Daily Sitka Sentinel

Redesign Proposed For City-Borough Seal

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Assembly members heard strong expressions of support for keeping the Marine Service Center and seawall in public hands Tuesday at a work session prior to the regular Assembly meeting,
    Fishermen and other members of the public spoke against selling the city-owned cold storage facility and seawall on Katlian Street, a possibility that has been raised by interim city administrator Hugh Bevan and others.
    At a one-hour work session preceding the regular Assembly meeting, members discussed some of the options for the cold storage and wall.
    “Public comment is overwhelmingly in favor of the seawall ... ‘we need this waterfront,’” summarized Deputy Mayor Steven Eisenbeisz, who presided in Mayor Gary Paxton’s absence.
    One of the main issues is the city’s lack of funds to repair or replace the sheet-pile seawall. In a study conducted in 2011, consultants estimated some $6.7 million to $8.3 million would be needed for repairs.
    The other major issue is that fishermen want continued access to the facilities, which they fear would be reduced if the site was in private ownership.
    Currently, Sitka Sound Seafoods and Seafood Producers Coop rent most of the space in the building, with 10 percent of the building and the seawall available to the public.
    Since it was a work session, there was no vote, but the consensus of the Assembly was to have a meeting later on having an updated condition study on the property.
    “With the study 10 years old, we do need to know the exact condition of the wall,” Eisenbeisz said.
    Repair of the seawall was on the list of Legislative Priorities submitted to Sitka’s legislators and state officials that was approved in the regular Assembly meeting that followed.
    Assembly member Kevin Mosher said that for him the discussion raised more questions than answers.
    “I don’t know yet what I want to do,” he said.

Regular Meeting
City Seal
    A majority of the Assembly at Tuesday’s meeting favored moving forward on the design of a new official seal for the City and Borough of Sitka, but wanted to see a more detailed plan, including a budget, before giving the go-ahead on the process.
    Richard Wein referred to a 1971 issue of the Sentinel reporting on the meeting at which the Assembly adopted the design that is still used as the city seal. It’s based on a medal created by the Franklin Mint, a company that makes and markets commemorative items. The company chose a scene showing the top of Sitka’s Castle Hill, as it appeared in the 1970s, to represent Alaska in a collector series with one custom-designed medal for each of the 50 states.
    Eisenbeisz and Kevin Knox offered an outline for a process for redesigning the city seal, which would include a contest and extensive public process before coming back to the Assembly for a final decision.

The Official Seal of the City and Borough of Sitka, top, is based on the design of the Franklin Mint commemorative medal, below. The city’s version has the date of the unification of the city and borough.

     Knox said he feels that the image of the cannon on Castle Hill in the foreground pointed at what appears to be a fort across the bay doesn’t represent Sitka today. He talked about historical trauma, intergenerational trauma, and the reconciliation work between Native and non-Native communities that’s taken place over the past few years in Sitka.
    “The change of the seal represents to me and some others a way of representing the reconciliation process we’re going through as a community,” Knox said.
    Eisenbeisz said although the seal has served the community for many years, but “in this instance we have an opportunity to do better and we can do better.”
    The item has been a topic of discussion at several government-to-government meetings with the Sitka Tribe of Alaska, with some at STA expressing a desire to see a new seal.
    Wein and Valorie Nelson said they need more information about costs before deciding to move forward; some commented that savings can be achieved by continuing to use the current seal until it’s time to replace such items as decals and stationery.
    Wein commented that the seal is not just a symbol but a “brand” for the city. “It represents our city in a particular way,” he said. “It needs to be absolutely right. I’d like to see it go out for a vote to have a consensus in the community.”
    Knox and Eisenbeisz agreed to continue fine-tuning the idea for the redesign, including budget and timeline.

Legislative Priorities
    The Assembly spent some time reviewing the list of items on the Legislative priorities, subtracting three proposed items, adding three and revising the priorities.
    Interim City Administrator Hugh Bevan said that for greatest effect on the legislators, the most important item should be at the top, but the others can be in any order.
    Even so, the Assembly debated the order of everything on the list to reflect the most pressing needs. They also acknowledged the scarcity of funding for any projects in the state at this time.
    The list as approved:
    – Funding for Green lake powerhouse renovation (estimated cost $15 million for all three phases).
    – Facilitating the transfer of state uplands and tidelands needed for a seaplane base on Japonski Island.
    – Funding for a new boat haulout and repairs to the Katlian Street seawall.
    – Funding for the Alaska Marine Highway.
    – Funding for schools.
    Items removed from the list included improvements at the Lake and Lincoln streets intersection to include left turn lanes; increasing staffing at the local DMV office; and improving parking at the airport. Members in removing the smaller items commented they wanted legislators and state officials to know Sitka had pressing needs at this time.

Sales Tax Issues
    Chief Finance and Administrative Officer Jay Sweeney asked for clarification on a number of “gray area” sales tax questions.
    By unanimous vote the Assembly upheld the finance department’s interpretation of sales tax code as it applies to gift cards. The finance department said those purchasing gift cards, for such companies as Amazon, Starbucks and Target, should not be charged sales tax when they purchase the card. The purpose of the proposal was to avoid “double taxation,” the finance department said.
    The Assembly rejected the finance department’s interpretation of sales tax related to food containers, condiments and similar items. The debate was whether items such as cups and napkins purchased by a restaurant for customer use without charge, were “a sale of consumable supplies” (subject to sales tax) or “a sale for further resale” (not subject to sales tax). The Assembly decided in effect that such items are not subject to sales tax.
    An item related to the sales tax cap and long-term service and construction contracts was removed from the agenda, and there was no second on the motion to discuss the definition of “resale” and it died for lack of a second.

Other Business
    The Assembly also:
    – reappointed Chris Spivey to the Sitka Planning Commission and Scott Wagner to the Local Emergency Planning Commission.
    – approved a liquor license for Sitka Golf Association, at the Sea Mountain Golf Restaurant and 19th Hole.
    – approved on final reading an ordinance to recognize $142,596 in funds from Sitka Trail Works for the extension to the Sitka Cross Trail.
    – approved on first reading an ordinance for funding the replacement of entry doors at the airport terminal, and also the doors to the Nugget Restaurant inside the terminal.