Fedex has been struggling to keep up with Sitka’s shipping needs over the last month. The corporation says it’s just a temporary service delay and they’re fixing it, but some Sitkans worry they haven’t solved the problem, and in September, it affected deliveries of everything from pet food to vaccines. 

Cooler, shorter days mean cold and flu season is just around the corner. Trish and Dirk White own Harry Race and White’s Pharmacy in Sitka, and they were eagerly awaiting shipments of COVID boosters, and flu vaccines. Vaccines arrive by plane, usually in a couple of days. One of those shipments was set to arrive via FedEx in mid-September. 

“We have about a $4,200 order of high dose flu vaccine, and we still haven’t gotten it yet. The tracking number says it’s still in Anchorage,” Trish White told KCAW in an interview in late September.

White said they received a tracking number from FedEx on September 15. Ten days later it still hadn’t arrived. In Southeast Alaska, weather can frequently delay the mail. White says an extra day or two isn’t that unusual. Any more than that risks spoiling the vaccines, which are shipped on ice.

But this delay wasn’t due to weather. In mid-September, the FedEx office in Sitka closed for more than a week, with packages piling up and no one to deliver them. 

Robin Schmid is one of many Sitkans who orders her pet food online to save money– the food she orders from PetSmart always ships via FedEx. 

“So I’d been waiting for this cat food. And I knew that it was in Sitka, I could see that it had been delivered to Sitka, and it was there for over a week,” Schmid said. “And that doesn’t seem like a big deal until you run out of cat food.”   

Schmid noticed that other Sitkans were waiting on packages too. So one morning, when she had some free time, she called FedEx’s customer service line. 

“I conveyed to her that we had a real problem, and I threw down my lawyer card,” Schmid said. “I said there are people on this small isolated island who are waiting for their medication, and I said I know you can see that my boxes are coming from PetSmart, and that probably doesn’t mean a lot to you, you know, but there could be people waiting for their pet medication,” she continued, then added, “The real thing is there are people that are diabetic and stuff like that, and their packages are being held there.” 

Eventually, the customer service representative passed her along to someone up the ladder– a supervisor in FedEx’s west coast division. Schmid said the supervisor confirmed what was causing the backlog – the local office was down to just one driver serving the whole island.

“It’s like only having one veterinarian, it makes it really hard,” Schmid said. “One person down, and the whole village is affected.”

The representative told Schmid that they were sending in staff from out of town to open the office. By September 25, FedEx had begun to deliver packages again.

KCAW reached out to FedEx for an interview to confirm the reason for the delayed shipments and whether Sitka’s office was indeed operating with only one driver. Instead, we got a short statement via email. It said:  

“We appreciate our customers’ patience as contingency plans are implemented to address a temporary service delay involving our location on Airport Road in Sitka. We are working to restore service levels as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

But whether it’s a temporary service delay or chronic understaffing remains unclear. Until last year, FedEx operated two services in Sitka- FedEx Express, and FedEx Ground, which is outsourced, meaning FedEx pays contractors to deliver those packages. But not anymore. In 2022, Fedex eliminated FedEx Ground pickups and deliveries in Alaska in an effort to cut costs. 

Elias Erickson is a former delivery driver– he worked for Lickity Split Logistics– that’s the company that operated FedEx Ground in Sitka until last year.

“It’s a fun job, because you get to make friends with all the local dogs, and everybody has so many cute dogs,” Erickson said. “I certainly miss that.”

While he liked the job, he said it was far from easy. Drivers work long hours, and it’s physically demanding, not to mention it requires a tremendous amount of organization to deliver hundreds of packages efficiently every day. And again- there’s that southeast weather- you can go a few days without seeing any packages, then three days worth of packages arrive on the plane. 

“You’re expected to deliver all the packages that are put on your plate,” Erickson said. “And if you don’t, then that just means you’re gonna have more the next day…during certain times of the year, that can certainly become overwhelming at times.”

And he said retention was a problem. 

“If you’re constantly hiring new employees, and you’re having new folks show up, that’s just going to mean longer delivery times, because it takes a while to get to know your route, and to become quick at that route,” he said.

Erickson couldn’t speak to the current issues with FedEx’s delayed deliveries, but he said it’s possible that eliminating FedEx Ground has ratcheted up pressure on the remaining workers, and might be contributing to the problem.

“The decisions that maybe FedEx made on a corporate level, maybe weren’t fully thought through as far as how they would be implemented and what that would look like in a rural context, such as ours,” he said. “And I think ultimately, FedEx might have shot themselves in the foot in that respect in, and cost themselves some efficiency and some effectiveness in their operation here.”

Erickson estimates that when he worked as a contractor for FedEx Ground, there were three full-time drivers and one part-time driver working for FedEx Express.

