Support Prop 2
Dear Editor: My girlfriend and I own and operate a multi-day charter service conducted from our 65-foot motor vessel based in Sitka. As business owners, we have found it challenging (if not impossible) to conduct our seasonal maintenance both above and below the waterline while in Sitka. As it is no secret that the marine work facilities that our community possessed several years ago were more than adequate, it has become quite dire, quite quickly with the loss of the private haulout facility.
As charter vessel owners, we are a clear minority in the overall haulout user stats but we are still users and our average annual expenditures within the marine repair and fabrication sector frequently bypasses that of several smaller commercial vessels.
While discussing Proposition 2 with other vessel owners within the harbor system, I was consistently bypassed and overlooked for comment as we (charter operators) are a minority user group but our needs and money spent is not to be foolishly overlooked. Our operation alone spends north of $70k annually in boat work and associated costs. The fact that even a small amount of this annual spending could potentially be funneled to another community for lack of Sitka infrastructure is truly sad.
We encourage all users and non-users to vote yes on Proposition 2 for the sake of our community.
Chris Lillehoff and Serena Wild
Takeena Adventures LLC, Sitka
Buoy Auction
Dear Editor: I am pleased to announce that our recent Brave Heart Volunteers Buoys and Art Auction raised over $18,000 for BHV. We are so grateful to the many bidders, artists and businesses who helped make our fundraiser a success.
First, we sincerely appreciate all the artists who selflessly gave of their time and wonderful talent to create such beautiful works of art: Norman Campbell, Cinnamon Dockham, Anne Doyle, Leslie DuPuis, Randy Ferguson, Diane Friedman, Jerrod Galanin, Chris Gale, Lola Hitchcock, Laura Kaltenstein, Pat Kehoe, Steve Lawrie (donated by Kim Hunter), Cara Murray, Dorothy Olsen, DJ Robidou, Anna Saiz, Sharon Neema Shaban, Libby Stortz, Iko Sullivan, Amy Sweeney and Columbus Wichman. We could not have done it without you.
A special thanks also goes to Russell’s, Abby’s Reflections and Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal for their indoor displays of our auction items throughout the summer. We are also grateful to Island Artists Gallery for exhibiting the artwork during the week of the auction, including a special after-hours showing. Thank you all for sharing your prized space with BHV.
We would also like to thank our very generous corporate sponsors: Channel Club, Edward Jones, Fisherman’s Quay, Horan & Company, Ludvig’s Bistro, Dr. Ross Marley, Mitchell J. Pies Insurance Agency, North Pacific Seafoods, Pacific Services, Tongass Threads, Twin Islands Retreat, and White’s Inc. We are deeply thankful to all of you.
Additionally, we appreciate the kindness of Amy Blair, Diane Friedman, Michele Friedman, Pat Kehoe, Amy Sweeney, Andrea Thomas, and Tonya Venneberg, who helped with the many buoy transfers, displays, and other logistics. Thanks also to Jerrod Galanin for securing additional artwork for the auction, and to the Artist Cove Gallery for donating three special prints by the late Dale DeArmond.
We also want to thank the Daily Sitka Sentinel and KCAW Raven Radio for the constant support and regular promotion of BHV events. The publicity you give us is truly exceptional and so invaluable to us.
Again, thank you all for supporting our mission to champion those who are experiencing grief, loneliness, or nearing the end of life. We appreciate you!
Angie DelMoral, Executive Director
Brave Heart Volunteers
