Sisters is going to get a new community recreation center — but no aquatics center — under a partnership between the city’s park district and the Sisters School District.

The plan by Sisters Park and Recreation District will move most of its operations across town to Sisters Elementary School. The plan is moving forward and is expected to occur in January.

Jennifer Holland, executive director of the park district, said it has entered into a long-term lease agreement with the school district and will turn the school into a community recreation center. The park district currently operates out of a much smaller building, the Coffield Community Center, on Sister’s west side.

The move comes as Sisters Elementary School wraps up its final year in the current building, located on the eastern edge of downtown. Next year, the elementary school will move into a new building close to Sisters middle and high schools.

The school district will retain one wing of the current school for storage and non-educational needs. The rest of the building will be used for recreation and activities.

“We have gone through a feasibility study to look at what are some of the things we need to be doing to this facility to make it a usable recreation center because spaces that work for schools don’t always work for recreation centers,” said Holland.

Changes include creating a fitness studio and removing and risers from a band room so it can be used as a multipurpose room. The school’s commons area will be turned into a multi-generational gathering spot.

“It will serve more as a place to hang out, play puzzles and cribbage, talk to your neighbor,” said Holland.

For outside areas, the park district has secured $400,000 for a portion of a redesign process and is seeking additional funds from Oregon State Parks. If it gets funding, construction on the entire project can begin in the spring of 2025. If there is no grant the work will be done in phases, said Holland.

Plans for the outdoor areas include pickleball courts, sports fields a playground and a picnic area.

Some Sisters residents have expressed interest in building a new aquatic facility, said Holland, but funding would be problematic under the current taxing structure.

Sisters Park and Recreation is a special taxing district, unconnected to the city or the school district. Its permanent property tax rate is 22 cents per $1,000 in assessed home value. It also has a five-year local option levy of 15 cents per assessed $1,000. This is low compared to Bend, which has a $1.46 tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value.

By comparison, Bend Park & Recreation District has a tax rate of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value.

“We are open to it but any development needs to be sustainable through tax structure,” she said.

Holland said the park district is planning to embark on a 20-year vision process and she expects an aquatics center will be part of the conversation. But to change the tax structure would require dissolving the park district and forming a new district. Changing the permanent tax rate under the current system isn’t possible, she said.

Sisters City Manager Jordan Wheeler described repurposing the current elementary school as a new rec center as an “exciting opportunity.” He punted when asked about possibly building an aquatics center after establishing a new district with an increased permanent tax.

“I expect gauging the level of support would be a part of any process that explores and studies that concept,” said Wheeler. “Ultimately any proposal would be decided by the voters of the district.”