TRUCK FIRE – Firefighters knock down a fire in a Ford Explorer truck in Arrowhead Trailer Park in the 1200 block of Sawmill Creek Road Saturday evening. One person received fire-related injuries and was taken to the hospital, Sitka Fire Department Chief Craig Warren said, and the truck was considered a total loss. The cause of the fire is under investigation, Warren said. The fire hall received the call about the fire at 5:33 p.m., and one fire engine with eight firefighters and an ambulance were dispatched, he said. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
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Daily Sitka Sentinel
Grant Will Let City Reopen Playground
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
One of the two Moller playgrounds the city closed more than a year ago could be reopened as early as next summer, thanks to a grant approved by the Assembly last week.
The city public works department received a $10,000 grant from the city’s insurance carrier, Alaska Public Entity Insurance, which will be matched by $20,000 from the city’s recreation budget. The $30,000 total should cover most of the costs of the gravel surfacing and the upgrading of the park on the east side of the track, said Mike Colliver, city buildings, grounds and parks supervisor.
A closed sign hangs on a chained gate at the Moller Park playground today. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
Colliver and other public works staff members are keeping an eye on the west Moller park as well. It’s the one at the foot of the slope that goes down from the baseball field parking lot. It’s equipped with swings, a park bench and slides. Both were installed in the 1990s.
The 5,600-square-foot east Moller playground, which is on the far end of the running track, has a cage climbing structure, swings, a dome, slide and an octopus climbing structure. Both of the playgrounds have been closed since before Colliver arrived in May 2016. He has plans for addressing the safety code shortcomings that have been identified in both.
He said he knows both playgrounds are valued by the community because of the calls he’s received calls from the public since shortly after he started working for the city. The playgrounds are small but conveniently located for parents using the track or field, or watching an older child play on the one of the sports fields at the Moller complex.
“A lot of people are angry (that they’re closed), which I understand,” Colliver said.
The east playground needs new surfacing, reconfiguration of the swing set, and repairs to damaged and aging playground equipment. By far the greatest cost is the surfacing, Colliver said, but added that the $30,000 should get the city most of the way there.
“It will help,” he said. Plans currently call for using pea gravel as surface material.
Colliver said he and other public works staff are also looking at the 7,200-square-foot west playground, which needs several improvements. The swings go out beyond the fence, surface material is needed, and repairs to the equipment are needed.
“We’re working on options,” he said.
Public Works Director Michael Harmon said it would be nice to reopen both but he’s pleased to see the grant funding come through to make reopening one of them possible before the next budget year July 1.
“This is going to help us get the far playground up to a reasonable code level to be able to open it up,” he said. As for the west Moller playground, he added, “We would like to see it addressed; we don’t want to leave it closed like that.”
Harmon noted the public works staff and Parks and Recreation Committee are working on a master plan for the area. Among the options being discussed are designating the Moller playgrounds for different age groups, or making the west Moller playground suitable for multiple age groups, Colliver said. Other ideas in the works include a covered viewing area for the east Moller playground.
A new, expanded playground is planned for construction next year on the site of the current SJ playground. The $750,000 project calls for replacing all the existing equipment and expanding the playground area into the nearest tennis court.
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20 YEARS AGO
March 2004
Businesses using the Centennial Hall parking lot testified Tuesday against a proposal to charge them rent in addition to the $200 annual permit fee. City Administrator Hugh Bevan made the proposal in response to the Assembly’s direction to Centennial Hall manager Don Kluting to try to close the $340,000 gap between building revenues and operational costs.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1974
Alaska Native Brotherhood Grand President William S. Paul Sr. will be special guest and speaker at the local ANB, Alaska Native Sisterhood Founders Day program Monday at the ANB Hall.