Sheldon Jackson College Watch

Best News Yet: Sitka Fine Arts Camp to inherit campus

2011-01-13T22:04:00.000-08:00

After the Dubuque deal fell through, the future of SJ(C?) was more uncertain than ever. Into that void stepped the Sitka Fine Arts Camp with a vision to transform the space into a permanent home for the camp and community centered spaces year round. From Raven Radio:

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SITKA, ALASKA (2011-01-05) It’s official: The core campus of the former Sheldon Jackson College is being transferred to the Sitka Fine Arts Camp. The arts camp, which runs programs for 500 students every summer, will take ownership of the central campus on Feb. 1. A ceremonial transfer will happen when the trustees hold their final meeting on campus March 12.

According to a statement from the college’s trustees, the name Sheldon Jackson will stay attached to the property to memorialize the history of what was once Alaska’s oldest educational institution. But the future will be up to the Arts Camp.

Sitka Fine Arts Camp Executive Director Roger Schmidt says he's fully aware of the work that needs to be done.

“There’s an unlimited amounts of deferred maintenance and repairs that need to happen, but the other thing we’re getting is a dream," he said. "And that I guess is really what’s motivated my board of directors, our organization, and all our kids – the idea of what we can do with the arts, and what we can do with community.”

The dream for the nearly 40-year-old arts camp includes North Pacific Hall, which can be used for housing.

“And then behind it is the old ceramics building," he said. "We hope to see kids doing art in there.”

And there’s Whitmore Hall and Fraser Hall, which have office and classroom possibilities. Whitmore also has housing space.

“This is Yaw (Hall), it’s a set of classrooms," Schmidt said. "I see an arts space, where our visual arts will be. I hope that into the future it can become a year-round type of arts cooperative place.”

The camp is getting the Hames building. It was home to a wellness center, but it closed after Sitka voters rejected a proposal to have the city buy it in October.

“We’ll certainly use it for our programs, because physical theater and social dance are really popular classes at camp and we need a large space like that. We do circus arts, we do acrobatics, things like that.”

Schmidt says he hopes the group that worked to keep Hames open will show interest in doing something with the building during the rest of the year.

At the center of the Quad, behind the flagpole, and the bell, and the plaque marking this place as a National Historic Landmark, is Allen Memorial Hall. An auditorium is inside. The camp is getting that, too.

Inside, walls have been stripped down to studs. When Sheldon Jackson College ran out of money, this building was under renovation. Work stopped immediately. There’s little doubt that re-starting that work will take some serious effort. But Schmidt also sees serious potential.

“Just looking at these beams, and these mammoth entryways – you don’t find ceilings that high anymore. They just don’t make them," Schmidt said, walking around on the second level of Allen Hall. "And it gives you this feeling of openness and expansiveness and, heck, creativity and inspiration. Why not?”

The Sitka Fine Arts Camp began its life on this campus in the early 1970s. The year before the college closed, the college asked the arts camp to leave.

“When we left, I think I probably even said the cliché, ‘Never again.’ We were really frustrated, it was a really tough time for us," Schmidt said. "We felt like we had been here for years and we were good tenants and we brought revenue in. All these things. But it was such a tumultuous time for the college.”

Eventually the camp found a home at Mt. Edgecumbe High School. The college, meanwhile, worked on ways to handle its closure, including a possible deal with the University of Dubuque. When those plans fell through, Schmidt said his friend Lisa Busch, who is executive director of the Sitka Sound Science Center across the street, suggested a meeting with one of the trustees, Gary Paxton, to discuss the possibility of taking over the core campus.

“And I’m sure my first response was ‘You’re crazy. I mean, just crazy. You can forget that idea'," Schmidt said.

But eventually, he was convinced to have the meeting. He says Paxton was an enthusiastic advocate from the beginning.

Schmidt and the arts camp board of directors spent three months looking at revenue models and business plans, and decided to give it a go. Schmidt says it’s hard to estimate how much money all of the repairs and renovations will take. But the organization will launch a capital campaign soon, and hopes to raise $500,000 before camp begins in June.

And while the talks to transfer the campus from Sheldon Jackson College to the arts camp happened between officials from the two organizations, the rest of this journey will be a community effort.

