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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2021)
2 Wednesday, July 21, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O 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 Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned.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. Off-leash dogs in forest To the Editor: It would be nice if The Nugget had Bill Bartlett expand on his statement that there are 1,200 acres in the Deschutes National Forest which are open to off-leash dogs. I am sure this is true 4 but not a complete picture/ assessment of the off-leash rules. My experience and conversations with the sheriff9s office is that the dogs may be off-leash but must be under the control of their owners. This means I assume, they must <come= when called. Also, they cannot chase deer. I know of almost no one who has a dog so well trained that it comes when called all the time. I have encountered many dogs who do not <come= when called. Friendly dogs are fine with me, I love them! But I have encoun- tered many mean dogs who go after me and my leashed dog. It is a scary situation. See LETTERS on page 16 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday July 21 • Sunny July 22 • Sunny July 23 • Sunny July 24 • Sunny 80/45 86/50 91/53 93/53 Sunday Monday Tuesday July 25 • Mostly Sunny July 26 • Mostly Sunny July 27 • Partly Cloudy 90/53 90/54 91/55 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC Website: www.nuggetnews.com 442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, Oregon 97759 Tel: 541-549-9941 | Email: editor@nuggetnews.com Postmaster: Send address changes to The Nugget Newspaper, P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759. Third Class Postage Paid at Sisters, Oregon. Editor in Chief: Jim Cornelius Production Manager: Leith Easterling Creative Director: Jess Draper Community Marketing Partner: Vicki Curlett Classifieds & Circulation: Lisa May Proofreader: Kit Tosello Owner: J. Louis Mullen The Nugget is mailed to residents within the Sisters School District; subscriptions are available outside delivery area. Third-class postage: one year, $55; six months (or less), $30. First-class postage: one year, $95; six months, $65. Published Weekly. ©2021 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is pro- hibited. All advertising which appears in The Nugget is the property of The Nugget and may not be used without explicit permission. The Nugget Newspaper, LLC. assumes no liability or responsibility for information contained in advertisements, articles, stories, lists, calendar etc. within this publication. All submissions to The Nugget Newspaper will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyrighting purposes and subject to The Nugget Newspaper9s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially, that all rights are currently available, and that the material in no way infringes upon the rights of any person. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of artwork, photos, or manuscripts. Battling Grandview Fire was team effort... N City of Sisters bulletin By Cory Misely City Manager We all understand and appreciate the importance of the small-town feel that makes Sisters so special. Over the many decades and accompanying changes this essence has evolved but remained strong. One factor that has impacted so many pieces of our community is traf- fic, especially on Highway 20 right through the middle of town. As we have grown, so too has Central Oregon to our east and the Willamette Valley to our west. As one of the few gateways into Central Oregon, Highway 20 has seen increasing num- bers of trip counts, particu- larly in the summer months. The City of Sisters has long discussed this topic and the successful completion of the roundabout at Barclay and Highway 20 is a testament to the progress of planning, prioritization, and project management. Yet it is only half the necessary progress. There is not enough space here to cover the amount of discussion, work, and time that went into accom- plishing the roundabout at Barclay and Highway 20. Many deserve praise, yet most of the same people involved then are still now and not satisfied because the purpose 4 a complete, func- tional alternate route away from Cascade for freight and through traffic 4 is only half accomplished. Like only having one bookend, the alternate route needs a roundabout at the Locust and Highway 20 intersection to complete the necessary movements heading either east or west through Sisters. It took over a decade with obstacles on many levels to complete the Barclay round- about 4 at the time only the third roundabout on a state highway. In 2018, the City was told the state had no funding to put towards the Locust roundabout until, hopefully, the 2028/31 STIP (State Transportation Improvement Program). The project cost is estimated at $5.1 million and the state historically contrib- utes the majority of funds. This was unacceptable news and the City prioritized tak- ing a decade-plus project to a self-revised goal of accom- plishing it in half the time. To do so, there must be three main components: design and engineering, necessary property for the right-of- way, and the funding to build it. In 2018 there were none of those pieces in place. Since then, the City has taken significant steps to fur- ther this project and stay on track for the timeline goal. In the fiscal year 2019/20 budget, the City directed $250,000 to jumpstart the engineering and design process through ODOT. A partnership plan was suc- cessfully implemented with the Sisters School District for property acquisition for project footprint right-of- way (not yet completed). The Sisters Urban Renewal Agency, through the City, updated its project list and among other priorities added the Locust roundabout, allocating up to $1.1 mil- lion toward the project with support from local taxing districts, understanding the importance of this project for safety, mobility, and vitality. Just last week the City submitted an application to the federal government to bridge the multi-million dol- lar funding gap. This project has and continues to be at the top of the priority list for the City. It will take a part- nership between the City, County, and ODOT (and possibly federal) to accom- plish this project benefitting Sisters, Deschutes County, and the state/federal high- way system. This partnership has been coming together through the leadership of the City. From the outside perspective it may look like no progress has been made since the intersection has not changed but there have been important steps taken. If the grant request is unsuccess- ful, we continue to monitor a new (albeit limited) fund- ing source through the state and the on-going discus- sions of an infrastructure package through the federal government. One way or another, we are well on our way to making the project happen. Views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper. Got a great photo of life in Sisters Country? PHOTO BY BY PETE RENGGLI, SISTERS-CAMP SHERMAN FIRE DISTRICT VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER Sisters-Camp Sherman firefighters were joined by a state task force in providing protection to local residences threatened by the Grandview Fire. Send your high-resolution photo to editor@nuggetnews.com.
