Author: Robert Woolsey

The Sitka Community Hospital board has signed a management services contract with Nashville-based Quorum Health Resources. While the overall budget and day-to-day operation of the hospital will remain under local control, the board hopes its relationship with QHR will provide some badly-needed long-term financial stability – and a little clout, too.

Hames Athletic and Wellness Center has a new lease that will enable it to keep operating, at least until voters decide whether or not to support the facility in the next election. Last night, (3-10-09) the Sitka City and Borough Assembly narrowly approved the new lease agreement on a four to three vote.

The City and Borough Assembly passed a resolution Tuesday night that will try to reach the goal of 25% reduction by 2020. Sitka’s CO2 emissions are about half what most US cities emit, and on par with Norway’s per capita emissions, according to information given to the assembly Tuesday (3-10-09) by members of the Climate Action Task Force.

Blatchley Middle School is a lot more colorful these days, thanks in large part to a new mural which was installed this week. (March 4) Sitkan Lisa Busch spearheaded the grant process in order to bring Ketchikan artist, author and printmaker Evon Zerbetz to town, as this year’s Artist in the Schools.

The senate transportation committee has signed off on a bill that would allow the operation of low-speed electric vehicles in some Alaskan communities. A revised version of Senate Bill 59, introduced by Sitka senator Bert Stedman, was approved by transportation members Monday afternoon (3-3-09) and referred to the judiciary committee.

Like all competitions, there are winners and losers in drama, debate, and forensics. But there is a lot more to these events than winning medals. KCAW student reporter Ruby Gale is on the JV team at Sitka High School. She went behind the scenes, and sent this audio postcard from the state DDF meet in Sitka:

The Board of Fisheries has established a bag limit for sport-caught black cod for the first time. Proposal 137 quickly became a point of contention during last week’s (Thu 2-27) board meeting in Sitka, and it was the last issue the Board dealt with before wrapping up the ten day meeting Thursday night.

The State Board of fish has made some changes to the way the sitka sound sac roe herring fishery is managed. The guideline harvest level for the commercial harvest will be based on a rate of 12 to 20 percent, depending on the size of the biomass. That’s instead of a range of 10 to 20 percent. Also, the spawning population of herring now has to be forecast at 25,000 tons or more in order to have a commercial harvest. That’s five thousand tons higher than the old threshold.

Planning for the expansion of Sitka’s Rocky Gutierrez Airport has entered a new phase, and the public is being encouraged to participate. The assembly heard an intitial report on Tuesday (2-24-09).