“It makes us think again as a community of the place as a campus, rather than just a couple buildings here and there,” Schmidt said. “And when I see the peeling paint and when I see the shingles, what I see by the patched shingles is a roof that’s not leaking right now because there’s a great maintenance guy that’s been working tirelessly. One man and a pile of shingles going up on that roof and patching that up leak. To me that’s inspiring. And when I talk to Ron, who’s been here a number of years, he says ‘I just love the place. I can’t stand to see it fall apart.’ And had it been another person who was just doing it for the money, they’d be like, ‘Y’know, that building’s just going to go to pieces anyway.’ And I feel like, if one guy, for the last number of years has staved off the elements singlehandedly, it’s almost impossible for me to conceive that with 50 to 100 people all pulling the sled together, or whatever cliché you want to use, we can’t keep that roof on for another couple years, that we can’t keep the place painted and we can’t keep the place patched. And if we can do those things, the buildings will survive. And as the buildings survived we can get them used, and as the buildings get used we can bring in revenue, and as we bring in that, then we can go from piecemeal patching – sort of a triage repair situation – to a long term maintenance and renovation vision.”
© Copyright 2011, Raven Radio Foundation Inc.

Hames PE Center falls short in election

2010-10-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

I'll post the KCAW story shortly, but the gist is that all three Hames funding proposals were pretty soundly rejected by voters on October 5th.

The city has not commented on what may be next for the center.

SSSC Update

2010-09-18T23:08:00.000-07:00

The SJ Hatchery and Ahlgren aquarium are alive and well - they are being operated by the Sitka Sound Science Center, which is dedicated to increasing understanding and awareness of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of the Gulf of Alaska through education and research.

Some of our upcoming events this week are:

* Monday-Friday 10-12 AM and 2-4 PM: Aquarium and hatchery tours
* Tuesday, September 21 - 7:00 - 8:30 PM: free science seminar at the Sage building, by Cara Stepp, PhD, UW. Every Child is a Scientist: Engaging children in scientific thinking and reasoning through robotics and computer science.
* Thursday, September 23 - 7:00 - 9:00 PM at the Sage building: Synthetic Sea, Synthetic Me: Plastics in the Marine Environment. By our guest speaker, Anna Cummins of the 5 Gyres Project.
* Saturday, September 25, 8 AM: Allen Marine tour and beach cleanup, starting at Crescent Harbor (tickets for sale at the dock)
* Saturday, September 25, 1-2 PM: Activities and cleanup at Sitka National Historical Park.
* Sunday, September 26 - time and location TBA: Dockside cleanup.

All those who are interested in subscribing to the e-mail and / or snail mail versions of our newsletter, or in volunteering at the SSSC, can sign up by sending an e-mail to pnorwood@sitkasoundsciencecenter.org, or by simply coming to see us in the Sage building.

College officials look for "dignified end" to SJC

2010-08-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Hear the story here

SJ Child Care Center

2010-07-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

The Sheldon Jackson Child Care Center has received a $300,000 grant from the Rasmuson Foundation that will allow the nonprofit organization to purchase the building.

Along with the board that was put together when the school closed Lolly Miller and her staff are heroes for all their hard work and dedication to the Child Care Center.

Raven Radio Link

2010-06-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

Click here to hear the story of Dobler being fired

Dobler Out: Holst In

2010-06-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

According the Sitka Daily Sentinel, June 17,2010 - Dr. Dobler is no longer SJ(C?) President, and is being replaced in the interim by John Holst, a former school superintendent and assembly member. Once I digest the article, I'll report on details.

Curiosity

2010-06-12T17:18:00.000-07:00

Out of curiosity, how many people are still reading this blog? I’d be very curious to have people post why they still read the blog 3 years after the school closed. I’d also be curious to know how the reads was or is affiliated to SJC. If you are still reading the blog, please take a minute or two to leave a comment and let us know you are still reading, why you still read it and your affiliation to SJ. It is your option to sign the comment of leave it anonymously.

I know I still check in regularly because I cared deeply for the school, the students, the faculty, the staff, and most especially the volunteers. I also, still care deeply about what will happen with the campus.

Dubuque bows out

2010-06-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

In a letter not becoming of a university president, Jeffrey Bullock announces Dubuque's decision to "step away" from a potential partnership with SJ(C?) and the city of Sitka. I don't blame UD for not wanting to proceed, but was surprised by the spirit of Bullock's letter, which engages in blaming "some SJC Board members" and city officials for the partnership's failure, while holding up Dr. Dobler as an ethical visionary and someone to be admired.

Really? It leads me to conclude that President Bullock was never able to fully appreciate and understand the complexities of what transpired here.

You can read the letter in its entirety below:

June 7, 2010.

To: The University of Dubuque Community

From: Jeffrey F. Bullock, President

Re: UD/Sheldon Jackson Partnership Status

I am writing, separately from my Summer Update letter which you will receive this week, to update you regarding Sheldon Jackson College (SJC) in Sitka, Alaska. I have sincerely appreciated the conversations and trips with members of our Board, cabinet members, and DNAS faculty while exploring the opportunity to take an extensive look at the possibility of a relationship between Sheldon Jackson College and the University of Dubuque.