Whether FedEx has adequately addressed staffing at Sitka’s office in the long-run remains to be seen, but for now, drivers are on the road playing catch-up. Eventually Robin Schmid’s cat food and Trish White’s vaccine shipment showed up, though some of the vaccines may have been compromised due to the delay. But White was relieved that a separate shipment arrived on time, and ice cold.

“I’m thrilled I got a tracking number last end of last week for an even bigger shipment, like three times that amount. And it arrived today safely,” White said. “We saw the FedEx truck. It was like Christmas.”

KCAW was unable to independently confirm how many full time drivers are currently employed in Sitka, but several Sitkans KCAW spoke to, including White, mentioned one driver they’ve noticed going above and beyond amid the delays.

White said the driver is “incredible” and “kind of a champion in my book.”

KCAW’s Robert Woolsey and Katherine Rose look back on 2021, and conclude that the year was was “Not as good as we’d hoped, maybe not as bad as we think?” Here’s their list of some of the top stories of the past twelve months.

1. The pandemic “partitions,” and grinds into a new phase

Sitka began 2021 with a glimmer of hope: Vaccine shipments had just arrived and shots were going into the arms of seniors and high risk people. And the community’s vaccine rollout was swift. Sitka was one of the first communities in the country to make vaccines eligible to everyone 16 and up, thanks in large part to efforts made by SEARHC and Sitka’s public health providers. SEARHC’s Dr. Elliot Bruhl helped put Sitka out in front, and on the front page of National Public Radio. 

Said Bruhl: “As these vaccines came, we saw it as a moral and ethical imperative that we would not leave vaccines in the freezer.”

Dr. Bruhl later explained that the pandemic had “partitioned,” and posed much different risks for vaccinated and unvaccinated residents, which contributed to the intense public debate that followed: primarily over mask mandates in the city and in the schools.

Although it was acrimonious at times, Sitka’s elected officials – like assembly member Crystal Duncan –  managed to find a way to speak to everyone. 

“We’ve never navigated a pandemic before and we’re doing it to the best of our abilities and we’re succeeding,” Duncan said during a particularly tense meeting, “But when we have opportunities to minimize spread, I think we need to take those steps. So we’re not here fighting about masks, we’re fighting for the health of our community. And to frame it more accurately, we aren’t fighting each other, we are fighting a virus.”

2. Innovations in housing and business

KCAW’s Report for America reporter, Erin McKinstry, did a deep dive into housing last spring. The stories could not have been more timely, with the cost of living on the rise in Sitka, and an unbelievably tight housing market. She found a single mom who was investing in a community land trust home, a local prefab manufacturer, and Robin Schmid, an attorney who completely gutted a trailer and transformed it into a beautiful waterfront home

“I feel like I’ve gotten my life back without the debt hanging over my head,” said Schmid. “Yeah it’s about freedom to me.” 

For some people, 2021 was a year of unexpected opportunity. Erin McKinstry’s successor in the KCAW newsroom, Tash Kimmell, spent the summer profiling businesses that had either opened during the pandemic, or found a unique way to weather the storm. One of Tash’s most memorable pieces was about Megan Cropley, who opened Sitka’s only adult boutique.

“There’s not one set demographic,” said Cropley. “Everybody comes in here. And I love that. people have been extremely supportive and very accepting. I have people that come in every week since I’ve been open, and they say, thank you for being here. 

3. A major (maybe overwhelming) cruise rebound next year.

The biggest story in tourism for 2021 is not the partial cruise season Sitka had this summer. The biggest story of the year is: What will happen next year? 478,000 passengers projected for next season – which starts in April.

Chris McGraw at the new Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal anticipated this growth, and the rest of Sitka is now playing catch-up. Whether residents see it as a boon for Sitka, or a scourge, cruising is evolving. Nevertheless, McGraw shares the same concerns that many people have about Sitka’s character.

“My hope is that our downtown remains unique, it is and is walkable,” McGraw said. “That it just keeps that kind of small town character because, you know, even the Royal Caribbean executives that we’ve had here a number of occasions, that’s the one thing that they comment they make is, you know, this, this feels like authentic Alaska. And I think it’s important that we keep that.” 

4. Welcome to Beartown

Not all visitors to Sitka in 2021 were human. Sitka had an unprecedented year for bears, with more bears – and unfortunately, more bear deaths (14) – than anytime in recent memory. Something that stood out for a lot of long-term residents was the complete closure of Sitka National Historical Park, which created a sort-of downtown bear sanctuary. That hasn’t happened before. 

Closing the park probably helped keep the peace in town. But just outside of Sitka there were some close encounters – way too close. Jess Coltharp was working near a stream for Fish & Game this summer, and  a bear caught him by the leg. Coltharp had a rifle, but he didn’t have time to use it. A few paces behind, his partner got off a shot.

