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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2021)
Wednesday, July 21, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Data from balloon launch under analysis City’s Comp Plan nears finish line High-altitude balloons lofted into night sky above Sisters Eagle Airport last month as the airport once again hosted the science team from the University of Washington9s Space and Earth Science department led by Associate Professor Michael McCarthy. For the June 2021 launch program, three balloons were sent aloft at night dur- ing the week of June 20. The first launch took place at 11 p.m. on June 22, followed by a launch on June 24-25 between 10 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Launch operations were performed by ISTAR (International Science Technology And Research of Sisters). The ISTAR team launch effort was orches- trated by Steven Peterzén , President of ISTAR, Francie Peterzén, Rima Givot, Teri Ast, Rod Moorehead, Chris McDougall, and Rod Gunson, all of Sisters, along with Kyle Peterzén of Albany. All three balloons climbed out easterly turning to the west before reaching a float altitude of 39 km (127,953 feet). The balloons performed perfectly and stayed at the desired altitude for more than four days, with the ter- mination of the flight along the coast of Unalaska Island in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, where recovery oper- ations took place. Data analy- sis is now being examined. Todd Anderson, researcher with the University of Washington Space and Earth Sciences explained, <The sci- ence experiment is measuring the electrical properties of the atmosphere or the electrical current flowing between the upper atmosphere and the earth. Measuring the current is best done far from pollut- ants and weather effects that are near the Earth9s surface so we make use of high alti- tude balloons. By measuring the electric current at high altitudes and simultane- ously monitoring thunder- storm activity with a global lightning network, we can get this measurement with higher accuracy than previ- ous work.= T h e y e a r- l o n g p r o - cess of crafting an updated Comprehensive Plan for the City is in the home stretch, according to Community Development Director Scott Woodford. Over the next month, City staff will take the final draft prepared by the consultants hired to conduct the update process, and will create the narratives, adding photos and resources that will put the goals and policies into a cohesive document. Woodford indicated he has been pleased with the pro- cess, which included consid- erable outreach to the com- munity, even without being able to have large in-person meetings. They were able to conduct smaller meetings with a variety of commu- nity groups, two online open houses, two online surveys, and tabling events around the city to gather input from the public. The two advisory com- mittees, Community and Stakeholders, represented a broad cross-section of Sisters residents and City partners. PHOTO BY TERI AST Inflation of the 9,000 m3 Stratospheric Balloon. The next campaign for ISTAR will be a series of bal- loon launches on a DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) contract from Maui, Hawaii. PHOTO BY ROD MOOREHEAD Science payload being teated pre- launch. By Sue Stafford Correspondent RMA 510 BATTERY LAWN MOWER SET Delivers a powerful and convenient mowing experience for the suburban homeowner with a large 21” cu ing deck. 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But until the Council gives its final approval, the plan is still con- sidered in process and com- ments from the public are accepted,= Woodford offered. The two major concerns that surfaced out of all the comments received dealt in some way with the pace of growth in Sisters and 4 if Sisters must grow 4 how it can be done successfully while finding ways to balance the options of infill within the current Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) and possi- ble outward expansion of the UGB into underutilized farm and forest lands, all without destroying the unique charac- ter of Sisters. The Comprehensive Plan process is one required of every sized city, town, and village in the state of Oregon. Because Sisters has less than 10,000 residents, the Comprehensive Plan is not required to be updated as often as in larger cities. SCHEDULE YOUR FENCING PROJECTS NOW! WALK IN OR SCHEDULE YOUR APPT. TODAY! PHOTO BY TERI AST These two groups have done a majority of the hard work in reviewing current poli- cies and making suggested additions and deletions. Each committee met a total of seven times via Zoom. When the staff is finished with the narratives, the docu- ment will be presented for review at hearings before the Planning Commission on August 12 and 26 and to the City Council on September 8 and 22. Additional hearings may be scheduled, if needed. The public is invited to those hearings and may testify. Once the Comprehensive Plan is approved by the Council, it will be sent on to the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development for prelimi- nary review and eventual acknowledgement. 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