It is clear to me, however, that our expectations for this project differ quite significantly from the expectations of some members of the Sheldon Jackson Board and, most particularly, the leaders of the City of Sitka. In my discussions with both groups, I have tried to lay out a roadmap for a long-term, vibrant, and renewed educational operation at Sheldon Jackson College. I have tried to demonstrate that UD was committed philanthropically, through a designated donor gift, to finish the restoration of a key building - Allen Hall, to develop an academic program plan, and to work through the Sheldon Jackson College Foundation which would help structure finances and provide opportunities for traditional and non-traditional programs, particularly to serve Native Alaskans. Granted, the nature of our program proposal was to begin small, understand the market, and then to grow as the opportunities were identified, rather than to replace one former model of educational enterprise with a similar model. The program model in our proposal is one that we have tested, tried, and implemented here at UD; and a model that we believed we could have implemented in Sitka.

It is clear to me, however, that the expectations of some members of the SJC Board are not in alignment with our plan which is, of course, their prerogative. It appears that they aspire to have an entity take over the SJC campus and, in effect, run it as it was previously run. Obviously, we do not believe this is the right way to pursue education in Sitka, but it is their campus and, as trustees, that is clearly and rightly their decision to make.

It is also abundantly clear to me that the officials representing the City of Sitka have absolutely no intention of trying to 1) understand our proposal, or 2) understand the very competitive nature of Higher Education. Truthfully, this is the most discouraging aspect of my disappointment. To go from a verbal commitment of significant dollars to what in effect amounts to a “maybe in the future” type of arrangement clearly illustrates, for me anyway, that the City officials do not understand either the importance or necessity of a private/public partnership in this regard. It also gives me great pause when I consider working with the City in the future. I have learned that if there is one constant in the very competitive business of Higher Education, it is this: Independent schools cannot compete with Regent or State-supported schools without the tangible support of their local and regional civic and political leadership. Alaska is full of state-sponsored education. There is a reason, then, why private schools such as UD are not in abundance in the State of Alaska. We absolutely could not find a way to mount a successful program in Sitka without both the financial and political support of the City officials.

I am proud to say - and I know that we all share in this sentiment - that, over the last ten years, the University of Dubuque has grown from an enrollment of under 600 to nearly triple that figure. Our annual operating budget has increased several-fold. We have added significant numbers of faculty and staff at a time when most colleges and universities are experiencing reductions in force, and the financial impact we have made to our local community has grown exponentially as well. Though not on the same scale, we had hoped to make a similarly positive impact in Sitka and, by extension, throughout Alaska. Unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the conditions for programmatic growth and expansion on the SJC campus, or in the City of Sitka, do not exist in a way that would allow us to be both credible and successful.

Regretfully, we must at this time step away from the table.

Finally, I would like to also say that it has been a privilege to work on this project with SJC President David Dobler. David has comported himself in both an ethical and visionary way during a very difficult time in the history of SJC. He has endured ridicule in the community, derision in blogs posted by former disgruntled members of the faculty and staff, personal financial sacrifice and an uncertain professional future all for the purpose of trying to identify a new future for SJC. I, for one, both admire and respect him.

Know that we do wish the members of the SJC Board the very best as they chart out the best plan for Sheldon Jackson.

Dubuque Delays Decision on SJ(C?)

2010-04-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

Radio Iowa reported last week that UD President Jeffrey Bullock has said the his college is not ready to decide on a future SJ(C?) partnership. The story goes on to say that he will report to his board in May, and a decision could be ready by the end of 2010.

Here's the link.

The Historic "Quad" to become a triad.

2010-01-31T15:40:00.000-08:00

Efforts are underway to subdivide the Armstrong Building and Stevenson Hall from the rest of the campus. Stevenson is currently part of the quadrangle that includes North Pacific Hall, Whitmore Hall, and Fraser Hall, and is part of the historic landmark designation. Nancy Yaw Davis recently wrote a letter to the editor which noted that the change can take place without public input.

SJ(C?) given another year to pay off debt

2010-01-31T15:34:00.000-08:00

A Sitka Sentinel article dated January 14, 2010 reports that Alaska Growth Capital has decided to hold off on foreclosure action for an additional year. Court documents state that SJ(C?) owes AGC at least $4.5 million plus 5% interest. A status hearing has been set for January of 2011.

