Dear Editor,
While listening to the Assembly’s heartfelt assessment of outgoing City Manager Mark Gorman I couldn’t avoid the thought that Mr. Gorman is abandoning a sinking ship.
Finance Director Jay Sweeney informed us this winter that the bond for the Blue Lake project is $126,000,000. No part of this can be retired early even though a sixth of it hasn’t been spent. Twenty years of 4% interest on that debt is $100,800,000. If Sitka ever pays off the principal the entire debt will have been in the range of a quarter of a Billion Dollars. This amount seems insurmountable for a town of less than 9,000 people and, regrettably, is not all of Sitka’s debt.
The history of the Blue Lake debacle is characterized by a bait and switch from the City. In 2008 Sitka made an eventually successful grant request for $25,000,000 from the State and Federal government for a hydro project projected to cost $50,000,000. In September 2010 the project was estimated at $85,000,000 (Sitka Sentinel 9/1/10). The day after the advisory vote the then-Finance Director Dave Wolff described the hydro project as costing $100,000,000 (Sentinel 10/6/10). Mayor Matt Hunter and Assembly Members engage in revisionist history when saying voters approved the Blue Lake project. What the Public approved on October 5, 2010 was an Advisory Question for $50,000,000 in electric revenue bonds not one for $126,000,000.
The dam project is a disaster. A fundamental reason for raising the dam was to enable the simultaneous operation of three turbines in periods of peak demand. That won’t happen. Cavitation occurring in the penstock (tunnel feeding water to the turbines) is loosening harmful debris. Normally the penstock would have been lined to prevent this but, due to the expense, Blue Lake’s was not. Already, with only two turbines operating, debris has damaged the equipment. The increased flow required to operate three units would cause catastrophic harm to the system.
Former Mayor Mim McConnell recently stated on KCAW that before the dam expansion, “Sitka was running out of power.” This was not correct. Even then, like the rest of the nation, Sitkans were improving their electrical efficiency which resulted in a 1% decline in household consumption per year. Ms. McConnell also said, “Using … environmentally harmful diesel fuel with our antiquated generators was not a good option…” Ironically, because of warranty requirements, the new generators are using more diesel than the ones they replaced. They are also, being modern, technically temperamental compared to the old equipment.
Goodbye Mark. We will miss you but what Sitka needs is a hard-nosed and experienced crisis manager not a
nice guy. If it’s not too late.
Matt Donohoe
Sitka
SHS Baseball
Dear Editor: Spring is truly in the air when baseball begins. This year, the Sitka High School baseball team started their season with an amazing fish and chips dinner and dessert auction fundraiser to help cover travel and equipment costs for 2017. Of course, fundraisers here in Sitka can’t be done without community support and what a great community we have. The Sitka High baseball team would like to thank the following businesses and volunteers who contributed to this event.
First off, you need a location and support staff. Sitka Elks Lodge #1662 again rolled out the red carpet and opened their doors and staff time for our Sitka youth.
You can’t have a fish dinner without fish, a cook, and oil! Two amazing longtime businesses, Sitka Sound Seafoods and Seafood Producers Cooperative, both donated ALL of the fish for this event. Who better to cook the fish than Master Chefs Austin Inman and Monty Young. Sitka Northern Sales generously donated the oil for the fryer.
Desserts are a big part of the fundraiser and many parents donate their time to make these amazing treats. Who better to showcase and auction off these desserts than Keith Perkins! A special thanks to all that he does for our Sitka youth with his endless hours of umpiring and then donating his time, stories, and charm to be our auctioneer.
These events are truly amazing. The time, energy, and support that goes into these events is what Sitka is all about. I encourage every Sitkan to always take part in these events. It’s all about community, family, and spirit.
Susan Suarez
SHS Baseball Mom
Forest Lands
Dear Editor: I applaud Petersburg’s Borough Assembly for passing a resolution in opposition to Don Young’s bill. I agree with their concerns over state management of forest lands. The state does not have the same protections for salmon streams and forests that the Federal Government has. They also do not have the same degree of solicitation for public comment. Although I do understand frustration with regulations, I also understand that these same regulations allow for public comment and evaluation of all the assets of a forest. These would include subsistence use, stream damage, view shed value, cultural value and many more. In the article Young said “that his bill will not change anything.” And that “you won’t lose any money.” I would disagree. For just one example, losing a salmon run to poor logging practices is a big change and could be a huge loss in economic value. I would also like to state that some things do not have a dollar value.
I just returned from a trip to the lower 48 where I lost count of the National Parks and forests that we visited. Everywhere we went we encountered local people who told us to enjoy the beauty because they worried that the lands would be handed back to their state. They believed that the scenic value would be sacrificed to uncontrolled development. While scenic value of these landscapes is tremendous in terms of dollars from visitation to these communities, the worry I heard expressed was also for their own love of the area. Some of these areas are so beloved that they must be managed for the crowds of people, which leads me to believe that we don’t have enough of these places.
Another example of how this could affect a community can be seen in the way that Ketchikan has had to fight for the view shed right behind their town. They were worried that state land on Deer Mountain would be logged, and the effects that a clear-cut just behind the town would have on their tourism industry.
While it sounds lovely to hand control of public lands back to the people of the area, I am afraid that the short-sighted greed we as a species are imbued with would overcome the other need for wild places. Local political pressures can be huge, but only when a land is managed for all Americans can we hope to preserve the lands which we love and live next door to.
Connie LaPerriere, Sitka
