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The Nugget
PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Vol. XLVI No. 33
www.NuggetNews.com
Work begins on Sunset Meadows
POSTAL CUSTOMER
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
Gas station denial stands
The season’s upon us...
By Sue Stafford
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
Correspondent
Work has begun on the Sunset Meadows development by Woodhill Homes located between Felicity Lane and Highway 242. Trees are being removed to make way for street construction. The entire 12.92 acres was approved as three parcels, one for the single-family homes and townhouses, one for apartments, and a third one on the southeast corner of the property bounded by West Hood Avenue and Highway 242, which will be an open space with trees. During their January 19 hearing on the development,
The City of Sisters Planning Commission decision to deny the application for a major renovation of the Space Age Fuel station at the corner of Highway 20 and Pine Street will stand. “No appeal of the Planning Commission denial of the Space Age service station (file nos. SP22-02/MCU 22.01) proposal was filed prior to the end of the 14-day appeal period which ended August 3, 2023. Therefore, the Planning Commission decision is final,” according to Matthew Martin, City principal planner.
See DEVELOPMENT on page 6
We may be in the high heat of summer, but we know that fall is coming soon when the youth football players hitting the Sisters fields to work on developing their skills. PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
Controversy about shelter intensifies By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
Sisters City Council chambers were packed to overflowing on Wednesday, August 9. The intense interest in the scheduled City Council workshop revolved around an application by Sisters C o l d We a t h e r S h e l t e r (SCWS) for City approval to operate an emergency shelter at 192 W. Barclay Dr. The proposed siting has stirred citizenry in vociferous opposition or support of the proposed shelter. Some 35-40 attendees were forced to stand in the doorway or vestibule, straining to hear the proceedings. Another 100 attended the sessions by Zoom. The workshop began with formalities by the mayor and city manager, both of whom made it clear to the crowded room that no decision with respect to the application would be made that evening. The mayor stated that
Inside...
more than half those living in the woods around Sisters are employed, and that 26 students in the Sisters School District were houseless. Several in attendance thought erroneously that Council was voting that evening on the application and/ or that Council is the deciding body (see sidebar, page 16). The state legislation that would allow the siting of the shelter purposely bypasses the local land use process, and makes it an administrative procedure. That means the acceptance or rejection of the application rests with the Planning Department led by Scott Woodford, community development director. Woodford was first to address Council. He outlined the specifics of the application, and the guiding State legislation. After a few minutes the floor was turned over to board representatives of SCWS, whose principal spokesman was its president, See SHELTER on page 16
See GAS STATION on page 9
SAR rescues hikers on Three Sisters Deschutes County Sheriff ’s Office (DCSO) spokesman Sgt. Jason Wall reported that on Saturday, August 5 at approximately 6 p.m., DCSO Search and Rescue (SAR) was dispatched to two lost and disorientated hikers between North and Middle Sister, near Hayden Glacier. Due to poor weather conditions and remote location, the unit requested assistance from a helicopter. Life Flight agreed to fly two DCSO SAR volunteers to a landing zone as close to the subjects as possible. Life Flight transported the volunteers to the landing zone, arriving at 8:50 p.m. The location of the landing zone was approximately 1.8 miles from the lost hikers. The SAR volunteers arrived at the lost hikers at 12:30 a.m. Volunteers advised the female hiker had an injury to her ankle, which prevented her from continuing down the mountain without the assistance of an air ambulance. Rescuers sheltered with subjects overnight and waited for availability of
PHOTO PROVIDED
A Life Flight chopper was used to lift an injured hiker out of the mountains. an air ambulance. Visibility cleared and Life Flight was able to fly, reaching a landing zone at approximately 11 a.m.
The woman was transported to St. Charles Bend via air ambulance for further evaluation and treatment of her injuries.
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Trailgrams ........................ 4 Scottie Wisdom & Faith ......7 Entertainment .................10 Crossword ....................... 17 Meetings .......................... 3 Tight Lines........................ 5 Announcements................ 8 Sudoku ............................12 Classifieds.................. 18-19