5. Herring: The ongoing struggle to balance commercial and subsistence interests

Herring is one of those issues where – in the very end – all parties want a sustainable herring stock in the Sound. What’s controversial is how we get there. Here are two seiners I spoke with, Justin Peeler and Matt Kinney, prior to this spring’s record commercial harvest.

Peeler: “Our boats, our gear, all that stuff is made to go on. It’s not made to just be here for once or twice and talk about our big catch…we want these biomasses of herring or salmon or black cod to keep going.” 

Kinney: “People think we just have one thing on the brain, and that’s harvesting, harvesting, harvesting,’ and that’s just not the case.” 

Nevertheless, the subsistence community is worried about the continued commercial pressure. Traditional herring spawning patterns are changing, and it’s harder to harvest roe close to town. Louise Brady led a protest by the Herring Protectors outside Fish & Game offices this spring.

“I really appreciate you being out here because the voices of our Tribal Elders, the voices of our culture bearers have spoken loud for several decades at the Board of Fish with no response,” said Brady. “With no response. Because our herring are so precious to us.”

6. The best of the rest

Steve Johnson’s vigil on the Sheldon Jackson campus, in honor of children who died in residential schools in Canada.

“I feel like the kids who were rounded up and taken to Sheldon Jackson college,” said Johnson in an interview with KCAW. “Their story is underrepresented and I would like to see it included in the canvas that is our town…we don’t have to whisper about these things anymore…that we can talk about them and we can address them.” 

Paulette Moreno on the relocation of the Baranov statue.

 “Having courageous conversation in our communities brings many things forward,” said Moreno. “Some of them are pain, some are conflict, misunderstandings. But what it ultimately does is bring forward an opportunity for healing.”

“Alex Tratuf,” and her incognito team who create Sitka Memes on Instagram.

“It could be anybody…your neighbors, your friends, your coworkers,” said Tratuf. “I will say I have coworkers that follow my account which is crazy. We’re a group of people who just agree that Sitka is funny, and quirky. And we’ve got a really unique crowd here, things that happen here that wouldn’t happen anywhere else.” 

Bhargavi Pochi who introduced Sitka to Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights.

“I think the big motivation of me wanting to do this here and celebrate is because I love sharing my culture with my friends,” said Pochi. “I thought it was a good reason to celebrate and I thought this would be a great excuse to just have some people over and celebrate life.”

And nobody celebrated more this year than Courtney MacArthur, who recovered her cat Blueberry, after finding an imposter – Not Blueberry – in her house.

“I posted on Sitka Chatters but you know a picture of my cat Blueberry and a picture of the other cat which I called ‘Not Blueberry’ because I didn’t know the cat’s name at the time,” MacArthur explained. “And pretty quickly, a woman contacted me and said that she thought that was her cat possibly.”

Blueberry/Not Blueberry is possibly the best example of why 2021 was “not as bad as we think.”

And the the top story for our social media fans? The humble blue mud shrimp, whose struggle against a blood-sucking parasite was our most-shared story of 2021.

Here’s to a 2022 that is “better than we expect”.

When people think of trailer homes, many envision shoddy construction and unhealthy living conditions, but in places like Sitka where construction costs are high and land availability is low, they’re an important affordable housing alternative. For one Sitkan, renovating a trailer provided a path to debt-free home ownership, and this resident is not the only one looking beyond the stigma of trailer living.

Robin Schmid’s black and white border collie Lady greets me at the door of her olive green trailer home. The mouth of the Indian River spills into Sitka Sound outside her kitchen window.

It’s not just the scenery that’s inviting. Inside, the nearly 900 square foot home looks like any modern apartment or house. It’s bright and tidy, with hardwood cabinets and new appliances.

“I’ve had a lot of people come over and they’re just absolutely stunned when they come in,” she said.

Schmid hasn’t always lived in a trailer. She used to own a big house with land in Wasilla, and it had a big mortgage to go with it.

But a few years back after a divorce, she decided to make a change toward a simpler life. She was old enough to withdraw some of her retirement, and she started asking herself where she wanted to live and what she wanted to do next.

“And I just kept coming back to the idea that being self-employed was the only thing that really worked for me after being an attorney for over 25 years, and the place that I really wanted to live was Sitka, I really wanted to come back to Sitka,” Schmid said. “And I wondered how I could possibly afford to do that.”

When Schmid lived in Sitka before, she’d rented, but it was tricky to find a place that could accommodate her teenage son, her dog and cats. She looked at buying a house, but even places that needed a lot of work were out of her price range. Then, she got a call from a friend asking if she’d be interested in a trailer that a local contractor wanted to sell.

“And we did a walk-through and the place was…whew,” she said. “It’s 1984, and there was the paneling. So it was really, really ugly. And I said I only want the place if you gut it to the studs. I mean new floor, new ceiling, new walls. I said I don’t want to see any paneling anywhere.”

