugget Vol. XLIV No. 21 P OSTAL CUSTOMER News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon www.NuggetNews.com Wednesday, May 26, 2021 Local woman donates historical mural Artist Steve DeLaitsch is at work on a historical mural commissioned by Sisters area resident Melanie Nelson, who worked with the City of Sisters and the Sisters Arts Association to bring the project to life. Correspondent Sisters is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the incor- poration of the City of Sisters with a new historical mural on the South Fir Street side of the Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store. Sisters resident Melanie Nelson contacted Minnesota muralist Steve DeLaitsch and his assistant Scott Duffus for the project. Nelson for- merly lived in Owatonna, Minnesota, and worked with them both on previous mural projects. Nelson has been coming to Black Butte Ranch over the last seven years and <fell in love with Sisters.= <I decided to invest last September and found the perfect duplex. I am a happy homeowner,= Nelson told The Nugget. She is also a happily married woman after meet- ing Oregon author Phillip Margolin on a blind date and Habitat can build at higher density By Sue Stafford Correspondent S i s t e r s H a b i t a t f o r Humanity has won approval to build at greater density in a neighborhood at the west end of town. The Sisters Planning Commission voted 4-2 to approve 4 with condi- tions 4 an application from Habitat for Humanity to make 10 lots from an exist- ing six lots to accommodate attached or detached single- family houses in the Village Meadows subdivision. The vote came at the end of a 2-1/2-hour hearing cov- ering a number of issues, not necessarily relevant to this hearing, that the Planning Inside... Commission can expect to be addressing more and more often as Sisters continues to grow within its existing Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). The property is located in the northwest section of Sisters, sitting south of West McKinney Butte Road and bordered by North Brooks Camp Road to the east and North Desert Rose Loop to the west. The property was originally approved as part of the entire Village Meadows Master Plan and Subdivision application in December 2005, which enabled con- struction of 30 single-family lots and 48 multi-family units. See DENSITY on page 31 Voters approve school bond By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK By Sue Stafford PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15 marrying him. He is a fre- quent presenter at Paulina Springs Books and is cur- rently working on his 26th thriller, due out in March 2022. When Nelson read in The Nugget about the 75th anni- versary, she approached the City about the possibility of funding a mural depict- ing important moments in the history of Sisters. The City put her in touch with the Three Sisters Historical Society and Sisters History Museum, keepers of his- toric photographs and sto- ries. They, in turn, contacted the Sisters Arts Association, because the project aligned with one of their goals 4 to create a stronger public art program in Sisters. The SAA negotiated with Sisters Habitat for Humanity to place the mural on the side of their thrift store, which was originally the Leithauser Grocery Store. See MURAL on page 25 There will be a new Sisters Elementary School in a new location in a couple of years 4 thanks to a resounding <Yes= vote from the Sisters community on Measure 9-141 in the May 18 election. The passage of the levy with a tax rate of 93 cents per $1,000 of assessed prop- erty value will allow the cre- ation of a $33.8-million fund for construction of the new school. Construction of the school is the primary focus of the endeavor, but any funds left over could be allocated to renovations and upgrades on other district property. The levy approved by voters picks up from the retired bond that funded Sisters High School. The new construction is being driven by increasing elementary school enrollment. Sisters Elementary School is currently at 106 percent of See SCHOOL BOND on page 25 Drought worsens, raising fire concerns By Bill Bartlett Correspondent You don9t have to be a hydrologist to know that we are in the midst of a drought, worsening by the week. A look at the snow cover on the mountains, streamflows in nearby rivers, and reservoir levels reveals tell-tale signs of what forest and fire dis- trict managers see as poten- tial danger signs as the sum- mer progresses. Nearly 70 percent of Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties are in level D3 (extreme drought) as of May 13, according to the National Weather Service. Parts of south- western Deschutes County are at the top level 4 D4 (exceptional drought). The problem is statewide and PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT Water in the West is always a precious commodity. The region is facing serious drought, which impacts everything from fire danger to forest health and the price of hay. the governor has already declared Klamath, Jackson, and Lake counties disaster areas. The implications for stressed vegetation, crop irrigation, and low stream- flow negatively impacting fish habitat, are of deepening concern. Effects on wildlife See DROUGHT on page 10 Letters/Weather ............... 2 Announcements ...............12 For the Birds ....................13 Fun & Games ................... 24 Classifieds ................. 26-28 Meetings .......................... 3 Entertainment .................13 Sisters Naturalist .............21 Crossword ...................... 25 Real Estate ................ 29-32
