The Nugget Vol. XLVI No. 10
SSD to seek local option funding
POSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Ski racer...
Downtown site to be redeveloped By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief
By Ceili Gatley Correspondent
The Sisters School District (SSD) is set to seek a fifth renewal of the local option tax levy. The local option renewal has been ongoing for 24 years, providing essential funding for the unique programs Sisters schools are able offer. Superintendent Curt Scholl will file for the local option levy to be on the ballot for the May election. The local option levy renewal is the same amount of 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The school board on See LOCAL OPTION on page 18
PHOTO BY OLIVIA KENNEDY
Gus Patton goes for it in Outlaws Alpine racing action. The Sisters High School Ski Team hosted the State Championships at Hoodoo Ski Area last weekend. Conditions were challenging, but the Outlaws acquitted themselves well. See story, page 6.
Sisters trails vandals caught on camera By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
About six months ago Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) changed their logo and set about applying it to hundreds of trail marker signs on its 192-mile network. The decals were positioned over the existing ones, an easier chore than having to remove the originals first. Since that time vandals have systematically and steadfastly removed the new decals. In warmer weather, the removal of the new badge generally did not harm the original ones while reexposing their design. Now, in the cold of winter, peeling off the new decal generally damages the underlying one leaving an unsightly appearance as shown in the photo. The cost to STA has been considerable. Apart from around $800 in replacement and repair costs, hundreds of volunteer hours have been lost. In the process donors and the 175 volunteers who
Inside...
PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15
gave 2,800 hours in 2022 have been disheartened. “We thought we could just overwhelm them with our numbers, and eventually they’d give up,” said Scott Penzarella, STA executive director. “This is an insult to the hardworking volunteers who year-round strive to make great trails. Our mission is to build and maintain trails to connect users, not to spend time dealing with misguided vandals.” A U.S. Forest Service camera has captured a pair, a mature adult couple, in the act. “They will be known to any number of people were we to release their photo,” Penzarella said. “Along with their dog, they are unmistakable.” The STA is not looking to have the couple prosecuted, provided they come forward and promise to stop their behavior and reimburse STA for its costs. See VANDALS on page 17
Heavy equipment knocked down the building that formerly housed Hop in the Spa last week. The new owner of the property, Roger Johnson of Sisters, told The Nugget he is working on plans to redevelop the property. The building on the Cascade Avenue site was completely removed. It had stood empty for many months in the wake of the closure of Hop in the Spa after its owner, Mike Boyle, of Sisters, was indicted on September 7, 2021, on multiple counts of practicing massage without a license, two counts of sexual abuse See PROPERTY on page 17
Avalanche claims life on Black Crater An avalanche took the life of a 46-year-old backcountry skier from Bend on Thursday, March 2. Sgt. Jason Wall of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office reported that a Search and Rescue unit was dispatched Thursday to a report from a backcountry skier of an avalanche at Black Crater. Black Crater is a steep-sided shield volcano north of the Three Sisters and east of McKenzie Pass — readily visible on the Sisters skyline. The reporting party (Skier No. 2, name withheld by DCSO) advised Deschutes County 911 that he and a friend were skiing in the caldera at Black Crater when an avalanche was triggered. Aaron Griffith, of Bend, was caught up in the avalanche, no longer visible, and possibly injured. Both skiers were equipped with proper backcountry safety items, including avalanche beacons, shovels, helmets, and avalanche probes. The reporting party attempted to locate his friend by utilizing his avalanche beacon, and ultimately was
PHOTO PROVIDED
A 46-year-old backcountry skier from Bend was killed in an avalanche on Black Crater on Thursday. successful. The skier conducted life-saving measures, but Griffith had succumbed to his injuries. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue unit, along with the United States Forest Service, responded to the area and assisted Skier No. 2 to safety. Due to extreme avalanche
danger and failing light, Search and Rescue personnel halted recovery efforts until daylight on March 3. Search and Rescue personnel worked with community partners through Friday to safely recover Griffith’s body. S e e re l a t e d s t o r y, “Avalanche safety,” page 18.
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Obituaries ........................ 5 Entertainment ................. 11 Roundabout Sisters .........16 Classifieds................. 20-21 Meetings .......................... 3 Announcements...............10 Sisters Country Birds .......14 Crossword .......................19 Real Estate .................21-24