AGC loaned SJ(C?) $4.7 million in June of 2006. SJ(C?) owes AGC $4.5 million now.

Dubuque doesn't need a Dean of Students

2010-01-15T07:55:00.000-08:00

With the Dubuque visit to Sitka having just past, it seems that they have no use for Dean of Students (at least not this one) in their new plan for SJ(C?). Could it be my spotty employment history? =)

Reportedly, Dubuque visited the campus and spoke with interested folks who filled out a survey on the city's webpage. Present company excluded. Ahem.

I'll post info once the Sentinel or Raven Radio publishes anything new.

U of Dubuque to visit again

2010-01-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

According to the January 5th addition of the Daily Sitka Sentinel officials from the University of Dubuque will be in Sitka the rest of this week and next to perform due diligence. U of Dubuque Vice President John Stewart will be accompanied by two faculty members, an architect and a building director. The condition of the campus buildings will be assed and faculty will be meeting with various Sitka residents who responded to the survey to determine how many academically qualified people might be interested in teaching. They will also be visiting the Sitka Sound Science Center in the Sage Building and will be meeting with the staff and board of that facility

Chris Bryner interview and extended audio at KCAW - Raven Radio

2010-01-01T10:15:00.000-08:00

Following Raven Radio's interview with Dr. Dobler, it was my turn. Extended audio is here. There's is hope that an interview with Jeffrey Bullock, President of the University of Dubuque, will be available in the near future as well.

Dr. Dobler on Raven Radio

2009-12-29T21:13:00.000-08:00

In the first of a series for Iowa Public Radio, KCAW's Robert Woosley interviewed Dr. Dobler and yours truly about the past, present, and future SJ(C?). Dr. Dobler's interview aired tonight, and I'm on Wednesday.

Also, comments are now moderated due to the spam we've been getting.

Poll deadline extended

2009-11-07T15:41:00.000-08:00

Last week I added a poll to the blog (top right) to get a sense of what folks were thinking about a potential UD / SJ(C?) partnership that included Dr. Dobler and Trustees. I've since extended the deadline to November 13th.

Polls like these cannot be taken too seriously. Consider the biases of readers of this blog, for example. Many of us likely felt mislead by Dobler and company at the time of closing, so it only makes sense that the poll would skew as it does.

However, I do think it points to a potential problem UD may encounter in attempting to set up camp here. There is likely to be vocal opposition, or at least a lack of support, for any deal that doesn't signal a departure from the past.

Hmm...

2009-11-03T23:54:00.000-08:00

On a recent virtual visit to the Unversity of Dubuque via their website, I came across the following:

Look familiar? It appears (if the site is up to date) that the former President of Sheldon Jackson College is a special assistant to the President of Dubuque. This could be a good thing, as Dr. Haaland is sure to be as aware of SJ(C?)'s strengths and weaknesses as anyone. Yet it may also signify that the future of the campus may indeed too closely resemble its past.

UD to get Alaska Outpost?

2009-11-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to the article.

There aren't any revelations in the article, but of note: Dr. Dobler states that SJ(C?) will be giving the campus to UD should the deal go through. Does this mean that Trustees will no longer have a role? Not sure. Dobler's comments to the Chamber a few weeks ago seemed to suggest that he and Trustees were an active part of the future of the campus.

I come across like a cheerleader for the whole thing, which might be overstating things a bit! I am hopeful, like most people, that something good can come out of this partnership. I remain opposed to a scenario in which the Trustees play a role in the future of students. Time will tell...

Dubuque Times-Herald article

2009-10-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

This coming Saturday's Dubuque Telegraph-Herald is scheduled to print an article about the potential Dubuque / SJ(C?) partnership. I was interviewed this morning and did my best to present the case that while many people here are supportive of Dubuque's efforts, some must have assurances that the mistakes of the past (termination without notice, students left without a school to attend) will not be repeated. The surest way to accomplish this remains, in my opinion, the exclusion of President Dobler and the Trustees from the equation.

Cut from the same cloth?

2009-10-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

Warning: My biases may be all too obvious here; judge for yourself.

My earlier post about Dubuque's interest in Sitka's academic workforce has garnered quite a few comments. Among them are concerns that criticism of Dobler and the Trustees is unproductive and may hurt the chances of a future partnership between the two schools.

My take: Any partnership that fails to address the issues of the past and hold accountable those responsble will not last. Secondly, any partnership that allows the SJ(C?) Board of Trustees authority over student welfare clearly fails to acknowledge the harm caused to students at the time of closure and fails to take seriously the responsibility an institution has to its students.

Unfortunately, Dubuque President Jeffrey Bullock seems to think that Dobler and the Trustees "served admirably" during this time. More of the same...

