FISH TO SCHOOLS - Jerick Keith, 13, carries his rockfish taco lunch to a table at Blatchley Middle School Wednesday. The lunch was part of the Fish To Schools program, which is marking its fourteenth year of incorporating wild, local seafoods into Sitka’s school lunches. In an email, the Sitka Conservation Society, which manages the program, thanked Sitka’s fishermen as well as processors, Sitka Sound Seafoods and Seafood Producers Cooperative, for donating to the program and the Sitka School District food services team for cooking the seafood. The next Fish To Schools day for Keet Gooshí Héen Elementary, Xóots Elementary, Blatchley Middle School and Sitka High School will be January 22. (Sentinel Photo)

Boats, Cars Top Sitka's Carbon Emission List
12 Dec 2024 15:36

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    A draft inventory of greenhouse gas emissions in Sitka [ ... ]

Tourism-Related Land Use on Assembly Agenda
12 Dec 2024 15:32

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    A city ordinance on permits for commercial recreation [ ... ]

Recounts Don’t Change Results in Nov. Election
12 Dec 2024 15:29

By ANDREW KITCHENMAN
Alaska Beacon
    A recount of last month’s election concluded Wednesday wit [ ... ]

December 12, 2024, Police Blotter
12 Dec 2024 15:26

Sitka Police received the following calls as of midnight last night.
December 11
A caller said he’d  [ ... ]

December 12, 2024, Community Happenings
12 Dec 2024 15:23

STA to Host
Solstice Event
Sitka Tribe of Alaska invites Tribal households and community friends to we [ ... ]

Sitkans to Tell Tales About Being at Home
11 Dec 2024 15:11

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    A chance airport meeting led to two Sitkans talking a [ ... ]

Holiday Concert to Combine Jazz, Brunch
11 Dec 2024 12:35

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    A holiday concert in which two musicians play Christma [ ... ]

City League Games Heat Up
11 Dec 2024 12:33

By Sentinel Staff
    In a game that remained tied until the closing minutes of overtime play, AKO [ ... ]

Report Card: Arctic Now a Carbon Emitter
11 Dec 2024 12:21

By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
    For millennia, the tundra regions of the Arctic drew in carbon fr [ ... ]

December 11, 2024, Police Blotter
11 Dec 2024 12:18

Police Blotter
Sitka Police received the following calls as of midnight last night.
December 10
At 8:32 [ ... ]

December 11, 2024, Community Happenings
11 Dec 2024 12:15

Sitka Silversmiths
Presentation Held
At National Park
Zach Jones, art historian and the chief of natura [ ... ]

Two Bodies Found Near Boat Sinking
10 Dec 2024 15:43

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Two bodies were recovered from a beach near Hoonah Mo [ ... ]

Assembly Gets Update on SEARHC Project
10 Dec 2024 15:39

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff
    Work is on schedule for the new Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center [ ... ]

Sitka High Musicians In Tune for Concert
10 Dec 2024 15:38

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The audience at Sitka High School’s winter music co [ ... ]

Wearable Arts Sign-Up Gets Down to the Wire
10 Dec 2024 15:35

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    With the sign-up deadline Friday, the Sitka Wearable  [ ... ]

Wolves Compete in Late Season Wrestling Meet
10 Dec 2024 15:31

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    With only a week to go before the Region V tournament [ ... ]

December 10, 2024, Community Happenings
10 Dec 2024 15:13

Blatchley Plans
Winter Concert
Blatchley Middle School’s Winter Concert is to be staged 7 p.m. Tuesd [ ... ]

December 10, 2024, Police Blotter
10 Dec 2024 15:10

Sitka Police received the following calls as of midnight last night.
December 9
At 12:32 a.m. a caller [ ... ]

Sitka Mariner Shows Work Inspired by Work
09 Dec 2024 15:29

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Large linocut prints of working boats plying the water [ ... ]

Corrections Called For At Ex-Peter Pan Plants
09 Dec 2024 15:23

By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
    The company that operated the sprawling but shuttered fish proces [ ... ]

Red Dog Mine Gets OK To Extend Its Operation
09 Dec 2024 15:22

By MAX GRAHAM
Northern Journal
    For years, one of Alaska’s largest mines has steadily depleted [ ... ]

Tribal Group Appeals DEC Permit for Gold Dredging
09 Dec 2024 15:21

By MAX GRAHAM
Northern Journal
    A western Alaska tribal consortium has appealed a key permit fo [ ... ]

December 9, 2024, Police Blotter
09 Dec 2024 15:19

Sitka Police received the following calls as of midnight last night.
December 6
At 6:11 a.m. a caller  [ ... ]

December 9, 2024, Community Happenings
09 Dec 2024 15:18

School District
Policy Panel Meets
The Sitka School District Policy Committee will meet 5 p.m. Wednesd [ ... ]

Other Articles

Daily Sitka Sentinel

Economy Task Force Sees Hope for Sitka

By ARIADNE WILL
Special to the Sentinel

Members of the Sitka Economic Resiliency Task Force discussed the good news and the not-so-good news Tuesday at their regular weekly meeting.

The task force, which represents a range of Sitka business, social and special interest groups, has been meeting weekly since April 21 to work on ways to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on Sitka’s economy.

