Ryan Kauffman Fund
Dear Editor: The Ryan Kauffman Memorial Fund was established in memory of the late Ryan Kauffman, with a focus on helping middle school students in the Sitka School District. This fund will help underprivileged students thrive by facilitating their participation in scholastic and extracurricular activities they cannot afford.
Ryan was a beloved member of the Sitka community and former Sitka School District employee. He is remembered for his boundless generosity and his sweet sense of humor, but where he truly excelled was in his interactions with Sitka youths.
Ryan had a rare magic and approachability that kids of all ages were drawn to. He simply believed in kids without judgment; in return, he gained their trust and respect. Ryan worked in various capacities to mentor youths with Sitka Schools during his 15 years in Sitka, most notably his 10-year dedication to tobacco prevention and cessation.
Ryan connected with students of all backgrounds, but he was exceptional at identifying students with life stressors that needed additional support. He recognized the potential in these students and supported them in reaching their goals. His genuine commitment to these students had a profound impact on their lives.
Ryan mentored innumerable youths during his all-too-brief life in Sitka. Please consider donating to this annual scholarship fund in Ryan’s memory: https://alaskacf.org/blog/funds/ryan-kauffman-memorial-fund/
For more information, contact Kristen Green at kristengreen84@gmail.com.
Kristen Green
Pride
Dear Editor: Over this past weekend, I traveled with my wife and most of her family to attend the graduation of our niece, Paige Reissmann, from Sitka High School. We had a wonderful weekend celebrating with Paige and with each other. After all, as cliché as it sounds, no child completes high school on their own.
As a veteran teacher of almost 30 years, I have participated in my fair share of graduation ceremonies. I enjoyed the ceremony for Sitka High’s class of 2019, with its mix of entertaining nostalgia and recognition of accomplishments creating the well-earned emotional roller coaster for everyone involved. I wanted to point out a particularly poignant moment for me.
There was an older gentleman sitting in the row in front of me a few seats to my left wearing a Vietnam Veterans baseball cap. When the three students chosen to address the crowd in their native Tlingit language began to speak, this gentleman sat up a little straighter. As he listened, I could sense that he was trying to telepathically help the students get through the difficult parts. I saw numerous little smiles dance across his lips as his Native language produced humor for those that understood. Finally, as his chest swelled with pride, I noticed a misty-eyed look of accomplishment and validation radiating from his face for his grandchild and his culture.
The weekend of celebration with family will never be forgotten. Neither will the moment of soulful honor shared by an anonymous grandfather.
Rick Melcher, Colby, Wisconsin
SSMF Hall Rehab
Dear Editor: The Sitka Summer Music Festival is planning a $3.7 million rehabilitation of Stevenson Hall, on the Sheldon Jackson School National Historic Landmark, a huge benefit to our community.
However, the plan includes removing all the building’s windows and putting in Andersen A-Series replacements. I’m a fan of the Festival and have experience in historic preservation, so I would like to share why experts, from the National Park Service to the state preservation office to local preservationists, all recommend keeping historic windows. Documents and references are at historicpreservationsitka.wordpress.com.
A 2004 Historic Preservation Plan lists the windows, which comprise nearly half the surface of the building, as a defining feature.
The replacement windows’ exteriors, including the entire frame assembly, are molded plastic; the dividers are fake; trim is changed; and they install flush with the outside wall, so they look flat. The changes to the window opening and trim necessitated by replacement mean it is hard or impossible to go back.
Adding interior storm windows provides essentially the same comfort, energy efficiency, acoustics, humidity control, and protection of priceless musical instruments as replacing the whole window. There is no noticeable difference in performance. Allen Hall, which has interior storm windows, is extremely energy efficient.
The windows on the campus are over 100 years old, and other than Allen Hall, have never been rebuilt, and received little maintenance. Still they are in fair condition and can be restored.
Dozens of windows on the neighboring buildings have now been thoroughly, beautifully, and safely restored by using a steam box to strip down the wood, making repairs, and refinishing. When repaired properly they take no more maintenance than wood siding and are good for the next century.
Replacement windows don’t last: expect at most 35 years before you need to replace them again. However, many fail well before then, and the entire unit has to be thrown away. The Festival has estimated the difference in cost between restoring and replacing at $28,000. (Restoration is labor intensive, at about 50 hours for the largest ones, but the cost is nearly matched by the cost of the replacements and labor. Replacing windows requires changing framing and trim. It is not simple.) Restoration should be looked at as a long-term investment, saving beauty and character - and saving the cost of replacing the replacements.
