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Sisters, Oregon
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Sisters Habitat gets donated houses
By Jim Cornelius

Volunteers with Sisters Habitat for Humanity are pretty good at building a nice house from scratch.

However, for the next few homes, they won't have to; they're getting them trucked in from Tumalo.

The local chapter is receiving three homes donated by the owners of Deschutes River Ranch. Other homes have been donated to chapters throughout Central Oregon.

The homes will be trucked into Sisters by High Desert Property Management around the first week of June, according to Sisters Habitat director Sharlene Weed.

Weed said the homes have about $45,000 value to the chapter. They will be placed at lots on Locust Street and Spruce Street, Weed said.

The houses are 1,200-square-foot residences with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, built in the late 1970s.

"They're in great shape; they're cute," Weed said.

The chapter will have to pour foundations, provide electrical hookups and pay for permits and systems development charges.

Then the houses are ready to go -- as soon as someone is ready to move in.

"We don't have families for the houses that are ready," Weed said.

The homes come from a 420-acre ranch along the Deschutes River. They were built as second homes for vacationers. The property was purchased in January for redevelopment as a year-round residential community.

Craig Morton of Sisters is a partner in Deschutes River Ranch.

"Although the houses are very marketable our vision was for new homes to be built," Morton told The Nugget. "In exploring options the idea came up to move the homes. We could have done all kinds of things with them, but the Habitat donation had the greatest support from our investors, each of which are not only smart business people, but very community minded and all have given generously to the communities in which they live."

Sisters Habitat will also receive three two-car garages. According to Weed, two of the garages will be parted-out to construct new garages on Habitat homes.

Weed hopes to use the third garage as a storage facility for the chapter's construction materials and tools. So far, Weed has had no luck finding a suitable spot to place the garage.

Morton was gratified to help the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

"The work of Habitat is extraordinary and the local group here in Sisters seems particularly committed and productive," he said. "Working with them has been a pleasure, and we are thrilled to see these homes going to such good use."

For more information on Sisters Habitat for Humanity, call 549-1193.

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