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
Assembly’s OK Sought On Peratrovich Bench
By ARIADNE WILL
Sentinel Staff Writer
Creation of a funding and maintenance agreement for a cedar bench honoring Alaska civil rights leader Elizabeth Wannamaker Peratrovich was discussed by the Assembly Thursday.
The discussion was a continuation of Tuesday’s regular meeting, which concluded without adjournment after four and a half hours, with some of the agenda not yet considered.
The bench is a project spearheaded by the Birds and Benches Work Group, which is affiliated with the Sitka Decolonization Dialogue. The group proposes placement of the handmade bench in front of Centennial Hall, near the spot where the statue of Russian America Company manager Alexander Baranof once stood. The city Parks and Recreation Committee and Historic Preservation Commission have given their approval for the plan.
The remaining steps are the negotiation of an agreement between the city and the work group, and obtaining Assembly approval of the location.
City Administrator John Leach said he thought it would be best to first create a funding and maintenance agreement, and agree to a location for the bench at a later date.
The bench has already been built and is ready for installation as soon as approval is received.
Assembly members asked city staff to research the cost of maintaining the bench, and indicated they wouldn’t like to see much city money put into it.
Leach said the maintenance costs shouldn’t be much, but that fixing vandalism would be more expensive. He added that vandalism should be dealt with as soon as it’s caught.
Leach also expressed concern about the Birds and Benches Work Group’s desire to link the bench to a QR code. Leach said inclusion of a digital link leading to an external website could pose a security risk, and that the city would have no control over what would be posted to the linked web address. This was of a concern because the bench will be placed on city-owned land.
Assembly members proposed talking more with the Birds and Benches Work Group.
Valorie Nelson said she was concerned the bench might cause division in the community similar to the division she perceived when the Assembly was discussing removal of the Baranof statue to the Sitka Historical Museum.
Crystal Duncan said she’s grateful for a bench that will also serve as an opportunity to have conversations about Elizabeth Peratrovich and about healing, and Kevin Knox agreed.
“Elizabeth Peratrovich raised a lot of people up,” Knox said. “I think that’s an important person for us to look to to continue healing in our community.”
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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.