Finding a bank to finance the trailer renovation was a challenge, so they drew up their own contract and payment plan. He replaced everything from the windows to the countertops, and the fully renovated trailer cost Schmid just $75,000. That’s around a fifth of what she would’ve paid for a house that still needed a lot of work.

She does have to pay a couple hundred dollars a month to rent the lot in the trailer court, but she said that’s nothing compared to a mortgage. Besides, she said, owning land comes with extra responsibilities like maintaining the road or dealing with the electrical meter, and she doesn’t mind having neighbors close by.

And the smaller space isn’t a problem either, as long as she stays organized. She even runs her legal practice out of her home.

“It’s comfortable enough that if I want to stay here, retire here, and die here, I think I could that.”

But despite Schmid’s success story, everyone from her plumber to her father has voiced skepticism. She thinks there’s a stigma against trailers that doesn’t exist for other affordable housing alternatives like tiny homes.

“There’s been the belief always is that trailers don’t last,” Schmid said.

Although many of Sitka’s trailers are shoddy and unhealthy, especially those built prior to 1976 when the Department of Housing and Urban Development introduced construction standards, Sitka Building Official Pat Swedeen said many people are pleasantly surprised at the quality of new manufactured homes.

“They’re not built like they used to be. They’re built with much thicker walls. They have insulation equal to what a typical stick-build home,” Swedeen said. “I think that’s an avenue that isn’t getting enough attention in my mind when it comes to really trying to talk about affordable housing.”

Developer Jeremy Twaddle owns Mountain View Estates. He’s slowly expanded the trailer court since he bought it nine years ago. He barges the manufactured homes from down south, installs them on a permanent foundation, and sells them move-in ready.

Even with the cost to ship the home and rent the lot, he said the price per square foot is about half of what someone would pay for a regular house in Sitka. And people have noticed. The remaining spaces are already promised to buyers, and the trailers haven’t even arrived yet.

“I’d say in the last year, there’s been a real uptick in this type of housing I think due to the affordability. And not only in Sitka, but kind of nationwide, the manufactured home builders are backed up about nine months in construction right now,” Twaddle said.

He said getting a loan to buy a trailer can be a challenge, but in Sitka, ALPS Federal Credit Union offers financing.

A bigger hurdle is land. There’s not a lot ripe for development in Sitka anyway, and because of zoning restrictions, the space for trailer courts is even more limited. He said if the land was there, he’d keep bringing in manufactured homes because, as a lifelong Sitkan, he sees the need for affordable housing and the gap that trailers can fill.

“And I don’t think it’s a one-size fits all type scenario,” Twaddle said. “I remember people always had manufactured homes and that’s what they lived in until they could pay that down and take that chunk and put it in on a stick-built home and work their way up from there. Just wanting people to stay in Sitka and succeed and not get run out of town because there’s only rental options or the homes are just too expensive.”

For Schmid, that’s exactly what her trailer provides: a way to stay in a place that she loves and the freedom to live her life the way she wants.

“I feel like I’ve gotten my life back without the debt hanging over my head,” Schmid said. “It’s about freedom to me.”

If she ever decides to move, she thinks she could get her money out of her renovated trailer and then some. But if not, she said, she’s gotten her living out of it.

Erin McKinstry is a Report for America corps member. This story is part of KCAW’s special series on affordable housing called “Building Solutions.”

For many small, Alaska communities, Facebook groups have become an important way to share information, particularly during the pandemic. But they can also be challenging to moderate, especially as Facebook continues to grapple with how to regulate speech on its site. Keeping divisive rhetoric off of groups like Sitka Chatters can feel like a full-time job.

When Kathryn Daum came up with the idea for the Facebook group Sitka Chatters with her friend Sam back in 2013, she never imagined it would grow to an important community forum with over 9,000 members.

“It’s pretty incredible,” Daum said. “I mean we were pretty excited when it hit a hundred members. We never thought it would get this big and be one of the main sources to get information from for Sitka.”

Over the years, Sitka Chatters has helped people find lost pets and share information about new businesses. It has also connected people in need with resources, like during the 2015 landslides in Sitka. The whole idea behind the group was to create a positive space to bring people together, Daum said. She quit moderating when she moved to Anchorage, but she still uses it to connect to the Sitka community.

“We wanted a safe place where there was no discrimination. There was no name-calling,” she said. “We wanted a positive place for businesses where there was no shaming businesses or other people.”

But that hasn’t always been easy, especially during a divisive election season and a politicized pandemic.

“We were like ‘oh my God,’ this is getting crazy,” former Sitka Chatters moderator Robin Schmid said. “People are snapping. People are acting horrible.”

