If only

Summer seems slow in coming to Sisters this year. Clouds drift across the sky, occasionally dropping rain, and temperatures have ranged in the 60s and 70s. Not nearly hot enough in my opinion, but I'm working on learning to control the weather.

This weekend begins the 39th annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show and a trip to the library today confirmed that our little town is already filling up with excited fiber artists. The church down the street is offering breakfast daily for those taking classes or attending lectures and every retail shop is hoping to recoup some of the losses taken during the rebuilding of Highway 20.

The highway construction was a tremendous effort that exceeded expectations. ODOT closed the street on March 1 and reopened it May 15—on schedule. During that period they worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They took out the old crumbling asphalt and the mixed-bag sidewalks—in most cases all the way to the store fronts. Old wooden awnings came down with a crash to make room for heavy equipment and the steady stream of dump trucks carrying gravel. It was noisy, confusing, and quite impressive.

Workers laid new curbs and sidewalks.

Highway 20 was closed during construction.

Now the highway is open, paved sidewalks are in place, and lighting and landscaping are on the way. Newly built wood awnings and fresh paint have appeared, thanks to grants from the city, and its fun to see Sisters so spruced up and happy. Even better is knowing how smoothly it was accomplished. Yes, it took years to get everyone to agree on a plan and a process, but once they did it came together beautifully.

It's satisfying to see something done well, so if your plans take you through Sisters this summer, stop and look around. Stroll down the new paver-topped sidewalks, sit on the new benches, admire the new stone work and the new store fronts, and consider how it was done. State and local government agencies, private contractors, outspoken retailers, and demanding citizens all had a voice in the decision, and they all came together to make it work.

Now, if we could just get this kind of cooperation in D.C. . . .

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