Sisters Talk

Sisters Economy is Tourism-Dependent

I was about thirteen, growing up in a suburb north of Boston, when I realized that money buys cool stuff like records, event tickets, and new sports gear. And the route many of my friends used to obtain money was working in one of the main fine local restaurants.

“Hey Billy, IHop needs a dishwasher….come to work with me today…I’ll introduce you to the manager, they even split tips with us,” exclaimed Dave.

Not having much else on my mind (well…girls were starting to gain a foothold); restaurant work seemed a logical choice. Money, free food, no expenses like rent, insurance, and car payments) – what else could a boy ask for?

So began my ascent in the restaurant world from dishwasher to busboy to waiter during the summers of my middle school years. This experience would serve me well when I attended college, reaching my “high water mark” in that industry – bartender in a Polish restaurant in western Massachusetts. (My expertise was limited; thankfully “Wodka” was the most requested drink.)

It’s clear to me that, if I want to work again in my hometown, perhaps my experience in food services will serve me well.

I could probably get a job in a restaurant or hotel, perhaps with Ray’s Foods, but the economic reality is that I now have all those “adult” expenses I didn’t have to worry about as a teen, the need for a “living wage.”

The majority of jobs available in our town now are service-level positions that offer less than a “living” or “family” wage. How do the hard-working folks who have these jobs survive?

Most commute to Sisters because they can’t afford to live here. And many have sought transfers or different jobs in their hometown because of the cost of gas in relation to their wages.

I think back to the early nineties when we moved to Sisters. The town was on the path to a well-balanced employment picture. Companies like Good Family Magazines, Weitech, Questar Publishers (soon to become Multnomah), Alpine Internet, NW Telemarketing, Metabolic Maintenance, and Micromonitors were all starting up and thriving.

Employment opportunities in Sisters were good. Employees were spending money in our town, buying homes, eating in our restaurants, and encouraging their friends to move to Sisters.

Good times.

All of the companies mentioned above are now gone - except for Metabolic Maintenance (and O’Keefe’s Working Hands Creme.) And with them all the money their employees spent in Sisters.

What happened? Why didn’t we stay on the path to a well-balanced economy with many living/family wage jobs?

We were asleep at the wheel.

Our relatively new (2007) Sisters Vision Statement indicates “This economy especially supports locally conceived and owned businesses that provide a wide variety of year-round family wage jobs.”

Folks, let me tell you from experience, there aren’t many year-round family wage jobs in Sisters.

We have two beautiful business parks and lots of vacant office spaces in Sisters - and no efforts (until this spring) being made to attract potential businesses that could bring jobs. Granted, the economy took a nose dive this year but nothing was being done as far back as 2006 when the economy was still thriving.

Who’s responsible for attracting and retaining living/family wage employers? The Chamber, the City, EDCO (Economic Development for Central Oregon), SBART (Sisters Business Acquisition & Retention Team), SVA (Sisters Village Association), CATS (Community Action Team of Sisters), realtors/developers?

As of this spring we’re told it’s all of the above, working together, and led by CATS. An all-volunteer committee made up of a strong cross-section of Sisters business and city folk, CATS is co-chaired by Fran Willis and Chuck Newport. Two very capable and well-respected people.

But can they direct, coordinate, and manage all the people involved with the various groups noted above?

As of this post, the 2009 “updated Sisters Economic Development Plan” (first plan 2002, first update published 2005, second update planning session spring 2009 – all managed by CATS) has yet to be drafted and distributed for review to all stakeholders listed above….

And, once again in 2009, Sisters continues to be a “severely distressed community” as designated by the state.

About a year ago I wrote an article for the Nugget Newspaper titled “Will Our Kids Be Able to Return to Sisters?” Graduates, whether from college or high school, appear to have even fewer options now.

Of course there’s always food service and hospitality positions.

Which leads to my conclusion that Sisters’ revised economic development goal should be to become the very best tourist destination in the state. There’s really nothing wrong with this goal.

But it’s a big turnaround in thinking for me. And we will all have to accept the consequences.

In reality, the well-balanced employer scene we experienced throughout the 90’s was a blip on the growth graph, an anomaly we’re not likely to see again for many, many years – if ever.

Let’s forget trying to become “well-balanced” with light industry and clean, think tank, corporate headquarter-type companies. To date we’ve shown no ability to attract them anyway, although credit should be given to the SBART crew - who have absolutely good intentions but very little ammunition to work with – and a “perfect economic storm” to overcome.

So here are some thoughts on making Sisters the very best tourist destination in the state:

1. Transportation System Planning: at the very least embrace Carey Tosello’s roundabout proposals which will reinforce and enhance our arts-based community branding while slowing-down traffic. Traffic lights are “so Redmond.” I prefer the complete closure of Cascade, making it a pedestrian mall, but let’s face it no one’s going to battle the state over who “owns” the highway (Cascade Ave.) and there’s no money to buy private land for a bypass anyway.

2. Let the SVA, in coordination with our arts-based community and the new Chamber leadership (Erin Borla,) re-write and implement the Sisters Country mission statement, short and long term goals, and monitor the benchmarks along the way. Explore arts-based grant opportunities to fund a full-time “administrator” who works out of the Chamber (dare I say “economic development director?”) to oversee the new plan and keep people accountable to benchmarks.

3. Ecotourism, seemingly a cliché in tourism circles, can be a huge draw for Sisters. Bill Willitts’ ideas should be folded into the arts-based economic development plan. Sisters’ target tourist demographic loves both the high desert environment and the arts. (Wouldn’t the 52-acre forest service administrative site be a wonderful location for Sisters’ new “ecotourism” businesses and related shops?)

4. What are your thoughts?

Perhaps, with the right new tourism-related strategy and businesses, our “shoulder seasons” would be as profitable as the summer months for retailers and resorts.

Of course, all of this comes with a price. A tourism-based economy brings with it low-wage jobs, not living/family wage positions. Most employees will live out-of-town. Sisters’ housing market will be dominated by retirees, second home purchasers, and baby boomers that “made it big” elsewhere.

But, on the other hand, with more retirees attracted to Sisters Country the “senior living center” project near the middle/high schools might be a reality in the near future.

Affordable housing would become an even greater challenge – perhaps the new tourism leaders could ban together to develop/build an employee apartment complex.

Think Branson - in the high desert.

Well, maybe if my wife and I each work two tourism-related jobs we’ll both be able to live and work in Sisters…