Schmid moderated the group for about eight months before quitting right after the November election. She works as an attorney and says it felt like a second full-time job.

“I just can’t have this negativity in my life any more. It’s giving me the wrong impression of our society,” she said. “It’s showing a side that is a vocal minority when there are still really great people out there.”

Facebook isn’t a free-for-all. The platform prohibits hate speech, nudity, excessive violence and spam, for example. Schmid said Facebook would notify them of false information or a threat they considered viable. But the group also has its own rules that they try to enforce. No trolling, no personal attacks and no politics, for example. Discussions about masks were also outlawed following months of divisive conversations that devolved into personal attacks in the comments section.

“And we got to the point where we were even giving people like 24-hour cool-off periods, 72 hours, a week,” Schmid said. “You know and then we kept doing that. Trying to give people a chance, you know, knock it off, these are the rules.”

Finally, they decided to ban repeat offenders altogether. But is it possible to do that in an unbiased way in such a small town? The moderators hold the power to regulate speech in whatever way they see fit, as long as it aligns with Facebook’s policies. 

And even Twitter and Facebook have faced backlash in recent months for flagging false information and banning extreme speech from alt-right groups, including booting former President Donald Trump. That prompted many on the far right to flock to less regulated social media sites like Parler, which has since been taken offline.

Both Schmid and current moderator Fran Abeyta said they’ve had to ban people from all parts of the political spectrum.

“People think we’re judgmental, and it’s just like all three of us have different beliefs and you know we don’t boot somebody without discussing it with all three of us,” Abeyta said. She is one of three current moderators, and she initially got involved through the group’s regular photo contest. Sometimes, she said she doesn’t know why she keeps doing it.

“Maybe it’s just the control. Being able to delete people if they get out of hand,” Abeyta said. “Sitka’s my home and I care about it. That and what’s going on in the community.”

Abeyta says that in recent weeks, things have calmed down. She knows there will always be people looking to stir the pot but hopes that moving forward, the group can remain a positive space for Sitkans to come together.

Erin McKinstry is a Report for America corps member.

The Assembly chose local attorney Brian Hanson for the city position. Hanson has practiced law in Sitka for nearly 30 years. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)

The Sitka Assembly hired Brian Hanson as city attorney during a special meeting Tuesday night (9-6-16).

Hanson has been working with the city all summer. In May, the Assembly appointed him interim city attorney on a part-time basis, following the dismissal of attorney Robin Schmid.

When Hanson applied for the job, he initially sought a part-time arrangement so he could continue his private practice of 25 years. But during his first interview on August 20th, the Assembly said they preferred a full-time employee. Hanson acquiesced, offering to work full-time with benefits. In taking the job, he will wrap up all outstanding cases and suspend his private practice this fall.

Assemblymen Steven Eisenbeisz asked how Hanson would adapt from being his own boss to having seven bosses, in the form of the Assembly. Hanson said that each of his hundreds of clients was like a boss and through the diversity of his caseload, he’s become a quick study in various kinds of law.

“I think I’ve done a really good job of understanding the needs of the people that I’m representing, as opposed to shoving it my way down their throat. Because you have to. The divorcee who’s trying to get her children or the businessman who is trying to get a contract with the city – you gotta come from different ways with those people,” Hanson said.

The Assembly also chose Hanson for his longtime commitment to Sitka. Born in Marinette, Wisconsin, Hanson moved with his family to Sitka in 1963. He graduated from Sitka High, a student athlete and jazz musician, and got his law degree from Pepperdine University in 1984. He moved back to Sitka shortly after, to work as an associate attorney for Edward Stahla, before going into private practice in 1989.

Assembly member Bob Potrzuski asked Hanson how he would manage cases involving family and friends. Hanson said that’s a challenge of being a city attorney he’s learned to accept.

“Bob, I have dealt with that for so long and come to grips with that for so long. I don’t have any problem with that. I’ve had to take sides in my business. There’s people out there who hate me. Sorry. Hate me because I represented the other side and they can’t get beyond me doing my job. That’s the life I chose. How can I take on someone I know who I’m acquainted with on the other side? Well, I wanted to live in Sitka so I figured it out. I’d figure it out for this job too,” Hanson said.

The City and Borough of Sitka pays the city attorney less than the average statewide salary of $132,012. (Data from Alaska Municipal League)

After unanimously approving Hanson’s hire, the Assembly negotiated his contract. They settled on a starting salary of $125,000, raising it to $135,000 in 12 months and to $140,000 in 24 months pending a satisfactory review.

The Assembly deliberated whether these raises were fair and whether the city could afford them. Compared to other attorneys in Alaska, $125,000 is on the low end. Hanson negotiated that salary, saying it was a generous starting point. “I’ll start at the bottom and prove myself for 12 months and then give you what I should be making right out of the gate after 12 months,” he told the Assembly.