Stevenson Hall also has mandatory plat notes requiring work be done to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. A covenant from a grant to the Festival also has this requirement. In January 2019 the Alaska State Historic Preservation Officer determined that replacing the windows does not meet the Secretary’s Standards and would put the Festival out of compliance with their covenant and their plat notes.
Restoring windows saves architecture and history, is cost effective, longer lasting, better looking, and greener: modern interior storm windows provide essentially the same performance as replacements, at less cost to the environment.
I hope the Sitka Summer Music Festival will research historic preservation technology, and I’m sure they will also come to the conclusion that restoration is the responsible, long-term option for a legacy the Festival can be proud of.
Rebecca Poulson, Sitka
Stevenson Hall Remodel
Dear Editor: The Sitka Summer Music Festival is thrilled to begin a full rehabilitation of Stevenson Hall this August, with the goal of completing work by May 2020. A permanent home on the Sheldon Jackson campus has been a dream for nearly 50 years, and since the 2010 building purchase, we have invested in foundation repairs, abating hazardous materials, and replacing the roof to match others on campus. We have raised nearly $4M – with only $250,000 left to reach our total goal – and hired local contractor Hard Rock Construction to complete our comprehensive and historically respectful renovation.
Our renovation extolls the campus’s history and character and prepares for the next 100 years by expanding the number of residential suites, meeting American Disabilities Act standards, upgrading common spaces, and adding two rehearsal rooms. Our design maximizes energy efficiency and occupant comfort to expand programming beyond the summer, making Sitka a year-round destination for world class musicians. The design complies with all life-safety codes and ensures long-term durability. Indeed, Stevenson Hall will be a modern building that retains its signature historic character.
Our building committee, long-time Sitkans with diverse experience and a collective commitment to the community and campus, has spent five years developing the plan and conferring with historic architects, the Alaska State Historic Preservation Office, National Park Service, and local planning, zoning and building departments. We are preserving the outward appearance by matching all exterior siding and trim details with the original and restoring to original several distinctive exterior elements. We worked with code officials to preserve the interior open stairway. The modest addition and bay window were deemed by SHPO as “not out of character” with campus architectural style.
After thorough consideration, we have chosen to replace the badly deteriorated windows with high-end fiberglass-clad, wood-composite windows that emulate the look of the original units. Criteria used to support this decision include:
• Budget: Estimates to refurbish windows and install inserts rose to nearly $5,000 per unit.
• Operational costs: Existing windows would continue to be a maintenance liability. Fully refurbished in 2005, they are again badly deteriorated - a 10-15 year restoration cycle does not lower operational costs.
• Acoustics: New double-paned windows greatly reduce street noise to improve the musical experience for artists and the public.
• Instrument protection: We periodically house instruments worth several million dollars. New windows contribute to consistent climate control.
• Donor requests: Major donors agree that window replacement is the best choice.
This project complies with city, state, and federal laws. Property plat notes reference federal guidelines that are non-mandatory, as stated in the guidelines and confirmed by both State and Federal historic preservation personnel. All covenant requirements, which expire October 2019, have been met.
We wholeheartedly believe these plans help us balance reverence for the past with anticipation for the future, and allow us to create a year-round center for world-class music in Sitka.
Sitka Summer Music Festival Board,
Building Committee, and Staff:
Don Lehmann, Mary Hames, Anne Gore, Dirk White, Nancy Barge, Sharon Davies, Dan Jones, Petra Illig, Jim Steffen, Marcel LaPerriere, Don Surgeon, Paul Cotter, Zuill Bailey, and Kayla Boettcher
Quilt Show
Dear Editor: After 37 years with thousands of quilts shown at the Ocean Wave Quilt Guild, never have there been any repeats. The annual May quilt show has just closed after two weeks of being displayed at Whitmore Hall on the historic Sheldon Jackson campus.
Elaine Steinbach won two ribbons for her beautiful red-and-white pineapple quilt. Best of show in the large category and best theme quilt.
Alice Cameron was winner in the medium-size category with her artfully painted and quilted bird quilt.
Gerry von Rekowski received the prize in the small category for the picture of her grandchildren walking away, holding hands.
The Mother’s Day tea party is looked forward to and was attended by many. The guild wishes to thank all the members who helped with the many jobs that make the show possible. Mostly the guild wishes to thank the wonderful Fine Arts Camp for allowing us the use of the entire ground floor of Whitmore Hall. It is such an inviting setting with quilts on the dorm beds and hanging on the walls.
Janine Holzman, Megan Pasternak
Ocean Wave Quilt Guild
