News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 26 - 49 of 49
Multnomah Publishers periodically scales back production and lays off employees in order to gain ground in a tough market. The company on January 8 announced the elimination of 15 positions -- meaning 15 people laid off --and a restructuring of the company (The Nugget, January 28, page 3). In this industry, books equal employees. As book production tapers off, staff is stripped down as well. Kyle Cummings, Senior Vice President, explained that the number of positions Multnomah employs is directly impacted by the number of... Full story
The Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce emerges from a bumpy past year into 2004 with a fresh outlook and new standards for its budget. The Sisters economy has felt the effect of tumultuous events. The terrorist attacks in 2001 started the chain of events that led up to last year. "We can't do anything about 9/11 and the fact that the country is in recession," said Chuck Fadeley, Chamber president. "It hurts a town like Sisters because we're so dependent on tourism, traveling, elective spending. This is the sort of thing people... Full story
Multnomah Publishers of Sisters has announced the elimination of 15 positions within the organization. The downsizing is due to an attempt to streamline the company's business. "In light of our effort to adjust to a refined market strategy of publishing fewer books and to contend with the publishing industry's economic conditions, we determined it was necessary to restructure the company for the future," said Don Jacobson, president and publisher, in a press release from January 8. Kyle Cummings, senior vice president, was... Full story
A new destination resort could be sited on a large parcel of land near Sisters, though owners of the property say such a resort is currently just an idea. In the spring of 2003 the partnerships controlled by the William Colson family of Salem purchased 27,750 acres near the northeast flank of Black Butte. At that time the Colsons approached the Jefferson County Land Use and Planning Department about the potential for a destination resort on this site. Since the property is in a forest zone, it is not possible to build a... Full story
Squaw Creek got a little rambunctious as ice built up then broke during winter storms. photo by Jeff McCaulou On Wednesday, January 7, Sisters City Hall got a call from Tim Clasen who lives south of Sisters. Clasen reported that Squaw Creek was very high and that there would soon be excess water in town. Gary Frazee, Sisters' Public Works Director, headed to the bridge on Elm Street in the snow plow he was operating. "By the time I got to Squaw Creek ... the water was back to normal," he said. Kathy Nagel, who also lives on... Full story
Mushers hit the trail in a storm at Hoodoo on Tuesday, January 6. photo by Jeff McCaulou In the world of dogsled racing, comparing Buddy Streeper and Doug Swingley is like comparing a Ferrari to a Land Rover. Streeper is the undefeated champion in the sprint class while Swingley holds four titles in the 1,100-mile Iditarod dog sled race. Streeper dominated the competition in the Sisters stages of the Atta Boy 300 dog sled race earlier this month and Swingley was the next contender. The $55,000 race came to the Sisters area... Full story
For staff that have been with the Sisters School District for a decade, it's a bout of deja vu -- a new high school and a powerful winter storm. In the early nineties, the high school -- now middle school -- building was built with a metal roof and no provisions were made to hold the snow on the roof. Snow slid off and built up and water got into the building by means of saturated ground around the exterior. "When everything thawed, water got in the building," said Bob Martin, Facilities and Construction Project Manager for... Full story
The Link Creek Bridge has been closed due to rot in one of its supports. photo by Jeff McCaulou The Link Creek Bridge at Suttle Lake has seen its last days. This three-span bridge built in 1991 has rot, due to moisture, along one of its stringers. The rot is beyond repair and has made the structural integrity of the bridge questionable, according to the Forest Service. The bridge has been closed. Paul Engstrom of the Deschutes National Forest said that it is more likely that the bridge could collapse from the weight of snow... Full story
Wood and electricity are the two common choices for heating in Sisters. photo by Jeff McCaulou As winter arrives and the air cools, Sisters residents brace themselves for a season of heating bills and wood to split. In a Fuel Cost Comparison analysis by Central Electric Co-op, electricity was the cheapest -- and the most expensive -- source of heat, depending on what kind of heating unit is being used. The efficiency is highest with an electric heat pump and lowest with baseboard electric heaters. Most residents in the... Full story
Gary Frazee shows off his Outlaw Daze prototype. The new event, scheduled for May 29, is one of several new Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce events. photo by Jeff McCaulou The Sisters Village Green will see new action this summer when the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce presents its seasonal events. "After 25 years of doing the same events it's nice to try something different," said events coordinator Jeri Buckmann. The June craft show has been eliminated in part because there's already a big event in town then -- the... Full story
Despite the early snowfall this year, the snow pack readings indicate a below average season -- so far. Officials are taking a wait-and-see attitude about the winter and its effects on spring water levels. Kyle Gorman of the Deschutes County Water Master's Office said, "It's too early to tell. There are no indicators right now for how much water we will have to irrigate with this spring. Official readings don't begin until January 1." For the Deschutes and Crooked River Basins the overall snow pack is 80 percent of average... Full story
Sisters merchants are reporting mixed results from the Christmas shopping season so far, but remain optimistic concerning this most lucrative time until summer. In a survey conducted by The Nugget, eight out of 11 business owners reported brisk Thanksgiving commerce. However, the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce conducted a telephone poll eliciting a lackluster response about the holiday. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ric Nowak acknowledged that he had received a lukewarm response on the weekend from local... Full story