Hanson also offered to take on more cases in-house, such as misdemeanor cases normally sent to the state, to save the city money. The Assembly decided the salary agreement was fair. Mayor Mim McConnell reflected, “This is such a critical position for the operation of the municipality that I think this is money well spent.”

Hanson’s starting date is Monday, September 19th. When asked how long he’d remain with the position, Hanson said he was “in the last quarter” of his professional career and expects to wind down within the next ten years.

Downloadable audio.

Mark Danielson, the city’s  director of Human Resources, began by asking the Assembly to list their top choices. Standing before a piece of chart paper, he said, “By putting checkmarks next to the multiples – duplicates, etc. – and it becomes fairly obvious, usually, which ones you guys are most interested in.” One name got a lot of check marks.

Hunter: I’m interested in hearing more from Gagnon.

Swanson: Gagnon

Guevin: And then I had Gagnon.

Gagnon is Cary R. Gagnon, who is current counsel for a BakerHostetler in Denver, Colorado. Gagnon’s practice focuses on navigating local and state regulations, largely for the oil and gas industry. All seven Assembly members were interested in her application. And all seven were also interested in another set of names you may recognize.

Eisenbeisz: Jones and Hanson as well.

Hunter: Hanson.

Guevin: Some combination of Hanson and Jones.

Miyasato: And Hanson.

Potrzuski: And I also am interested in Mr. Hanson but the 20-hour caveat was a bit of an issue for me. Hanson, Hanson, Hanson.

Hanson is Brian Hanson, who was appointed the city’s interim attorney after the Assembly voted to terminate Robin Schmid in April. The city attorney position was advertised April 28th through June 18th.

In his letter, Hanson said he was not interested in taking on the full time position with benefits. Rather, he wanted to continue part-time as an independent contractor. Hanson is receiving support from the city’s Legal Assistant Reuben Yerkes and Rachel (Dinardo) Jones, a contract attorney.

Deputy Mayor Matthew Hunter said the current situation seems to be working. “I’ve heard wonderful things from staff and even some members of the public about our current situation about our interim municipal attorneys and how that’s working.”

Hanson’s proposal to continue part-time intrigued with Assembly, but Guevin wanted to consult city staff to see if that arrangement would be tenable long term. “It’s a big departure from what we’ve done in the past, so I think it requires more discussion than just going through the interview process, as we would for a normal applicant,” Guevin said.

Jones also applied for the position, but through a one year contract with Williams, Kastner, & Gibbs, a private firm based in Seattle. WKG’s proposal is to hire Jones to provide legal services to the city, with oversight from another WKG attorney, Markos Scheer. Based on the contract proposal, several Assembly members were uncomfortable hiring for the position through a firm.

Eisenbeisz: I don’t feel that I directly have an employee at that point. That I have to go through a firm to get to my employee, as opposed to that person directly being with us.

Potrzuski: I did not have them as our top picks because I personally would like to have one employee that we have a great relationship with.

Guevin: I guess my question would be along the same line as Steven’s, whether Mrs. Jones’s proposal is contingent on us working with Williams Kastner, or whether her services would be available directly with her.

In the end, the Assembly expressed a desire to interview WKG to explore the contract further, but also asked Jones – who was sitting in the audience – if she’d consider applying for the position separately.

Aside from Gagnon, Hanson, and Jones, the other top vote getters were Eugene F. Hickey, who holds a private practice in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Kevin Carlisle, who serves on the legal affairs team for Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California.

As the meeting wrapped, Potrzuski complimented Danielson for his making the process a smooth one.

Potrzuski: I just wanted to thank you Mark. I kind of followed your protocol as you had written it out and it really made it a much easier process for me and I really appreciated how lucid it was and very easy to follow.

Danielson: Thank you very much.

The Assembly plans to conduct the majority of these 1-hour interviews on Saturday, August 20th, interviewing local attorneys in person and conducting out-of-town interviews through Skype. The final candidates will have a second in-person interview, along with a community meet-and-greet. The new attorney could start as early as October 1st.

The Sitka Assembly will hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. tonight (08-09-16) to take next steps for hiring a municipal attorney.

Here’s the  Assembly Agenda for 8-9-16

Mark Danielson, the city’s Human Resources Director, told the Assembly at their July 26th, 2016 that a dozen individuals applied for the job. Danielson said the new attorney could start as early as October 1st. Tonight, the Assembly will schedule videoconferencing interviews with the final applicants and a community meet-and-greet.

Brian Hanson is the city’s interim attorney, appointed after Robin Schmid was asked to resign by the Assembly in April.

