Imagine a Sitka with a detox center, an indoor playground and school gardens where kids could grow their own vegetables. Those proposals were all on the table today at Sitka Health Summit’s Planning Day at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
82 people registered for Planning Day this year, an all-time high (KCAW photo/Emily Kwong)
Eighty-two people gathered to brainstorm ideas, a record-breaking crowd for Planning Day. The challenge before planners was to adopt two health and wellness goals to enact by this time next year. The Health Summit has a history of coming up with big ideas—including some that many people thought were impossible. Facilitator Doug Osborne brought up the example of the Hames Center restoration in 2011.
“A lot of deferred maintenance, some might say,” Osborne said. “Got a leaky roof. I don’t know how you’re going to make a go of it…go check out the Hames Center today. Go check out the Hames Center today!”
The crowd applauded.
“Don’t worry about other people’s limitations,” Osborne continued. “Big ambitious ideas is what today is about.”
From hundreds of ideas, planners whittled it down to 40 to present to the whole group. (KCAW photo/Emily Kwong)
In the end, two goals came out on top. One is establish a free community center with special support for teens and the other is to revitalize Katlian Street. Paulette Moreno proposed the Katlian project last year, but it didn’t make the cut. This year was a different story.
“I’m very humbled because this is the people of Sitka who have spoken to come together with the neighborhoods and with everybody to revitalize a very important area in the history of Sitka,” Moreno said. “And it’s just wonderful. It’s just beautiful.”
The next step in the Health Summit is to organize committees and get to work. This year’s chosen initiatives will each receive $2000 worth of seed money.
