The City of Sitka will contract with a local group to help finalize a master plan for the Parks and Recreation program. When the assembly met on Tuesday (1-27-26), it approved the agreement with the Sitka Recreation Foundation (SRF), a local organization that advocates for parks, recreation, and green spaces. But a second agreement fell flat with most assembly members.
Several years ago, the assembly earmarked $35,000 to create a plan outlining community desires for recreation infrastructure. There’s a little less than $15,000 left, and Parks and Rec Manager Kevin Knox said that isn’t sufficient to fund the final phase of the project, which requires “robust public engagement.” He said SRF could help them make up the delta through outside fundraising.
“SRF is uniquely positioned to leverage our remaining funds as seed contribution and to secure larger grants and donations, allowing us to achieve a comprehensive study that would otherwise be unaffordable at this time,” Knox said.
While most assembly members were on board with the proposal, some were hesitant. Assembly Member Tim Pike said although he’s glad the group came forward and is willing to help, he doesn’t want there to be a perception that it’s not the city’s strategic plan once completed.
“I think the original vision for this was the right one, which was the city was going to put together a plan,” Pike said. “And I don’t necessarily want to put it on someone else to fundraise the rest of what it’s going to cost to do this for us.”
Pike wasn’t the only assembly member to raise that concern. Several others also flagged aspects of the draft Memorandum of Agreement, like naming rights for legacy donors, but ultimately, the proposal passed 6-1, with Pike opposed.
While the assembly greenlit support with the master plan, it shot down a second agreement with the foundation for a feasibility study for new or upgraded athletic facilities.
Last fall, Sitkans overwhelmingly approved a measure to use funds from a city hospital fund to pay for upgrades to local facilities, but it could be years before that money is available, and what exactly the project will look like is unclear. Knox said the recreation foundation wants to look into a possible track and field facility at either Lower Moller Field or Kimsham Field, and upgrades to the women’s softball field at Kimsham.
Assembly Member JJ Carlson voiced her support.
“It’s nice to see a community group ask for a partnership, and that’s what I see this as,” she said. “Coming to us at the beginning, saying, ‘Hey, we think we can help in this way. We think we can collaborate well in this way. Can we do this together from the beginning?’”
But some assembly members felt it was too soon to nail down specific recreation projects before having a master plan in place. Assembly Member Katie Riley said they should press pause.
“When I think of how things should be prioritized, you do a master plan and then you contribute funding to the priorities that are stated in the master plan,” she said. “So I think for me, the issue here is just a bit of timing in terms of getting ahead of a master plan and fundraising for a facility that has not been identified as Sitka’s top priority.”
The assembly rejected the second agreement with the Sitka Recreation Foundation on a 3-4 vote, with assembly members Riley, Thor Christianson, Scott Saline and Mayor Steven Eisenbeisz opposed.