What do others think?

Faculty Wanted

2009-10-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

As reported in the Daily Sentinel, The City of Sitka is working with the University of Dubuque to assess Sitkan's readiness and/or willingness to teach college courses.

Sitka was, of course, far more ready and willing before 100 of us were laid off with no notice...What's to say things will be different this time if Dobler and the Trustees remain involved?

Good News

2009-10-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

To hear the latest on Raven Radio about Dubuque taking over SJ click here: Dubuque

Hames

2009-10-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

You can hear the latest news on Raven Radio here.

Sale Pending on Ocean Vista and Pears Cottage

2009-09-19T23:35:00.000-07:00

Throughout the years whenever funds were low (which was, unfortunately, often), those properties that rung around the outside of the campus were often considered for sale. Houk House and Tillie Paul were sold just a few years back. With all ancillary properties on the market, it was only a matter of time before Ocean Vista and Pears Cottage found new owners. According to Davis Realty, both have sale pending. I've seen exterior work being done on Ocean Vista in recent weeks as well.

National Trust eyes Sheldon Jackson Campus

2009-09-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

Here the story on Raven Radio here: National Trust

Hames once again in the news

2009-09-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

KCAW Raven Radio has this story regarding last night's Assembly discussion on the future of the Hames Wellness Center. Debate mostly centered around the cost-benefit ratio of such a facility. A question not asked, but one I think relevant to the issue, is where is SJ(C?) on the issue?

Should the city decide to let their lease expire, Hames closes. SJ(C?) loses the revenue. Another building gets boarded up. What's in it for the former college to let this happen?

When University of Dubuque President Jeffrey Bullock stated that any future partnership between them and the community would require community support, I chuckled. Clearly he must not have known that the problem is the reverse. Despite community support, SJ(C?) remains uncooperative, secretive, and self-important.

SJ(C?) loses nothing by allowing the city to occupy Hames at little to no cost. The gesture would go far in establishing renewed support for a campus struggling to find a future of any kind.

More news on Raven Radio

2009-08-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

Here is another story on Raven Radio. You can hear it here.

Hames PE Center Sale to City Off

2009-08-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

According to the August 19, 2009 addition of the Daily Sitka Sentinel the SJ Trustees voted to pull the Hames PE Center off the market. The trustees said they took the action because they believed the Sitka voters would not approve a ballot measure to fund the purchase. Also, the board said the sale might be premature because of all the uncertainty and possibilities.

Dubuque shows some interest...

2009-08-19T17:40:00.000-07:00

Raven Radio reports on the University of Dubuque visit via an interview of UD's President, Jeffrey Bullock.

Hames Assessment Completed

2009-07-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

According to the Friday Daily Sitka Sentinel the report issues by CTA Architects and Engineers estimates the cost to repair the Hames Athletic and Wellness Center at 13.5 million dollars. Sitka City Administrator Jim Dinley issued an executive summery of the report and concluded to also purchase the building and land 15 million dollars would be needed. It was noted by Dinley to build a comparable new facility would more than likely exceed 20 million dollars.

There is a good chance that the voters of Sitka will be asked to vote in October on a 15 million dollar bond to purchase and repair the Hames Center.

National Park Service to Purchase 3 Acres

2009-07-10T18:07:00.000-07:00

The National Park Service will purchase 3 undeveloped acres of the former Sheldon Jackson Campus. You can hear the Raven Radio story here.

SJ(C?) in the Sentinel (Twice)

2009-06-30T23:58:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday, the SJ(C?) Trustees met on campus to discuss several things. Among them the sale of Hames PE Center and additional properties to cover a growing debt of over $13 million; An upcoming visit by University of Dubuque officials and donors scheduled for August, which seems to be the latest attempt at finding a suitor; and lastly the lukewarm response thus far from the state.

The Sitka Sentinel covered the meeting and these issues in their Wednesday, June 24th edition, and then followed up on Thursday with news that the city has allocated $5000 to help cover costs associated with the Dubuque visit.

More later...

SJ Board Meeting

2009-06-21T21:40:00.000-07:00

I received this e-mail today from a former SJ Faculty Member:

Due to people asking me about the SJC Board meeting, I thought I would send out an email. There is a public testimony agenda item at the SJC board of trustee meeting next Wed. June 24 at 1300 (1:00) in the afternoon at Rasmusen on campus. If you would like to present or be heard, show up at 1:00

Enough Already: Sheldon Jackson will not reopen.

2009-06-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

Why should it? Why would anyone want it to?

