New team leads Sisters Country Vision progress

Implementation of the Sisters Country Vision is underway, with a new team of key leaders and community members committed to a year of action.

Led by Mayor Chuck Ryan and Commissioner Patti Adair as co-conveners, the Vision Implementation Team has met three times since July. The team’s mission is to “implement the vision action plan and prioritize projects through a transparent, balanced, and inclusive process.”

The team provides a collaborative table for lead partners and community members to brainstorm, problem-solve, and set priorities.

In addition to dissolving barriers to progress and maintaining strong positive relationships among partner organizations, team members have committed to keeping the broader community informed of progress on current projects and engaging working teams of local volunteers.

The 15-member team is comprised of representatives from local organizations listed as a lead partner on three or more action items in the vision action plan, along with a current student at Sisters High School, and two community members with broad local networks.

Janel Ruehl , of the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, serves as the Vision Coordinator, providing staff support to the Vision Implementation Team, collaborating on media communications, community outreach, and event coordination, and maintaining public communication via the vision’s dedicated website: sistersvision.org. A new Vision Progress Update is now available on the website, along with more information about the Vision Implementation Team, current volunteer opportunities, and upcoming events.

Adopted by the Sisters City Council and Deschutes County Board of Commissioners in early 2019, the Sisters Country Vision and Action Plan engaged 2,000 community participants to develop strategies to help Sisters Country position itself for the future.

The ambitious plan aims to retain the things most valued by community members while also considering what may need to change going forward – and how to achieve it.

The Vision Action Plan was developed by a 31-member community team, based on the input from the thousands of participants living both inside and outside the City of Sisters.

Featuring 20 strategies and roughly 100 actions to achieve them, the plan is grouped into four focus areas: Prosperous, Livable, Resilient, and Connected Sisters. The Vision was jointly funded by The City of Sisters, Deschutes County, and the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council.

For more information about the Sisters Country Vision or to learn more about how to get involved, please visit sistersvision.org or contact Janel Ruehl , Sisters Vision Coordinator at info@sistersvision.org.

KTVZ 2019