Thinning projects near Sisters may go faster in the wake of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 3. However, some local foresters and activists are skeptical about the bill's real impact on Sisters forests. The act promises a streamlined appeals process, protection for old growth, and a $760 million budget ($420 million for hazardous fuel reduction projects). Roland Giller, public affairs officer for the Ochoco and Deschutes National Forests said, "I haven't seen the act... Full story
The roof of the city water reservoir has been sealed. photo by Gary Frazee Citizens of Sisters may rest assured that the drinking water from Pole Creek Reservoir is safe from contamination. The city just spent $70,000 repairing the reservoir roof. "In a few places you could actually see into the reservoir," said Gary Frazee, Public Works Director. "Because of this we had to repair the roof." The holes in the roof left the water exposed and vulnerable. "The best case scenario is contamination from rain and snow," said Frazee.... Full story
The Sisters School Board has offered Lynn Baker of Cashmere, Washington, a two-year contract as Sisters Superintendent of Schools. Baker has been serving as interim superintendent since contract negotiations with candidate Charles Hellman fell apart last spring. The board sought to fill the position before too much time had elapsed and an extensive search had to be conducted. According to Glen Lasken, school board chairman, there is a pool of potential interim candidates that the Oregon School Board Association has "in their... Full story
Taylor Robertson will bring the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District into a new era as the district's new fire chief. He takes office on December 1. Robertson was set apart from a flood of applicants by his 34 years of experience. Dave Elliott, chairman of the fire district board of directors said, "We were looking for someone to fit our department that would take us to the many next levels, not just the next one. He's a trainer and a mentor." Robertson was involved in the development of a large training... Full story
When water flows from the faucet it's hard to see the planning and technology behind a utility that is taken for granted. Until October 2002, Sisters' city water was extremely vulnerable. Sisters had one 12-inch pipe supplying the town, twice crossing under the sometimes torrid waters of Squaw Creek. A mile south of town there is an elbow in the water line coming down from Pole Creek Reservoir. The old water line banks to the right in a northeast direction. At this elbow, city workers patched in the new line which heads... Full story
Multnomah Publishers is trying to acquire the Weitech Building through a trade that includes their approximately 35-acre property on Larch Street and the former bowling alley building that they own on Adams Avenue. According to company officials, Multnomah Publishers has no intention of leaving Sisters at this time. "Multnomah is part of Sisters and we love being a part of Sisters," said Kyle Cummings, vice president of the company. In 1989 Multnomah Publishers President Don Jacobson brought the company here as Questar. His... Full story
Brush piles are all that remain of a logging operation near Three Creek Lake. photo by Jeff McCaulou The Forest Service recently finished a logging project known as the Broken Rim Sale near Three Creek Lake, off Forest Road 700. The Forest Service contracted with Weyerhaeuser for the project and Weyerhaeuser subcontracted B&S Logging, of Prineville, to thin 462 acres of public land near the Three Sisters Wilderness Area. The 6,315 cubic feet of timber harvested was sent to the Weyerhaeuser mill in Redmond. According to Becky... Full story
Some Central Oregon teenagers are putting their backs into heavy work this fall, rehabilitating the forest burned by the B&B Complex Fire. The Forest Service's Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation team (BAER) has contracted with the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) to supply a work force of teens who are not enrolled in high school. Around the headwaters of Abbot Springs, near Abbot Butte, three COIC teens and a crew leader are erecting an A-frame fence to protect budding, green plant life from an elk herd.... Full story
Construction is well underway on new motel suites. photo by Jeff McCaulou Construction started in October on 28 high-end units and a laundry room facility at the Best Western Ponderosa Lodge at the west end of Sisters. Permits were acquired and the site was surveyed over the summer, but construction was put off until the tourist season was over so as not to disturb guests in the existing rooms, according to owner Bill Reed. "I drove myself crazy trying to design the perfect room," said Reed. While Reed is the general... Full story
The Oregon Log Homes production site on Highway 20 just east of Sisters is bare of logs for the first time in most people's memory. That has led many to wonder if the company is going out of business or selling their operation. "No, the business is not for sale," said owner Mike Neary. "What we are doing is selling the 10-acre production site here in Sisters and consolidating in Maupin out at our 80-acre site. "We also have an indoor facility there," said Neary, but "we will open a sales office in Sisters. We are shopping for... Full story
Sisters businesses and sportsmen who ply the Deschutes River for fishing and rafting will likely have to get used to new limits on using the river. The Bureau of Land Management consented on Tuesday, November 4, to implement a limited entry permit system on Segment 1 (Pelton Re-regulating Dam to Harpham Flat) of the Lower Deschutes in 2005. By 2008 boaters will be required to have permits from Warm Springs to the river's mouth. Northwest Rafters Association and National Organization for Rivers filed a complaint against the BL... Full story
Neighborhood center? Sisters faces tensions between growth and desire to preserve its rural feel. photo by Jim Cornelius The City of Sisters Planning Department faces mounting opposition to proposed changes to the city's Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). Proposed "neighborhood centers" in the amendments to Ordinance 324 of the Model Development Code have a mixed-use zoning that would allow for limited commercial development. The zones affect property north of Sisters High School, southwest of Pine Meadow Ranch and on the... Full story
