By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The prospective sale of the former Sitka Community Hospital building, a resolution on COVID prevention, and a request for proposals for 17 acres of city property on Halibut Point Road are among the items up for consideration at Tuesday’s Assembly meeting.
Also on the agenda are an update on city CARES Act funds, grants for nonprofits, and a resolution to re-establish the climate action task force. The Assembly also will consider liquor license renewals and a commission appointment.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. and will take place via Zoom, due to the uptick in COVID cases over the past week, said Mayor Steven Eisenbeisz.
Remote attendance is available through the city’s YouTube channel and the city website. Those wishing to testify on an issue by phone should contact the city clerk’s office by 4 p.m. Tuesday, at 747-1826.
City Administrator John Leach, City Clerk Sara Peterson, City Attorney Brian Hanson and Assembly member Kevin Mosher will attend in-person at Harrigan Centennial Hall, said Peterson. Other members will attend via Zoom, in an effort to reduce the number of people in the building, Peterson said. Members of the public who want to attend in person are asked to wear a mask if they can’t maintain a six-foot distance from others in the building.
The agenda item for the community hospital building, now used for SEARHC long-term care, primary and urgent care, and physical therapy, is at the end of the meeting. SEARHC has approached the city to purchase the land, building and all other improvements at 209 Moller Drive, 202 and 204 Brady Street and 302 Gavan Street.
“As these services grow, the facility needs significant upgrades, requiring investment and future planning, and remediation of contamination and safety hazards,” said Charles Clement, SEARHC president and chief executive officer. “This level of investment will only be feasible with ownership of the facility.”
Clement said the expansion project planned on Japonski Island also will require a number of services and staff to move to the SCH facility. He added: “The SCH facility’s ownership would allow positions to remain in Sitka instead of moving to other locations throughout the region.”
Leach is asking for direction on the questions of whether the Assembly wants to keep or sell the property; whether it will be a competitive or noncompetitive sale; and whether to have an advisory vote at a special election or the regular 2021 election to sell the land.
Sitka General Code says “Upon sale or disposal of real property valued over $5 million, or upon lease of real property, including tidelands, of a value of more than $7.5 million, the ordinance authorizing the sale, lease, or disposition may provide that the ordinance receive an advisory vote at a general or special election.”
Leach says city staff needs direction on three main points: does the Assembly want to dispose of the property through a sale; does the Assembly desire a waiver of competitive bidding for a sale; and if a sale is desired, does the Assembly want to authorize the sale through an advisory vote at a general or special election.
On another item, the municipal grant awards for the fiscal year 2021 nonprofit grants from the general fund is not related to the city CARES Act funds for nonprofits. The item was postponed from the September 24 special Assembly meeting.
Eight organizations have applied for funds in the categories of human services, cultural and educational services, and community development. The motion to postpone came after a few members asked about the amounts received by the organizations in city CARES Act funds.
One ordinance up for consideration on first reading would change a section of the general code related to “standing committees.” The Assembly also will take up a resolution to re-establish a climate action task force to “advise the Assembly on methods for planning and mitigating the impacts of climate change.”
Another item on the Assembly’s Tuesday agenda will be a resolution, co-sponsored by Thor Christianson and Kevin Mosher, to encourage Sitkans to take advantage of COVID tests at the airport and continue other prevention efforts, in order to keep schools open.
“The idea is trying to keep the numbers low,” Christianson said today, noting the resolution was written before the most recent uptick in cases. “This is what we can do to help keep the schools open and keep the businesses open ... if it gets worse and worse and worse, it’s going to be taken out of our hands, and we will have more extreme measures.”
The resolved section strongly encourages testing at the airport for those returning from within or out of the state; isolate until test results are received; and social distancing until the second result is received. Other recommendations include wearing masks indoors, in public settings and communal spaces outside the home; avoiding large gatherings and reducing interactions with non-household members.
“Since this is a resolution, without the effect of law, it is unenforceable,” the resolution says. “The citizens are respectfully requested to comply with this resolution. Additionally, failure to comply with this resolution does not create grounds for a person to harass another person who does not comply with this resolution.”
In other action Tuesday, the administrator is also looking for direction about a draft request for proposals for the No Name Mountain/Granite Creek area, some 17 acres of city-owned waterfront property at 4951 Halibut Point Road. Planning Director Amy Ainslie said there has been continued interest from the private sector in developing the property but the RFP is intentionally broad.
“We’re leaving the RFP open in terms of what the market would want to potentially use the property for,” Ainslie said. A consultant study recommended the land be used for high-end residential, or recreational tourism.
At the outset of the meeting are a proclamation for Veterans Day, which is Wednesday, and a citation to recognize Elaine Strelow. The citation notes her work on the Sitka Salmon Derby, the Sitka Historical Society, the Chamber of Commerce and Alaska Historical Society, as examples of her volunteer efforts.
Also at the top of the agenda are requests for liquor license renewals for the Elks Lodge, Pioneer Bar and Pioneer Liquor; and a motion to reappoint Doug Osborne to the Health Needs and Human Services Commission.
