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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 2021)
6 Wednesday, August 18, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Of a certain AGE Sue Stafford Columnist The benefits of sharing There is a current pub- lic service announcement being shown on TV, spon- sored by the nonprofit pro- gram Home Share Oregon whose mission is <to pre- vent housing instability, foreclosure, and home- lessness through home sharing.= Services include rental listing service, roommate matching, secure message and background screens, and lease generator and rent-payment processing. For a single, older man or woman, or a couple, with a more than big enough house, house sharing could provide a great way to avoid loneliness and social isolation, create a new friendship, and provide a new stream of income. Such an arrangement could allow an older resi- dent to stay in their home longer by having a room- mate who could help with chores and maintenance and ensure that the home- owner is not alone in case of an emergency. For the person seeking a place to live, they can move into an established home, possibly not needing a lot of furniture and other household accoutrements, while paying less than full rent for an apartment. Over the years, I have had a variety of fam- ily and friends live with me for various lengths of time and it has always been a positive experience. While living in Bellevue, Washington, I had a woman from Argentina live with me for over a year. We met in a training program in California, and she was working on her master9s degree, getting her Green Card, and hop- ing to stay in the U.S. That was a fun time and resulted in a longtime friendship. I had a great roommate to talk and laugh with and a knowledgeable, multilin- gual traveling companion who broadened my world by sharing her culture with me. By opening your home to someone you are com- patible with, you can have someone to share the housekeeping and mainte- nance chores while receiv- ing additional income. I know I worked on smooth- ing some of my own rough edges with someone else to bump up against. With the continuing shortage of affordable housing in Central Oregon, and specifically in Sisters, if you have room, you might consider sharing your home with someone facing housing insecu- rity, social isolation, fore- closure, or an uncertain tomorrow. In our changing world, with rising prices and shortages of all kinds, per- haps returning to a model of shared housing, which is common in many other countries, makes a lot of sense, offering numerous benefits to all involved. Home Share Oregon provides assistance with creating a home-sharing profile, has tools for creat- ing alternative rental agree- ments, and can help match compatible homeowners and renters/roommates. They can also provide a certain level of security not available with running an ad in the classifieds. For more information, go to the Home Sharing Oregon9s website, www. homeshareoregon.org. Sisters moves to protect heritage trees By Sue Stafford Correspondent A little housekeeping in Sisters9 codes will provide some extra protection for Sisters9 most prized trees. On recommendations from the Urban Forestry Board and the Planning Commission, Sisters City Council unani- mously voted to approve amendments to ordinances of the Sisters development code and municipal code pertain- ing to urban forestry and pro- tections for heritage trees. Sections in the develop- ment code having to do with the Urban Forestry Board and public trees were updated and moved to the municipal code, adding protection for heritage trees. The benefit of shifting the language out of the devel- opment code to the municipal code is that tree removal on public property and public rights of way will become enforceable both during and outside of land-use applica- tions and proceedings. The move will provide greater clarity to staff and members of the public. Sisters9 public works director will be responsible for management of the City9s public trees and oversight of the Urban Forestry Board, rather than the Community Development Director. The change will not impact the City9s ability to comply with the Arbor Day Foundation9s Tree City requirement (Sisters has been a Tree City for 14 years) relating to review of exist- ing trees on private property during development and street trees associated with development. A heritage tree has been defined as a tree that, because of its age, size, type, histori- cal association, and/or hor- ticultural value, is of special importance to the city. Some of the key points related to heritage trees include: " The preservation of PHOTO BY SUE STAFFORD Sisters is known for its trees. The City of Sisters is trying to shore up its codes to make sure they’re protected. mature trees within the city is a preferred alternative to removal and replanting. Mature trees reduce air and water pollution, provide sum- mer shade and wind breaks, and require less water than establishing new landscaping plants. " The Public Works direc- tor, Urban Forestry Board, City Council, or any indi- vidual or group of individu- als interested in identifying and preserving heritage trees may nominate any public tree for heritage status. The Urban Forestry Board will review all nominations and may recom- mend to the City Council that any nominated tree be desig- nated as a heritage tree. They will consider certain criteria in determining whether to recommend any particular tree for heritage designation. " The City will maintain an inventory of all heritage trees as part of the Urban Forest Management Plan. J JUSTARRIVED! JUS US S T A U A R R I IV V E D ! HORIZONHOBBY HORIZO H O O N H Y 541-904-4673 411 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters REMOTE CONTROL VEHICLES! 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