A conversation over whether or not to put $20,000 towards a Parks and Recreation Master Plan continued Tuesday night (7-28-26) at the Sitka Assembly table. But the issue still has one more meeting to go before getting final approval.
The Sitka Recreation Foundation, a local nonprofit that advocates for parks and rec, contracted with Corvus Design to complete a multi-phase plan for the program in May. The plan is expected to cost at least $61,000, according to city staff. The city partnered with the recreation foundation earlier this year and contributed seed funding, but the organization says it now needs additional support from the city.
The funding request narrowly advanced at the assembly table in early July. At the meeting on Tuesday, several Sitkans urged the assembly to approve the funding request. Aaron Prussian — a member of Sitkans for Community Outdoor Recreation Enhancement or SCORE — said a plan that identifies the community’s interests for recreation is overdue.
“This is a plan that will last for a very long time,” he said. “I think the one that we have right now is from the early ’90s, and is probably pretty outdated. So I feel like $20,000 for a master plan is a bargain for something that’s going to last for a long time and really steer the direction of recreation for the community.”
Assembly Member Katie Riley said she and her fellow assembly members don’t disagree on the benefit that an updated recreation plan would provide to the community. But, she said, she’s concerned with the process behind these kinds of agreements, which are meant to establish shared expectations that each party is held accountable to.
“It just sounds like the cart was put a little bit before the horse in terms of doing this, given that a contract has already been signed and a work product is expected by January,” Riley said.
Riley was one of several assembly members who reluctantly agreed to move forward with the funding request, as long as the city’s contract with the nonprofit is updated to reflect the funding change and release the city from liability.
Mayor Steven Eisenbeisz said while the updated agreement doesn’t ease all of his concerns, it brought him to a “yes” vote.
“My cautionary tale here would be there is now a magnifying glass on this,” he said. “This one needs to be watched carefully to make sure that we get the product that we need and that everybody moves forward on their intended purposes.”
Ultimately, the assembly approved the $20,000 appropriation 7-0. It will come back to the table for a third reading alongside an updated contract next month.