In her report to the group on Tuesday, Shauna Thornton, representing banking, and Fran Schwuchow, the workforce support representative, suggested that Sitka is doing better than it was at the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schwuchow, who works at Sitka Job Center, said she’s trying to have a positive outlook despite the absence of seasonal work.

“It looks like things are starting to pick back up a little bit,” she said.

Sitka’s unemployment rate reached 13% in early April, which is below national and state averages, Schwuchow said. Alaska cities such as Haines and Skagway have seen unemployment rates surge as tourism-based jobs have fallen through, she said.

Thornton, who is branch manager at First National Bank Alaska, said people are still spending money.

“I’m seeing more applications for new items to purchase than in the last little while that I’ve been here,” she said. 

She added that travel rentals and vacation bookings are “heavily booked” and will be filled as soon as travel mandates are lifted.

“I think that as the mandates are lifted and people start arriving, we’ll see some of our unemployed folks going back to work,” she said.

Thornton said that as it is, people are continuing to pay their mortgages and that landlords are being understanding when renters are unable to make rent.

“I think people are trying to help each other,” she said.

Keith Perkins, who is involved in the single family housing loan program, said the program is busy despite economic drawbacks.

Perkins, representing USDA Rural Development, reported that the program is as busy as it has been in the last three years. Several families are approved or close to being approved and will soon be shopping for a home, he told the task force Tuesday.

The task force is led by Garry White, director of the Sitka Economic Development Association, and holds its meetings over the Zoom videoconferencing platform. During the hourly meetings White gives each member time to report on their sector. This includes reports from meetings members may have held with people in their sector.

In addition to White, Thornton, Schwuchow and Perkins, Tuesday’s Economic Resilience Task Force meeting was attended by Robin Sherman (nonprofits), Cora Dow (youth), Camille Ferguson (tribal economic development), Jay Sweeney (City and Borough of Sitka), John Holst (education) and Dirk White (White’s Pharmacy).

The subject of how the city will use its share of federal CARES Act funding was again discussed.

On that issue, there is overlap between the economic resiliency group and the “working group” the Assembly has set up to recommend uses of the $14 million the city will receive from the CARES Act program. The Assembly will make the final decisions.

In their Tuesday discussion, members of the Economic Resiliency Task Force suggested having the CARES Act used to hire more public safety first responders.

Task force members also expressed interest in forming a pool of money to help small businesses and nonprofits, which includes community services like childcare.

Independent of the task force, the Assembly is already in the process of committing $4.5 million of CARES Act funds for subsidies on Sitkans’ utility and moorage bills.

Sweeney said the city working group, of which he is also a member, has discussed using CARES Act to mitigate economic strain on city finances.

“We’re due to lose a substantial amount of revenue,” he said, in reference to the coronavirus pandemic. One reason for the loss is the sales tax lost from a curtailed tourist season. Another is the loss of school bond debt reimbursement from the state.

“We’re poised to lose another $3 million from the State of Alaska,” Sweeney said.

Robin Sherman said Sitka’s nonprofit sector will be able to help the town recover from the pandemic downturn in the economy. 

She said the more than two dozen nonprofits she meets with are eager to help with Sitka’s current – and difficult – economic situation.

“Nonprofits shared challenges they’re facing, shared their contribution to the local economy and now they’re going to help the whole community recover,” she said.

The task force also acknowledged the connection between nonprofits and small businesses, which provide financial support to local nonprofits.

“I get nervous about small businesses because they really have been givers,” said Perkins. 

Perkins said the closures of small businesses affect Sitka “across the board.” He said he believes Sitka is resilient, but that the city will need to find creative ways to support small businesses.

“I already know of three businesses who have folded up their tents and said, ‘We’re done,’” Perkins told the task force.

Keeping money in the community was also a topic discussed at the Tuesday meeting.

Camille Ferguson, manager of Sitka Tribal Enterprises, spoke of CARES Act money that has been allocated to the Sitka Tribe of Alaska and to Sitka Tribal Enterprises.

“A lot of that money will be staying in the community of Sitka and will be filtered through the community, so that’s good news,” Ferguson said.

She said she and STA manager Lisa Gassman, another member of the task force, talked about making grants to nonprofits and Native-owned businesses.

Ferguson said she also wants to explore ideas such as a commercial garden, which would keep money in the local economy and would minimize food costs for people purchasing locally grown produce. 

More information about SERTF can be found at sitka.net/sitka-economic-resilience-task-force.

 

You have no rights to post comments

Login Form

 

20 YEARS AGO

December 2004

Photo caption: Dave Dapcevich receives the Girl Scouts Business Donor of the Year plaque from Tongass Alaska Girl Scouts members April Jensen and Kay McCarty. Dapcevich Accounting donates money collected in a client project to youth programs.

50 YEARS AGO

December 1974

Sitka High School has announced the names of students who made 4.00 grade point averages for the quarter: seniors Mary Christoffel, Louise Dennard, Roger Hames, Helen Hannigan, Roxanne McGraw, Peter Munro, Teresa Redston, Christy Roth, Pam Stromme, Gayle Swain and Jack Turner.

Calendar

Local Events

Instagram

Daily Sitka Sentinel on Instagram!

Facebook

Daily Sitka Sentinel on Facebook!