During their regular meeting at 6 p.m., the Assembly will consider a final plat and zoning for the Nakwasina Sound Subdivision. Global Positioning Services approached the Planning Commission with an interest in the area – a 122 acre stretch of waterfront land on Lisianski Peninsula. The Planning Commission is recommending the Assembly allow Open Space (OS) zoning there, which would allow property owners to build recreational housing, while still “preserving rural character.”

In new business, the Assembly will also approve a collective bargaining agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Wages will increase by $1.25 an hour this year and by $1 in 2017 and 2018.

In old business, the Assembly will – on second and final reading – review ordinances to increase moorage rates by 5% and water and wastewater rates by 1%. They will also take a final vote on an ordinance to put a property tax question on the ballot, that would raise the cap from 6 mills to 8 mills.   

The Sitka Assembly meets at 5 p.m. tonight in Room 229 at UAS. Raven Radio will join the meeting live in progress at 6 p.m., after Alaska News Nightly.

The Planning Department recently conducted a land use inventory, mapping how Sitka lands are used and plotting future use. Highlighted in orange are all municipal tidelands, 25 of which have leases. (Map from Planning Department)

The Sitka Assembly held a work session Tuesday night (5-10-16) to review a land use inventory recently conducted by the Planning Department. Long term, the city wants to determine what municipal lands can be put up for sale.

In preparing the document, Senior Planner Mike Scarcelli said that department staff traveled on foot and by car, looked at aerial maps, and pulled old city records to try to pin down how much land is city-owned (Answer: 1.8 million acres of land and 1.2 million acres of water) and how that land is being used (Answer: Only 1% of the land is developed and 2.4% of the tidelands are platted).

See the Planning Department’s 2016 land use inventory here.  

“Our goal was really to go parcel by parcel and create a baseline inventory of current use is so we can figure out what’s going on now, where do we want to go, what trends are occurring and what may be causing those trends,” Scarcelli told the Assembly.

Municipal lands out Halibut Point Road (highlighted in green), include the Benchlands Lots and a large parcel called Upper Granite Creek. (Map from Planning Department)

The land use inventory found that of the 1.8 million acres of land in the City and Borough of Sitka, only 1% is developed, mostly for residential purposes. The majority of industrial land is located out the road, but some of it is spot zoned, which is illegal.

Municipal lots in the downtown and CBD area (highlighted in green). Much of this land is devoted to public services. (Map from Planning Department)

“Spot zoning is a term that we often refer to when something’s not planned for. So when the market just drives up a particular type of use in a certain area, as opposed to having a set plan,” explained Planning and Community Development Director Maegan Bosak. “We’ll see areas where you have heavier commercial use in the middle of a residential lot. It doesn’t really make sense and causes for a lot of angst in the neighborhood. These are the cases we hear most about in the planning office, so our goal would be to move away from that.”

Municipal lands out Sawmill Creek Road (highlighted in green), include the Gary Paxton Industrial Park. (Map from Planning Department)

Another major goal Bosak shared is rewriting the land use section of Sitka’s Comprehensive Plan and making sales a less “cumbersome” process. One of her slides listed parcels deemed “surplus” to municipal needs and laid out a multi-year plan to put them on the market. That list of parcels includes Jacobs Circle Properties, Harbor Mountain Bypass, and two tracts above Sitka High which could fit 30 home sites.

A proposed schedule of land the city is eyeing to sell. The Planning Department presented this to the Assembly Tuesday night (5-10-16).

The Citizens’ Task Force has encouraged the city to sell $1 million worth of land in the next year, but Bosak reminded the Assembly that sales won’t happen overnight.

“A lot of these portions – the high school tracts, the Harbor Mountain Bypass – those are going to take money to make money. Those need to be subdivided. There needs to be studies done. We need to have really comprehensive plans for how those are going to be laid out in terms of utilities, access, etc. So, that needs to be part of our future budgetary concerns if our intent is really to sell some good quality home sites,” Bosak said.

The Planning Commission will seek public input during their next land use meeting on June 7th at the Sitka Fire Department at 7 p.m.

During its regular meeting, the Assembly also passed – on second and final reading – an ordinance to allow short term rentals on boats and approved the municipal contribution to the school district at $6.7 million.

And before adjourning for the night, the Assembly got an update on the replacement of City Attorney Robin Schmid. Schmid was summarily dismissed last week after she retained an attorney of her own – Clay Keene of Ketchikan.

The Assembly appointed Brian Hanson as interim attorney, who is available to work ten hours a week. In the meantime, City Administrator Mark Gorman said the city’s legal affairs will be overseen by Reuben Yerkes.

“As you all recruit for a permanent replacement, we’ve got something in place that will keep the wheels on the bus,” Gorman said. Last meeting (4-26-16), the Assembly agreed to interview candidates for municipal attorney in late June.

And for the second time, an ordinance to create a utility subsidization program – sponsored by Assemblymen Tristan Guevin and Bob Potrzuski – was pulled from the agenda.

