Utility Subsidies
Offered to Sitkans
The city Assembly on Sept. 24 voted to allocate $1 million to a second phase of residential utility subsidies.
The second phase of the CARES Act Utility program differs from the first in that the Assembly has directed that this support be used for only residential account holders.
In addition, the city said in a news release, this round of funding is not set at a specific amount, instead a total of $1 million will be evenly divided among all approved applications.
In order to expand eligibility, the criteria for having an open account has changed from being open by March 15 to July 1 of this year.
Those who applied for and received a residential subsidy in the first round program do not need to apply again for phase 2. It will be automatically applied to the account.
For this round of utility subsidies, residents must apply online at www.cityofsitka.org by Oct. 16.
Guidelines and FAQ are available at www.cityofsitka.org.
Willamette University,
UAS Partner in Law
Career Pathway
The University of Alaska Southeast has forged a partnership with Willamette University College of Law, Salem, Oregon, to provide an opportunity for UAS students to pursue a career in law.
“This partnership creates an incredible opportunity for our UAS students and alumni to articulate into the Willamette School of Law,’’ said Dr. Maren Haavig, interim vice provost at UAS. ‘‘By working with both schools’ advisers, our students interested in a career in law will have a clear pathway to achieving their goal.”
The 4+3 Direct Admission Program allows undergraduate students studying at UAS and UAS alumni to gain admission to Willamette University College of Law based on certain academic credentials. When a student meets the credentials, they will be admitted and guaranteed a Direct Admission Scholarship of $10,000, renewable each year the student is enrolled at the law school and remains in good standing.
The partnership idea came from Bruce Botelho, former Juneau mayor and community adviser to UAS.
“Willamette University College of Law has trained generations of Alaskan attorneys who have served their state with distinction,’’ Botelho said. ‘‘Cementing this long-term relationship between WUCL and Alaska through the direct admission program at UAS will ensure the continuing development of legal professionals with deep ties to our region.”
Students with a serious interest in law are being encouraged to complete a four-year degree at UAS and pursue the direct admissions program with Willamette Law. A one-hour informational event on the admissions process is being offered for interested students and alumni, led by Leah Straley, pre-law adviser and assistant dean of recruitment at Willamette. Straley offers guidance to any student interested in pursuing a legal education, assisting with exploration of legal careers and law schools, developing skills for law school, and helping students understand the standardized entrance exams, the LSAT and the GRE.
To learn more about the admissions process, students and alumni should RSVP for the one-hour information session to be held 9-10 a.m. (Alaska time) Oct. 14.
Sitka Businesses,
Nonprofits Can
Apply for Grants
The city is accepting grant applications from Sitka businesses and nonprofit organizations that have experienced severe economic impacts due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Assembly has authorized expenditure of $3 million in federal CARES Act funds for the grants. The deadline to apply is Oct. 31. Grant awards are anticipated in November, and all funds must be expended by Dec. 30.
Applications for a first round of business and nonprofit grants were accepted by the city in August. These grants were designed to be available to as many entities as possible, the city said. The application process and criteria were the same for businesses and nonprofit organizations, and grants were based on prior year revenue. CBS is still processing these applications, and expects to complete awards this month.
Eligible businesses and nonprofits that wish to apply for the new “Phase 2” grants must complete new applications.
The city said the purpose of the Phase 2 for-profit business grant program is to assist businesses through the COVID-19 economic downturn, and allow them to continue to operate in 2021. It is designed to apply to the businesses and nonprofits most severely impacted by the pandemic. To be eligible, businesses must demonstrate at least 35 percent loss of revenue in 2020 due to the pandemic compared to 2019. Businesses newly formed in 2020 are ineligible for the program. Grant awards will be based on documentation of costs, other grant funds received and the number of eligible applications submitted. The maximum grant will be $50,000.
The purpose of the “Phase 2” nonprofit stabilization grants is to sustain critical organizational capacity, services and facilities that nonprofits provide in Sitka. To be eligible, organizations must demonstrate a 25 percent loss of revenue in 2020 due to the pandemic compared to 2019, the city said.
Nonprofits newly formed in 2020 are ineligible for the program.
Grant awards will be based on criteria that measure the impacts of the services that organizations provide in Sitka, other grant funds received, and the number of eligible applications submitted. In general, larger organizations can expect to receive larger grants. The maximum grant will be $50,000. CBS anticipates that total grants to nonprofits will not exceed $500,000 of the $3 million allocated by the Assembly for Phase 2 grants.
Separate applications for the business and nonprofit grants, guidelines and answers to frequently-asked questions are available on the CBS website, www.cityofsitka.org. The city is strongly encouraging applicants to use the downloadable forms as they include auto-calculation fields to help determine eligibility, and the potential grant amounts for the business applicants.
Questions can be forwarded to CARES Act grant technician Rob Allen at rob.allen@cityofsitka.org or 747-1824.
SEARHC Introducing Medicare
Part D Pilot Program
To help patients secure health insurance coverage, SEARHC recently launched a pilot program for eligible Native American and Alaska Native beneficiaries to pay patient premiums for Medicare Part D.
