Industrial Park Issue
Dear Editor: Tonight the Assembly is being asked to approve the sale of several acres of property at the Gary Paxton Industrial Park to Silver Bay Seafoods. Following is a note I sent to Assembly members expressing some thoughts about the sale.
Dear Sitka Assembly members: I am writing to urge you to table Resolution 15-05, regarding the sale of land to Silver Bay Seafoods. I think it would be wise to postpone any sale of land until the design and use plan for the multi-purpose dock is completed. The $7,500,000 dock will create many new possibilities for the entire industrial park, so this proposed sale is premature.
I also think that the sales contract with Silver Bay Seafoods needs some more work:
Gary Paxton Industrial Park’s Strategic Plan lists the following as its first and second “Guiding Principals”:
1) Always preserve public access and marshalling areas to the waterfront as it is the most commercially viable waterfront left in Sitka.
2) Make lease, buy/sell or other land use decisions based on the mission of the park- to create family wage jobs for Sitkans in a financially responsible manner.
A glance at the map will show that the sale will severely reduce public access and marshalling areas to the waterfront.
Furthermore, the sale contract you are being asked to approve tonight contains no performance benchmarks – it enacts an outright sale, to close “within 30 days of the execution of this agreement” – there is no assurance that a single job will result from this sale.
GPIP is a publicly owned, non-renewable resource which has received millions of dollars of public investment- please manage it conservatively, and insure that the public receives the benefit for its investment.
Thank you for your time!
Michael Litman, Sitka
Benefit Thanks
Dear Editor: On Sunday night the Elks held a fundraiser to benefit Kirk and Marlene Van Winkle. I want to personally thank so many who came together to make this happen.
The silent auction was a huge success! First to Mark Daum, thanks for coming up with the suggestion, visiting the many merchants and picking up all of the donations and going out of your way to help make the Elks available for the fundraiser. To the Calhoun cook crew with the Austin Inman famous chicken fried steaks, you all did an outstanding job. To the Emblem Club, you ladies are amazing, the set up was fabulous. To Dave Miller, sore throat and all you are by far Sitka’s best auctioneer. To John and the entire wait staff and awesome bartenders a very big thank you!
To the Sitka High basketball team, thanks for helping serve and clean up, you rock! To all of the many Sitka bakers out there, thank you for making and donating all of the delicious desserts that were auctioned off. Thank you to the generous merchants and individuals who donated items, for without them it wouldn’t have been possible to have a silent auction!
They are as follows: the West Mark Sitka, Sitka Sound Seafoods, Pure Romance, Murray Pacific, Gold Canyon Candle, Foreign Automotive, Aurora Business Supply, the Odom Corporation, Spenard Builders Supply, Ben Franklin, Stereo North Furniture and Appliances, Orion Sporting Goods, Van Winkle and Sons, the Celler, Sitka True Value, Allen Marine Tours, Coliseum Theaters, Harry Race Photo and Pharmacy, Goldsmith Gallery, Brenner’s Fine Clothing and Gifts, Salon 264, Silver Basin, Subway, Happy Ending Tattoos, Food Services of America, AC Lakeside, Sea Mart Quality Foods, John and Sharon Ferrick, and the ever-generous Ted Buckmaster for the many amazing photographs.
Most importantly, a very big thank you to all of the people who showed up, brought your pocketbooks and donated so heavily. To Kelly Body, Leah Rose and Paige Bernhardt, thank you ladies for being so giving and volunteering your time.
I am truly grateful that I live in a community where neighbors, friends and new comers show up and support charitable events and contribute so generously.
Suzanne Jasso, Sitka
Suicide Intervention
Dear Editor: Suicide is not an easy topic, but a vitally important one that continues to impact lives throughout Alaska, including here in Sitka. If someone disclosed to us that they felt suicidal, many of us would feel at a loss as to what to do or say. If someone was exhibiting the warning signs of suicide, would we even recognize it, and again, what would we say? These skills, this information and more, will be presented this week at the “Gatekeeper: Alaska Suicide Prevention and Intervention Training: The QPR Approach,” Thursday, Jan. 29, from 7-9 pm at the Matsoutoff Room at Harrigan Centennial Hall. Sarah Twaddle from NorthStar Behavioral Health in Anchorage will provide this 2-hour, free to the public training that uses the “QPR method,” which stands for “Question, Persuade and Refer” developed by Paul Quinnett. Though mental health professionals are welcome to attend, this training is targeted for parents, friends, teachers, clergy and church elders, health care workers, and others, which translates to everyone in Sitka. We hope you take advantage of this opportunity, which is sponsored by the State of Alaska, NorthStar Behavioral Health, Trust Training Cooperative and the Rotary Club of Sitka.
Kari Lundgren, President
Rotary Club of Sitka
Thank You
Dear Editor: Recently Sitkans have experienced extraordinary January rainfall – it is the perfect time for students to learn more about the water that is such a central part of their lives in Sitka!
Our Science Saturday event was a celebration of water and the life that depends upon it. With exhibits by the Sitka High National Honor Society, the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, the Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center, Sitka Conservation Society and 4-H, science teacher Julie Jordan, the Sitka Sound Science Center, SEARHC, UAS Fish Tech and Biology Departments, and the Sitka Tribe, as well as Starlab planetarium shows presented by teachers Jack Davis (MEHS) and Bridgette Whitcomb (BMS), this year’s event was one of the best ever.
A special thank you this year goes to Ashley Bolwerk at the Sitka Sound Science Center for co-organizing the event – her efforts to reach out to local scientists, organizations and agencies cannot be overstated!
We’ll plan to hold this event again next January with a variety of new and returning exhibits. Anyone wishing to exhibit is encouraged to contact us in the meantime. Stay dry, Sitka!
Rebecca Himschoot
