Sawmill Creek Farm
Dear Editor: Over a year ago I took a walk at the abandoned farm site and was shocked how much had not been done to clean it up. Last summer I went to a board meeting of the Gary Paxton Industrial Park to find out why it was in that condition. An explanation was given so I was happy to read in the minutes of May 6, 2019, that ‘‘The Sawmill Creek Farm site has been cleaned up.’’
Sunday was such a beautiful day that I went back for a walk to see the improvement. Some abandoned containers and equipment were gone but what I saw shocked me again. There are still two empty shipping containers, rotten plywood, tangles of industrial fishing rope and nets, insulation foam, Timothy-grass forage bags, plastic spinach and romaine lettuce containers and labels, a partial fuel tank, a thermometer, tin roofing material, beer cans, large black bags perhaps full of bedding material and the worst of all, animal bones. Also, as a topping on the cake, there’s an abandoned pickup with a camper cab that had been lived in with clothing and old food stuff scattered around their campfire. Why is this situation not remedied yet? Sitka is a paradise and with some muscle and elbow grease this site could be returned to its natural state.
Rebecca Osborn, Sitka
Thanks to Holland America
Dear Editor: The end of the cruise season has arrived. Those of us who work or shop downtown will, no doubt, be grateful that we will no longer be delayed by visitors who are taking pictures from the middle of the crosswalks. With that said, there is no denying we will miss the financial benefits of having thousands of guests in our town each week.
Like all of the City and Borough of Sitka, Sitka High School benefits from tourists’ tax dollars, but we are also grateful for the direct support we receive from Holland America. In the last year, Holland America has continued to sustain the SHS Holiday Shootout and has awarded $16,000 in scholarships to our graduates. They have been guest speakers in our classrooms and have helped our students understand how business, industry and local governments can work together to build economies. In addition, they provide support to Region V athletics and help insure students throughout Southeast are able to participate in extracurricular activities.
This year, Holland America collaborated with SHS to offer a wonderful Freshman Orientation experience on board the Oosterdam where they provided, lunch, information and a glimpse into the cruise industry for our students. The luncheon, served in one of the formal dining rooms, was clearly designed to help students recognize that they had crossed an invisible threshold toward adulthood.
Port Manager Fred Reeder delivered an eloquent but direct message to our students about the characteristics that embody success in every profession. Cruise staff then led the students on a tour of the ship shared background information about their own career paths and what they enjoyed most about their current jobs. Unfortunately, our own time constraints left the students wishing they had time to hear more, always a desirable outcome.
I would like to thank Holland America, again, for their kindness, generosity and continuing support our students.
Laura Rogers, Principal,
Sitka High School