Don't mistake my sentiments for cynicism or pessimism. Simply put, the evidence just doesn't point to any reopening. For example:

The former college is carrying debt of over $12 million. The only way to to pay it off is to sell property. Selling every perimeter property doesn't come close to this figure. Add to this the start up costs of reopening the college. Deferred maintenance of several millions, recruiting staff and students, etc. would likely cost upwards of $50 million.

SJ(C?) is no longer accredited nor licensed to operate a college. This means that no federal aid is available. So add the costs of scholarships to the above figure, as well as the difficulty of attracting students to a formerly failed school without accreditation.

Most importantly, the Board of Trustees of Sheldon Jackson College have failed to persuade anyone that they should be responsible for running a college. The same people who fired employees and sent students packing with no notice are still there. I don't want them running any organization that requires a commitment to the welfare of students. Ever.

The effort now should be to preserve the campus core for history's sake, as well as for potential new uses; to call for the dissolution of Sheldon Jackson College as an entity, and to look to future organizations and leaders to bring about a new mission and purpose for a once proud institution.

The current one just has too much baggage.

David Sweetland Hall

2009-06-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

I still frequently have people stop, call or e-mail me who think the school will reopen. When I tell people that all the buildings are in bad shape and need lots ans lots work people often think I’m over reacting.

Anyway the other day I was looking through some old photos I have from when I worked at SJ and I came across these photos taken during the summer of 2004. These are before we did repair work on the West 100 shower room. This damage was done from water leaking into the walls and floor in the showers. This damage was done because of poor construction techniques. Keep in mind that there are 7 more shower rooms in Sweetland Hall and I can tell you that all of them have similar damage. The last time I crawled under South 100 during the summer of 07 the rot looked this bad or worse. In fact in 2007 there was a hole all the way through the exterior wall big enough to put my hand through. So, I think I can safely assume that the inside of the South 100 wall looks worse than what you see in the posted photos.

In the top photo VIM Vern Boyer shows the rot after he pulled off the siding and sheeeting on the exterior wall. In the 2nd photo you can see how rotted the floor joist that are under the shower room. And in the 3rd photo you can see the damge done by ants.

Hames Assessment

2009-06-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

Over the past two days CTA Architects Engineers a large nation wide firm has been doing a complete assessment of the Hames PE Center. I was asked to be part of the team that did the on sight work. I have to say working with these folks, that they left few if any stones unturned. In other words the field work was top notch and very professional. There was also several other local people on the team including a local architect, surveyor, building contractor, several city employees and an earth excavator. CTA brought with them 5 highly qualified engineers that looked at the building envelope, mechanical systems, electrical systems and the pool. Bob Jones the Head Engineer from CTA said the report to the city should be done by the 15th of July. His mandate to the crew was to look at all the problems and figure out how to make improvements that will last 30 years with normal maintenance. CTA will do a complete cost analyses and this will be part of the report.

All in all CTA feels the building is in better shape than assumed and that cost may not be as high as some had feared, including myself. I know I’m anxiously waiting to see the results.

With any luck another part of the old SJC campus might survive.

Reality Check

2009-05-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

After reading the PC USA article on the SJ Christmas Joy Offering I think it is time for a reality check, or maybe just simple mathematics.

But first a few things to think about

1. How much did SJ owe prior to closing the school?
2. How much debt has been paid down by selling land?
3. How much is it costing to maintain the school even in a mothballed status?
4. How much money is being generated by rents? Is SJ breaking even on these rents?
5. What is the debt service on the loans?

I think no matter how you do the above math it is simple to see that SJ continues to go in the hole. There is not enough land and it is not selling quick enough to ever dig out of the hole that is getting deeper.

My advice is to read quotes from the Former President of the board and School with a grain of salt.

Now I know the next bit is very long, but if you want to read why it is going to cost $50 plus million to get the buildings back up and running feel free to read below. Or, just skip to which every building you think would be needed to reopen the school.

This was quickly written and I know there are spelling and typo mistakes. Sorry!

Known Problems with the Main SJ Campus Buildings as of July 2007

This report is being prepared by Marcel LaPerriere who was the head of the SJC Maintenance Department for the last 4 years of the schools operation. This report is primarily being prepared for the SJ Task Force who is doing what they can to help insure something good comes from the former SJ College. It is not being prepared with malice but it is being prepared in hopes that people will realize the enormity of task at hand to rebuild the school.

This report will be broken down into these categories; Foundation, Structure, Roof, Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing for each of the main buildings on the main campus of the former Sheldon Jackson College.

