Special features due at new downtown Sisters park

There’s an empty lot in downtown Sisters — not even a full acre.

But as soon as next summer, the spot near Fir Street and Main Avenue will offer amenities Sisters has never seen before.

“It includes a splash pad, an amphitheater, a lot of good public space,” City Manager Andrew Gorayeb said Wednesday.

The city recently received a grant of more than $200,000 from the state. That, money, combined with funding from the city, will create a nearly half-million dollar park downtown.

Gorayeb said it’s an opportunity that will benefit not just residents but the tourists the city depends on.

“When you think about a park like this, with a splash pad and just shaded space and the ability for people to hang out and rest,” Gorayeb said.

It will also give locals more options.

“We get a lot of approaches from members of the community, wanting a community pool,” Gorayeb said. “The problem there is they are very expensive to operate. This is a nice interim step to address part of that need without building a hole in the ground that we have to fill with water and money.”

The design includes several picnicking areas, a large fire pit with seating, bike corrals and benches — and a space that doesn’t sound impressive, until you really need it.

“Bathrooms, which are desperately needed, because during the Quilt Show, or during the Sisters Folk Festival, anybody that visits Sisters knows bathrooms are a hard commodity to come by,” Gorayeb said.

The next step city officials are working on are final design elements.

The park is planned to open next summer.