By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Sitka Legacy Foundation announced its annual charitable grant awards and the Sitka Marine Heritage Society reported on its Japonski Island boathouse project Wednesday at the weekly Sitka Chamber of Commerce meeting.
Listing the 13 nonprofits that received the foundation’s $16,045 in grant funding, legacy foundation program manager Robin Sherman said, “We’re here to fund community projects and support Sitka’s nonprofits.” Details of the awards were reported in the Sentinel’s Wednesday issue.
Sitka Maritime Heritage Society Director Laura Bennett and board secretary Brinnen Carter spoke to the Chamber about the ongoing restoration work at the society’s Japonski boathouse and the long-term plans for use of the building.
The boathouse is the only intact wooden structure on the Sitka Naval Operating Base and U.S. Army Coastal Defenses National Historic Landmark, and one of the very few buildings remaining in Sitka that is essentially unchanged from how it was in World War II, Bennett said.
She said her nonprofit organization’s goal is “to preserve the maritime heritage of Sitka and share it with the public, with a focus on youth.”
Built during World War II to maintain and repair the wooden harbor vessels used by the Sitka Naval Operations Base, the boathouse was in poor condition by 2005 when the newly formed Sitka Maritime Heritage Society arranged for the state to transfer the land to the City and Borough of Sitka, which in turn leased it to the SMHS for the preservation project.
Bennett said the SMHS plans to use the renovated boathouse as a museum and classroom, which will “function as the first and only maritime heritage center in Sitka and Southeast Alaska.” She noted that similar projects have taken place in other communities, notably Port Townsend, Washington.
Carter, who is chief of resources at Sitka National Historical Park, added that when renovating and restoring an old and historic structure, the key priorities had to be a “firm foundation, you want to have an excellent roof, and then you want to address the exterior envelope of the building and eventually get to restoring the interior.”
The speakers showed a Power Point presentation showing the restoration under way at boathouse, where society members are doing much of the hands-on work themselves.
Bennett said the nonprofit’s goal, once the museum and classroom spaces are up and running, is for youth engagement in maritime pursuits.
Information about the project and other activities of the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society and Sitka’s World War II history can be found at www.sitkamaritime.org.