General Notes

All of the buildings on the main campus of the former SJC Campus have many problems. All the way from asbestos and other contaminates to major rot as wall as mechanical and electrical problems.

Even though much work was done to remediate contaminated soils on the campus during the underground infrastructure work of 2003 to 2004 there are still many “Hot Spots” of contaminated soils located within the main campus area. It can safely be said that any excavating of soils near any of the historic buildings will have a high probability of unearthing oil contaminated soil.

It should also be noted that this report is only addressing known problems. There are undoubtedly many unknown problems. The report also does not take into account that any upgrade of the historic buildings would more than likely require that major structural work be done to bring the 100 year old buildings up to today’s seismic requirements. Of course the buildings do not meet today’s Fire and Life Safety Standards and these would have to be addressed too. Any restoration of the buildings would require that modern fire alarms and sprinklers be added.

Since the main historic buildings of the quad have not had heat within them since the school closed it can be assumed that the condition of the buildings has declined over the last 2 years. It can be very safely assumed that the plumbing within the buildings sustained freeze damage over the last 2 winters.

Armstrong

Foundation: No known Problems.

Structure: Minor rot and needed painting. Windows needed caulked.

Roof: In very poor shape with minor leaking. It needs replaced. This roof is also very susceptible to ice dams and ice buildup. It is assumed that there needs to be additional insulation added to the roof.

Electrical: Most of the lighting fixtures need replaced. The breaker box in located in the 1st floor boiler room which makes it inconvenient for people who occupy the 2nd floor offices.

Mechanical and Plumbing: The boiler is very problematic and there are problems with the heating zones working properly. The main water shut off valve located outside the building has a broken valve stem and will not shut off.

Stevenson Hall ( Historic Building)

Foundation: There has been a lot of settling over the years which makes the floor very uneven. There are a few minor crakes in the foundation. The crawlspace is loaded with asbestos which must be cleaned up before any work can commence in this location.

Structure: There is rot in many walls. The exterior of the building was mostly painted in 2005. Most of the windows do not operate very well and many have broken frames. The building for the most part is not insulated and all the windows are single pain. The front steps need replaced as they are in poor shape and do not meet code.

Roof: Is in very poor shape. In the 70’s plywood was shot down over the cedar shingles, and then composition shingles were attached. The shingles have now reached the end of their life and water is leaking through to both the plywood and the cedar shingles.

Electrical: Is in very poor shape and is drastically overloaded and undersized. Just prior to the school closing we were upgrading the interior wiring and were waiting for a new electric service to be installed.

Mechanical and Plumbing: Shortly after the school was closed the steam heat was disconnected from all the quad buildings. There is no heat in the building which has more than likely added to the decline of the structure. Much of the plumbing is in very poor shape, both the fresh water and waste water lines. Since the building got domestic hot water from a steam heat exchanger located in North Pacific Hall there is no hot water in the building.

North Pacific Hall ( Historic Building)

Foundation: Of all the quad buildings the foundation in North Pacific might be in the best shape. Like the other quad buildings the crawlspace is loaded with asbestos and it must be cleanup before any work can be done in that location.

Structure: There is rot in many walls. The front of the building is extremely rotted with many of the shingles falling off the walls. The sub sheeting is shiplap plans and many of them are rotted. It can be assumed that the framing is also rotted. The front steps need replaced as they are in poor shape and do not meet code. A new exterior fire escape was added to the east end of the building in 2006. The west 2nd floor fire escape was torn off and was in the process of being built when the school closed. All the windows are in poor shape, many have extremely rotted frames.

Roof: Is in very poor shape. In the 70’s plywood was shot down over the cedar shingles, and then composition shingles were attached. The shingles have now reached the end of their life and water is leaking through to both the plywood and the cedar shingles.

Electrical: Is in very poor shape and is drastically overloaded and undersized.

Mechanical and Plumbing: Shortly after the school was closed the steam heat was disconnected from all the quad buildings. There is no heat in the building which has more than likely added to the decline of the structure. Much of the plumbing is in very poor shape, both the fresh water and waste water lines. Since the building got domestic hot water from a steam heat exchanger located in exterior basement North Pacific Hall there is no hot water in the building. The restrooms are in very poor shape with leaking plumbing in the walls and the upstairs showers leak.

Ceramics Building ( Historic Building)

It is assumed this is the oldest building on campus. With the exception of no heat within the building this structure is more than likely in the best condition of all the historic buildings. Of course there are deficiencies in wiring, and plumbing. There is also more than likely some rot within the walls. New shingles were added to the building within the last 10 years.