SEARHC said it has identified more than 1,000 eligible patients across the consortium who could qualify for the program to receive non-formulary medications with no out-of-pocket costs.
Medicare Part D covers most outpatient prescription drugs, including antiseizure, antidepressants, cancer treatments, and others. It is recommended that patients 65 and older sign up for Part D when first receiving Medicare. SEARHC has discovered that a large portion of Medicare beneficiaries do not pay for a Medicare Part D plan, and the SEARHC Patient Health Benefits team is working to ensure all eligible patients are aware of it.
To qualify for the SEARHC Medicare Part D Program, patients must have Medicare A and/or Part B, no retirement insurance coverage, and reside in the SEARHC Care Network and be receiving Indian Health Services benefits. Patients must also not be eligible for Medicaid or Medicare Extra Help program.
“We recommend all eligible patients sign up for a Medicare Part D plan, even if they already receive SEARHC services,” said Susan Briles, PHB supervisor. “Not only does Part D ensure prescription coverage when traveling, but it benefits your community and healthcare system by providing SEARHC with prescription reimbursement.”
Those with questions about Medicare Plan D or needing assistance signing up for healthcare coverage, can contact the SEARHC PHB team at 966-8662 or outreach@searhc.org. The Medicare open enrollment period begins Thursday, Oct. 15.
Child Find Program
Offered in Sitka
As part of the Child Find program, the Sitka School District conducts specific activities to identify students ages 3 to 21 with suspected disabilities who reside within the district’s boundaries.
The District also seeks to locate young people from ages 3 to 21 who are not currently enrolled in school and may need special education services.
Child Find is a component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that requires school districts to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities, aged birth to 21, who are in need of early intervention or special education services.
For more information on the program and available screenings, contact
Child Find Coordinator Chris Voron, at (907) 966-1253.
Sitka Trail Works
Annual Meet Set
Sitka Trail Works members and the public are invited to join the annual meeting held on Zoom 6-7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19.
To join online visit zoom.us/join, enter meeting ID 439 583 8904 and password “trail.” To connect by phone instead contact the STW office in advance for details.
Three STW board members are up for re-election. Those with questions may call Sitka Trail Works at 747-7244 or visit www.sitkatrailworks.org.
Free Flu Vaccines
Offered Saturday
Free flu vaccines are being offered 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
The walk-in or drive-up clinic is sponsored by SEARHC, City of Sitka and the Sitka Fire Department.
‘‘Getting a flu vaccine this fall during the COVID-19 pandemic can help protect Alaskans and prevent a greater burden on our health care system,’’ a press release from SEARHC said. ‘‘Get a flu shot to protect yourself, our elders, our front line workers, our kids and our community from flu. It’s important for everyone to do their part to stay healthy this flu season.’’
Relearning Stewardship
By Leah Mason
Sitka recently played host to a series of five speakers on racial equity and justice that has opened a lot of eyes. The main message was that we all live in our own “bubble” on questions of equal access to justice, education, and opportunity. Through no real fault of our own, we develop within families and communities who honor their own history and experience of what it takes to succeed. We don’t often look very carefully at this, and it is pretty rare for most of us to look beyond that history and experience. You don’t have to be on social media to live in a bubble.
A less obvious message from the series was about our relationships to land. This week I want to look at how the way that we see land affects our sense of alarm around climate change.
Those who attended the speaker series will know that acknowledging the traditional owners and stewards of Shee (Baranof Island) and Sheet’ka (Sitka) was an important part of each session. As the person handling the zoom connection, I heard and saw this acknowledgement many times. It reminded me of two things that I know about my culture’s relationship to land.
The first is that people in my culture no longer view the land as a living thing, or as an active partner in our success at living a good life. Over the past millennium, we have come to view it like coins that we can trade without grief or a second thought. We are not attached to it, and we don’t see its fate as our own. This means that we don’t take climate change as seriously as many communities in Alaska. We recognize that things might change, and this is becoming more of a certainty every day. We are also more aware that this change won’t be for the better if we don’t do something soon. But for most people in my culture, our response to trouble is to find somewhere else to live. We’ve seen this with many Sitkans moving south to reduce their costs. They are often very, very, sad, but it is not the grief that we experience when a family member is taken away from us.
For the people whose families have been in this place for at least 10,000 years, it is not so simple. The land is part of their family. The land is a living thing and an active partner in providing for all of the plants and creatures they rely on to sustain them. This makes climate change a much more alarming thing. Even small changes will affect the web of life that has been so well balanced for so long. Larger changes may make this foundation for life in Southeast Alaska unrecognizable. As we’ve seen in areas farther up towards the Arctic Circle, the coastlines and river systems are changing. Communities are being swallowed by the sea, and some may also end up being swallowed by a land that is thawing as well. These communities recognize the threat that the current “business as usual” scenario presents.
Although my culture has trouble seeing the problem, we are not going to be able to move away from this one. Perhaps we need to take some lessons from those who lived good lives here for hundreds of generations? I am definitely in favor of taking direction from someone who has not created a crisis within the space of four or five generations. What do you think?
–––––––––
Leah Mason is a member of the Sitka Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
