— INSIDE —
FOoCn US
Health — — PAGES 10-15
The Nugget
POSTAL CUSTOMER PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Vol. XLVI No. 4
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, January 25, 2023
What’s behind a fence in Sisters
Speed on the slopes...
By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
Araiya Grummer looks to the next gate in Sisters Outlaws skiing action. The Outlaws are having an exceptional season on the slopes. See story, page 7. PHOTO BY JACK TURPEN
Development wins conditional approval By Sue Stafford Correspondent
The controversial Sunset Meadows development can go forward — if developers meet conditions of approval. Woodhill Homes’ application for their Master Plan development Sunset Meadows, on a 12.92-acre property in the multi-family residential district (MFR) at
15510 McKenzie Highway on the west side of town, won approval — with conditions — from the Planning Commission at their January 19 meeting. The condition of approval requires the applicant to revise their phasing order on the project. The original plan called for five phases, with See APPROVAL on page 6
Man arrested for bookstore break-in A motorist driving down Cascade Avenue on Tuesday evening, January 17, spotted a person wearing a black ski mask trying to break into Lonesome Water Books. The citizen called 911 at about 6:15 p.m. According to Sgt. Jason Wall of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, as
Inside...
deputies responded to the area, Deschutes County 911 was advised that the person wearing the ski mask had gained entry to the store. When law enforcement arrived, the subject wearing the ski mask left the store, armed with a See BREAK-IN on page 8
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Meetings .......................... 3
Good fences make good neighbors — so the saying goes. The Nugget’s story last week about the Forest Service mowing the underbrush in the Sisters woods, and thereby making homeless camps more visible, caused some readers to make contact in hopes of adding context to the story. One was Ashley Okura, one of the family owners of Ponderosa Lodge, the landmark motel at the Barclay/ Highway 20 roundabout. Okura explained the long history of the new 1,700-lineal-foot fence being erected See FENCE on page 23
Contract is vital to law enforcement By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief
Knowing the community you are working in on an intimate basis makes a big difference in law enforcement. That was the message that came across loud and clear in a two-night Citizens Academy open house hosted by the Deschutes County Sheriff ’s Office (DCSO) at the Sisters Fire District Community Hall on Wednesday and Thursday, January 18-19. Between 30 and 40 citizens turned out each night to get to know local deputies and to get a glimpse at how the DCSO operates. Everyone attending, from Sheriff Shane Nelson to the individual deputies assigned here, say that operations in Sisters have been materially enhanced by the $711,200 annual contract agreed between the City of Sisters and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office in March of 2020. The contract allows for a DCSO lieutenant and three deputies to be stationed Announcements................ 8 Entertainment .................. 8
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
Deputy Mike Hudson chatted with members of the public who turned out for a two-night Citizens Academy open house. in Sisters. City staff interacts directly with Lt. Chad Davis, who reports to the sheriff. The deputies are all assigned full-time to Sisters, rather than a variety of deputies rotating through the station. The DCSO patrol vehicles all carry the City of Sisters logo to foster that community identity. The contract has, in effect, provided Sisters with its own police force at a fraction of
the cost of actually forming a police department, with the requirement to hire and train staff, purchase vehicles and equipment, and manage human resources. More importantly, it has, as all the deputies acknowledge, given DCSO the scope to proved better service. “That consistent piece (having a set cadre of
Focus on Health .......... 10-15 Crossword ...................... 20
Classifieds..................21-22 Real Estate ................ 22-24
See CONTRACT on page 20