The Nugget
Vol. XLV No. 7
P OSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion
from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Firefighters get live-fire training in Sisters
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Cheif
You just can9t replicate
the heat, the feeling of being
in a building that9s on fire,=
Sisters Fire Chief Roger
Johnson told The Nugget on
Sunday, as teams of firefight-
ers entered smoking build-
ings in a live-fire training
exercise. <You just can9t rep-
licate that kind of training.=
Firefighters and other
personnel from Sisters,
Cloverdale, Black Butte
Ranch, Bend, Redmond,
and Crooked River Ranch
engaged in extensive train-
ing drills on property that
is now part of the Sisters
Woodlands development just
off Pine Street on the west
side of Sisters, on Sunday,
February 13. The developers
offered structures that were
formerly part of the Sisters
Ranger District facilities on
the site for use in the training
exercise.
Firefighters practiced
search and rescue skills
along with fire attack, venti-
lation, and exposure protec-
tion in the day-long session,
which will be repeated on
Sunday, February 20.
Chief Johnson noted
that the session was also an
opportunity to train live-fire
instructors. They learn how
Correspondent
Sisters is moving toward
a holistic approach to tour-
ism, considering the benefits
for the visitors balanced with
the quality of life for the res-
idents. The City Council and
City staff are investigating a
fairly recent development in
the tourism industry known
as destination management.
Destination management
involves coordinating tour-
ist activities across multiple
agencies, businesses, and
organizations to manage
visitor impacts on the area
while improving livability
for the local residents.
Council President Nancy
Connolly explained the
Inside...
Spa owner
hit with
$14,000
in fines
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
short window nowadays. The
Sisters Woodlands location
fit the bill.
<It9s an exceptional loca-
tion and a great opportunity,=
Chief Johnson said. <We9re
very grateful that the devel-
oper saved it for us.=
Mike Boyle of Sisters
has been hit with significant
fines by the Oregon Board
of Massage Therapists
(OBMT). Boyle is facing
civil and criminal charges
in association with alleged
actions committed at Hop in
the Spa in Sisters.
Jeff Van Laanen, compli-
ance and licensing manager
for OBMT, told The Nugget
last week that the board
met in executive session
on January 31, and elected
to charge Boyle with 13
violations of ORS 687.021
(1) (a) (practicing massage
without a license); and one
violation of ORS 687.021
(1) (c) (improperly advertis-
ing that the person engages
in the practice of massage).
The violations carry a total
of $14,000 in civil penalties.
Boyle is expected to enter
a plea on multiple criminal
charges on February 17.
See LIVE-FIRE on page 6
See FINES on page 13
PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
Dozens of firefighters trained in search and rescue and fire suppression in a training exercise at the future site
of Sisters Woodlands. The exercise continues next Sunday.
to prepare a building for safe
training scenarios and how to
organize a successful train-
ing session.
Johnson expressed appre-
ciation to developers Paul
Hodge and Paul and Carla
Schneider of Sisters for mak-
ing the training opportunity
possible.
City investigating new
tourism model
By Sue Stafford
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
ECRWSS
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
Council9s interest in explor-
ing destination management.
<Council is looking at
destination management
because it is the right time
to be thoughtful regarding
visitors. It is time to harness
the state-mandated Transient
Lodging Tax (TLT) to ben-
efit residents and visitors.
Destination Management
Organizations (DMOs) are
a cultural shift addressing
tourism.
<The goal is not to 8bring
more people,9 the goal is to
bring people who share our
culture and values and to
provide a sustainable year-
round tourism base. As stew-
ards of public funds, and in
See MODEL on page 8
<It9s getting harder to get
acquired structures,= Chief
Johnson explained.
A good <burn to learn=
location needs to be a safe
distance from neighbors, and
operations can only be con-
ducted during times of year
when fire spread is not a sig-
nificant danger 4 which is a
Sisters marks passing of Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller, a long-time
Sisters builder and leader of
the Sisters Rodeo, died last
week after a long period of ill
health.
The Sisters Rodeo
Association made the
announcement, reflecting on
the giant boot prints Miller
made in the Sisters arena.
<Holding the position as
our rodeo president for 21
years he invested so much of
his life into our organization,=
the association statement
noted. <There may be a few
other people who have dedi-
cated as much of their lives to
Sisters Rodeo as Glenn Miller
in the rodeo9s 83-year history,
but there is no one else who
has led the rodeo with more
vision and inspiration than
him.=
Miller first served as
Sisters Rodeo Association
PHOTO PROVIDED
Glenn Miller hat a tremendous impact on Sisters Rodeo and the Sisters
community at large.
President in 1988. During
that term of service he con-
vinced the board of direc-
tors to join the Professional
Rodeo Cowboys Association
(PRCA). He was elected
See MILLER on page 15
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Announcements ...............10 Fun & Games .................... 17 Classifieds .................. 19-21 Real Estate .................21-24
Meetings .......................... 3 Entertainment ................. 11 Crossword .......................18 City Snapshot ..................21 Obituaries ...................... 22