Downloadable audio.

The letter was written by Ketchikan attorney Clay Keene, and was not immediately available to the public.

During testimony at Thursday’s special meeting, however, Keene spoke in conciliatory terms about the assembly’s decision to fire Schmid during her closed-door evaluation on April 19.

“And I would hope that this meeting provides the assembly the opportunity to make better what I would call a rushed decision on the part of the assembly in asking Robin for her resignation.”

Keene said that Schmid would be willing to work for the duration of her contract, or at least until January 5, when she would become vested in the public employee retirement system. Otherwise, Schmid’s resignation was set to take effect on June 1.

But the assembly didn’t bite. Instead, the members who spoke felt it would be difficult to continue working with Schmid, now that she had retained an attorney of her own.

Steven Eisenbeisz thought it would be counterproductive to keep Schmid on.

“I feel, after what’s been presented in the letter, that it would be very difficult for someone in a situation as such to continue on in the best interest of the city.”

Member Tristan Guevin expressed similar thoughts. The assembly went on to vote 6-0 to appoint Brian Hanson as acting municipal attorney. Member Bob Potruzski was absent.

Mayor Mim McConnell then had the uncomfortable duty of informing Schmid — who was seated in her usual spot at the assembly table — that she was done. But Schmid did not go easily.

Here is the entirety of their exchange.

Mayor McConnell – So Robin at this time I’m going to have to ask you to step down from the table and we’ll have Mr. Hanson come up. This is how this works.
Schmid – Nothing has been tendered to me at all, regarding our last meeting. I haven’t been given a chance to speak at all. What the public’s going to be hearing, what they’re going to be thinking, is that there’s something outrageous in the letter. And what was in the letter was a request for conciliation. It was a letter that said, Look you are required under the contract to give me evaluations every April. That hasn’t been done. Up until this last evaluation, I had been given good evaluations — by some of you sitting here — that you liked my communication style. Sure, there’s been a change in some of the other assembly members, and maybe it was incumbent on me to try and reach out if my communication style wasn’t working for them, but that was never done. And it wasn’t done on the other end either. So basically what’s happened is, terminable at will or not, there’s a breach of contract.
Member Tristan Guevin – A point of order…
Mayor McConnell – I’d like to take a 5-minute break please.

Schmid eventually yielded her seat to acting attorney Hanson. Following the break, the assembly went into executive session for just under an hour to discuss Schmid’s letter. On returning to regular session, the assembly voted 5-1 to direct Hanson to work to resolve Schmid’s legal concerns, with Eisenbeisz opposed.

Schmid will be on administrative leave with pay until the end of the month. She’s been Sitka’s municipal attorney since February, 2013.

Tonight (4-26-16), the Assembly will consider legalizing bed & breakfasts on boats, cracking down on texting while driving, among other items.

At tonight’s regular meeting (4-26-16), the Assembly will consider allowing short-term rentals in the public zone with conditional use permits. The request aims to create rental opportunities in Sitka’s harbors.

Right now, rentals and bed and breakfasts on boats are not allowed. Tim Fulton, who filed the ordinance, pitched the same idea to the Planning Commission in December, without the conditional use process. It was voted down.

Here is the Agenda for 4/26/16 regular Assembly meeting. 

One item was pulled from tonight’s agenda: an Assembly-sponsored idea to subsidize utility costs for low-income homeowners.

Under the proposed program, the city would credit eligible homeowners 30-percent of their utility charges, directly on their account. That subsidization would end after a certain period of time.

The ordinance is sponsored by Assembly members Tristan Guevin and Bob Potrzuski, inspired by conversations this winter about how some Sitkans are struggling to pay their utility bills. Utility rates increased 6% last year and are projected to increase this year.

Guevin said they pulled the item in order to adjust eligibility criteria and expects the ordinance will receive a first reading at a future meeting.

The Assembly will also provide a final reading to several proposals, including a law to restrict cell phone use in cars, requiring conditional use permits for marijuana businesses, granting the administrator the power to establish furloughs, and revising the city’s procurement policy for contracts and purchases.

The Assembly will get a status update on the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau from executive director Rachel Roy and hear their marketing plan for the summer. The first big cruise ship, the Norwegian Pearl, arrives May 9th with a passenger count of 2,394.

Here is the Sitka CVB’s Visit Sitka Marketing Plan Final 2016 04 18. 

Before entering executive session at the meeting’s close, the Assembly will receive direction for recruiting a new municipal attorney. Robin Schmid, the city’s attorney since 2013, was resigned after her annual evaluation last week (4-19-16).

The Sitka Assembly meets in regular session at 6 p.m. in Room 229 at UAS. Raven Radio will join the meeting live in progress, after Alaska News Nightly.