Preschoolers
Get Craft Bags
Sitka Public Library will offer a weekly Grab & Go bag program during April with free crafts for preschoolers.
Bags will be ready on April 3, 10, 17 and 24 and participants can pick them up anytime during the week. Craft projects are best for children ages 2 to 5. Registration is required and space is limited. Call 747-4020 to register beginning March 28.
STA Offers
CARES Act
Assistance
Sitka Tribe of Alaska is offering Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act need-based assistance for tribal citizens and Alaska Native or American Indian Sitka community households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The assistance available is $500 per household paid directly to a vendor to cover the mortgage, rent, utilities, heating fuel, or boat moorage costs. Invoice verification is required and must be submitted with the application.
The funding also will assist those experiencing homelessness with temporary shelter. This type of aid has a separate application, which will be accepted until July 31. To complete the on-line application, see the link on the STA website: http://www.sitkatribe.org CARES Act Application Assistance. Individuals should take a previous or current invoice/bill (oil, utilities, rent, moorage, mortgage) to 456 Katlian Street for social services with a contact phone number on it. The organization will call and complete the on-line application over the phone.
Those with questions or needing assistance email Cares@SitkaTribe-nsn.gov or call STA Social Services Department at 747-7293.
Youth Program
Seeks Applicants
The Rotary Youth Leadership Academy is taking applications for its April event.
The intensive leadership experience is to help high school students develop skills as leaders while having fun and making connections with other youths from around Alaska. The program usually involves travel to one of Alaska’s larger cities for a multiday gathering, but due to COVID-19 limitations, this year’s program will take place via Zoom.
It is open to high school sophomores and juniors seeking to build communication and problem-solving skills; discover strategies for becoming a dynamic leader; learn from community leaders, inspirational speakers, and peer mentors; unlock the potential to turn motivation into action; and have fun and form lasting friendships.
Training is set via Zoom 7-8:30 p.m. April 15 and 16; and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. April 17.
Those interested may contact Sitka Rotary Club President Catherine Rogers at crogers2e@gmail.com no later than March 30.
To see a presentation about what RYLA entails go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/dO-BhZHT5CqoK9zfD2OIk2ddSRX8V5f3EXGZimK3uMNfQQl1i73udO2Jm5_3I1du.MpVkis0-.
Scholarship Set
The Juneau Community Foundation and the Brady family of Skagway have announced the Margaret Frans Brady Fund will make available up to $10,000 in scholarship funding this year for qualifying area students who are pursuing artistic excellence.
Application materials must be received by April 25. Forms are available via a link on the Juneau Community Foundation website at http://juneaucf.org/index.php/fund-mf-brady/.
Scholarships are considered for all students pursuing creative arts including writing, music, visual and performance arts. These scholarships include grants to help artists attend arts camps, schools, colleges, symposiums, or conferences.
The scholarship committee will make recommendations and announce recipients by early May.
For more information, contact Jeff Brady, MFB Scholarship Committee Chair, at wjbradyak@me.com or 907-983-3188.
Radar Outage
Planned April 7
The PACG WSR-88D radar in Sitka, operated by NOAA’s National Weather Service and the Federal Aviation Administration, will be down for approximately two weeks beginning April 7 for an upgrade.
Technicians will refurbish and replace the pedestal, one of the most critical components of the radar, which is necessary for antenna rotation and positioning to capture data in all directions, NOAA said. The components are heavy and will require the radome to be removed by crane and replaced when the work is completed.
The radar and pedestal were designed to last 25 years, and this radar has exceeded its lifespan, NOAA said. The replacement is necessary to keep the radar functioning for another 20 years or more.
The pedestal refurbishment is the third major project of the NEXRAD Service Life Extension Program, a series of upgrades to keep the nation’s radars viable into the 2030s. NOAA’s National Weather Service, the United States Air Force, and the Federal Aviation Administration are investing $135 million in the eight-year program. The first project was the installation of the new signal processor and the second project was the refurbishment of the transmitter.
The fourth project will be the refurbishment of the equipment shelters. The Service Life Extension Program will be complete in 2023.
The PACG WSR-88D is part of a network of 159 operational radars. The Radar Operations Center in Norman, Oklahoma, provides lifecycle management and support for all WSR-88Ds.
The National Weather Service in Juneau can be found online at www.weather.gov/Juneau and on the social media platforms of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Sitka Hospital
Town Hall Set
The Assembly will host a town hall discussion March 30 on the sale of the former Sitka Community Hospital building and surrounding property. It is set 6-8:30 p.m. at Centennial Hall.
The facilitated meeting will include the opportunity for residents to provide opinions on the most important factors the Assembly should consider as they look for sale options.
Call 747-1812 with questions. The meeting also will be available via Zoom.
Holy Week, Easter
Services at St. Peter’s
St. Peter’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church will hold Holy Week and Easter services on Zoom.
–March 28, Palm Sunday service at 10 a.m.;
–March 31, Wednesday in Holy Week Prayer Service noon;
–April 1, Maundy Thursday Service at noon;
–April 2, Good Friday service at noon;
–April 3, Holy Saturday service at 9 a.m.;
–April 4, Easter Sunday services at 6 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Email the church for Zoom log-on information at stpetersbytheseak@gmail.com.
Fertilizer Free
The grounds crew at St. Michael’s Cathedral is offering excess fertilizer for free on a first-come, first-served basis. Takers are asked to have their own containers. For inquiries or to make pickup arrangements, contact lead groundskeeper Jennifer Young at 738-4411.
F/V Drill Conductor
Training in Sitka
The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association will offer a fishing vessel drill conductor class 7 p.m. April 9 at NSRAA, 1308 Sawmill Creek Road.
The cost is $125 for commercial fishermen and $185 for others. Mariners may register online at www.amsea.org or call 747-3287.
Instructor Jerry Dzugan will cover cold-water survival skills; EPIRBs, signal flares, and mayday calls; man-overboard recovery; firefighting; flooding and damage control; dewatering pumps, immersion suits and PFDs; and helicopter rescue, life rafts, abandon ship procedures and emergency drills.
Workshops meet the U.S. Coast Guard training requirements for drill conductors on commercial fishing vessels, 46 CFR 28.270 (c).
