FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson) 

New RFP Sought For Managing PAC
27 Mar 2024 14:48

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]

Seiners Get Second Day with 2 Areas to Fish
27 Mar 2024 14:46

By Sentinel Staff
    The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]

Braves Take Second in Last Minute Upset
27 Mar 2024 12:41

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]

Tuesday City League Volleyball
27 Mar 2024 12:39

By Sentinel Staff
    The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]

Kodiak Alutiiq Museum Getting New Attention
27 Mar 2024 12:37

By SHIRLEY SNEVE
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    A major renovation at an Alaska museum to attract tourist [ ... ]

House Hearing on Inmate Deaths Halted
27 Mar 2024 12:35

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
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    A presentation about a jump in the number of inmate deaths in  [ ... ]

Nominee to Bering Sea Council: Not a Trawler
27 Mar 2024 12:34

By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
    Tribal and environmental advocates calling for a crackdown o [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Police Blotter
27 Mar 2024 12:26

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Community Happenings
27 Mar 2024 12:25

Big Rigs Sought
For April 13
The 3 to 5 Preschool’s spring fundraiser and Big Rig event is happening [ ... ]

Reassessments Raise Tax Bills for Sitkans
26 Mar 2024 15:22

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The city’s reassessment of taxable real estate, alo [ ... ]

Two Areas Opened in Herring Fishery Today
26 Mar 2024 15:21

By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]

Lady Wolves Rally to Take Fourth at State
26 Mar 2024 15:16

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    Sitka High’s Lady Wolves bounced back from an openi [ ... ]

Edgecumbe Girls Close Out Season Up North
26 Mar 2024 14:58

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
    Competing in the state 3A basketball tournament in Anc [ ... ]

City League Monday
26 Mar 2024 14:55

By Sentinel Staff
    Playing in a competitive division City League volleyball game Monday evening [ ... ]

House Votes to Broaden Rules For Review Panel Memb...
26 Mar 2024 14:52

By JAMES BROOKS
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    A bill that passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday  [ ... ]

Alaskan Grilled in D.C. Over Climate Science
26 Mar 2024 14:51

By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
    Gus Schumacher, the Anchorage Olympic cross-country skier, a [ ... ]

Faster Internet Speeds In Rural Schools OK'd
26 Mar 2024 13:53

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
    Alaska’s rural schools are on track to access faster interne [ ... ]

Native Words Gathered In Environment Studies
26 Mar 2024 13:52

By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
    In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska,  [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Police Blotter
26 Mar 2024 13:49

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Community Happenings
26 Mar 2024 13:48

Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m.  [ ... ]

Sac Roe Herring Fishery Opens in Hayward
25 Mar 2024 15:30

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The 2024 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery got under [ ... ]

Projects on the Table For Cruise Tax Funds
25 Mar 2024 15:28

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Assembly will start the annual process of determi [ ... ]

Braves Take Second at State after Close Loss
25 Mar 2024 15:23

By Sentinel Staff
    Competing in the 3A state championship title basketball game Saturday, the M [ ... ]

City League Games Continue
25 Mar 2024 15:11

By Sentinel Staff
    Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]

Other Articles

Daily Sitka Sentinel

More Fees Approved For Hospital Options

By Sentinel Staff
    Taking up the items left on the table when time ran out at the regular meeting the previous night, the Assembly met Wednesday evening to consider two spending ordinances sponsored by City Administrator Keith Brady.
    The Assembly approved the items, but not without considerable discussion on both.
    Most of the discussion was on the proposal to spend $100,000 “to fund the completion of the Sitka Community Hospital RFP process.”
    The money would cover extended services by consultants Sarah Cave and Steve Huebner, who initially were hired by the city “to put a polished RFP” before the Assembly.
    Only five members were present at the start of the meeting, Mayor Matt Hunter, Bob Potrzuski, Ben Miyasato, Steven Eisenbeisz and Richard Wein. Miyasato left before the consultant fee item came up. 
    In his memo to the Assembly, Administrator Keith Brady said Cave and Huebner provided “excellent expertise and vision into SCH, the RFP and the process,” and charged $3,000 less than the $10,000 authorized for the contract.
    He said he was requesting the additional $100,000 to engage Cave and Huebner “for the remainder of the SCH RFP process,” in which they would research and advise on the follow-up work that will be required to evaluate the hospital proposals that are received.
    City Attorney Brian Hanson supported the expenditure, explaining that the city staff does not have the capacity to provide the specialized expertise that will be needed.
    In agreement, Mayor Matt Hunter and others pointed to the city’s failure to hire an administrator without outside professional help. Rob Allen, CEO of the Sitka hospital also came forward to recommend that the consultants be hired for the additional work, saying it was a small price to pay in comparison to the value of the hospital.
    Assembly member Richard Wein questioned the need for the additional services by consultants, or the value received from the $68,000 spent on the Stroudwater report, or the cost of the Cave and Huebner report. He said he believes there are people in the community, including himself, with the knowledge and expertise to judge offers.
    The only member of the public to testify was hospital board member Carin Adickes, who spoke against the $100,000 extension of the consultants’ contract.
    “I feel like the hospital is working on its own, and Rob is doing a good job. I don’t feel we should spend more for consultants,” she said.
    Assembly member Steve Eisenbeisz said he had come into the meeting opposed to spending the additional consultant fees.
    “It’s really hard to swallow for me. $100,000 is a lot of money,” he said, before saying he had come around to support it. “If we don’t do a professionally supported process we are doomed to fail,” he said.
    By the time this ordinance came up for a vote, Miyasato had left the meeting, leaving a bare quorum of four members at the Assembly table.
    The vote was 3-1 in favor of advancing the consultant fee ordinance to second reading, with Wein casting the dissenting vote. The clerk announced that the ordinance passed, because the city charter says an ordinance is approved on first reading unless there are four votes against it.
    Prior to consideration of the hospital consultant ordinance, the Assembly voted on another budget adjustment ordinance, passing it on a 5-0 vote.
    The first item was $12,000 to upgrade the city’s Laserfiche document management system. City Clerk Sara Peterson said the system, which was initially purchased at a basic level, is already making document management much more efficient, and the upgrade will facilitate the transition of paper documents stored at the Gary Paxton Industrial Park to electronic documents. It will reduce the $15,000 cost of renting paper document storage space at the park, she said.
    The same ordinance would authorize $57,000 for professional management of the city’s $55 million in reserve operating funds, and $47,000 for management of the $24 million in the city permanent fund.
    All of the fees are expected to be covered by the investment earnings of the two funds. The appropriation for the permanent fund management “is in line with prior year expenditures,” said the administrator’s memorandum on that item.
    The Assembly voted in November to put the city’s reserve funds under professional management, but didn’t appropriate funds for the service. The money has been managed by Alaska Permanent Capital Management since November. City finance director Jay Sweeney said the fee, one-tenth of a percent, is very favorable to the city.
    Asked whether someone in the city could do the job, Sweeney said he didn’t believe so, because the depth and redundancy of the professional managers, and their diversified investment strategy. All other cities in the state the size of Sitka or larger, are using professional money managers, Sweeney said. He said he will keep the Assembly informed about the investment performance as gauged by industry benchmarks.


   

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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.


50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....

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