Allen Auditorium ( Historic Building)

Much work was done to restore Allen over the years, but much work is still remaining. As of 2007 the estimate on the work that was still required ranged from 1.5 to 3 million. It can be assumed that these numbers are going up. The lack of maintenance during construction is also causing the building’s condition to decline. Moss and even small trees are growing on the roof. Just prior to the closer of the school rope anchor points were added to the cupola so that this moss and trees could be removed. Unfortunately the school closed and this work was never done.

Whitmore Hall ( Historic Building)

Foundation: The foundation is cracked in the northeast corner. A temporary patch was placed on the wall in 2004. Again there is asbestos in this crawlspace and it must be cleaned up before work can be done in this area.

Structure: There is rot in many walls. The front of the building is rotted with many of the shingles falling off the walls. The sub sheeting is shiplap planks and many of them are rotted. It can be assumed that the framing is also rotted. New exterior fire escapes were added to the building in 2006. The rear wall of the building was rebuilt in 2004 and the building was mostly painted. The annex apartment area of the building is in very poor shape. There is extensive rot in the walls and roof of the apartment. All the windows are in poor shape, many have extremely rotted frames.

Roof: Is in very poor shape. In the 70’s plywood was shot down over the cedar shingles, and then composition shingles were attached. The shingles have now reached the end of their life and water is leaking through to both the plywood and the cedar shingles. Of all the roofs in the quad this one is in the worst condition. Many shingles have blown off and have been patched. The plywood in one location is too rotted to hold nails. Water is leaking into the attic.

Electrical: Is in very poor shape and is drastically overloaded and undersized through much of the building.

Mechanical and Plumbing: Shortly after the school was closed the steam heat was disconnected from all the quad buildings. There is no heat in the building which has more than likely added to the decline of the structure. Much of the plumbing is in very poor shape, both the fresh water and waste water lines. Since the building’s domestic hot water came from a steam heat exchanger located in basement of the Laundry Building there is no hot water in the building. The restrooms are in very poor shape with leaking plumbing in the walls and the upstairs showers leak.

Frasher Hall ( Historic Building)

Foundation: The foundation is cracked in a few places and settling has caused some problems. Again there is asbestos in this crawlspace and it must be cleaned up before work can be done in this area.

Structure: There is rot in many walls. The Back of the building is rotted with many of the shingles falling off the walls. The sub sheeting is shiplap planks and many of them are rotted. It can be assumed that some of the framing is also rotted. The fire escape is in very poor shape and the City Building Department had ordered that it be replaced or the building would be condemned. All the windows are in poor shape, many have extremely rotted frames. Before the school closed this was the next building on the list to get painted.

Roof: Is in very poor shape. In the 70’s plywood was shot down over the cedar shingles, and then composition shingles were attached. The shingles have now reached the end of their life and water is leaking through to both the plywood and the cedar shingles. Water is leaking into the attic.

Electrical: Is in very poor shape and is drastically overloaded and undersized through all of the building. The wiring within this building is more the likely in the worst condition of all the historic quad buildings.

Mechanical and Plumbing: Shortly after the school was closed the steam heat was disconnected from all the quad buildings. There is no heat in the building which has more than likely added to the decline of the structure. Much of the plumbing is in very poor shape, both the fresh water and waste water lines. Since the building got domestic hot water from a steam heat exchanger located in basement of the Laundry Building there is no hot water in the building. The restrooms are in very poor shape.

Laundry Building ( Historic Building)

Foundation: Of the quad building this building’s foundation is in the best condition. There are no known major problems.

Structure: In 2006 a professional engineer did an assessment of the structural integrity of the building. There were no major problems noted with exception of major rot in the roof structure. Under orders from the City Building Department the stack was analyzed for structural integrity and it was found to be in relatively good condition. It is assumed the stack would survive a moderate earthquake. A wood and shingle cap was installed to the stack to keep water from migrating into the building and into the stack. The rot within the walls of the Laundry Building is not as bad as one would expect for a 100 year old building, but there are pockets of rot. Of course all the windows are in poor shape.

Roof: The roof is in poor shape. In 2006 temporary repairs were made to the roof framing structure and temporary roll roofing was installed to keep out the major leaking. The roof over the bunker fuel storage area was replaced and should be in fairly good condition for some years.

Electrical: Is in very poor shape and is drastically overloaded and undersized through all of the building. Much of the wiring within this building is potentially some of the oldest wring on the campus.

Mechanical and Plumbing: The basement of this building was the original central heat boiler room for the campus. In later years it was used as the main distribution center for the steam heat. In the early 2000’s the asbestos was mostly removed from this area, however there is still some asbestos that was missed during the cleanup. The majority of the plumbing within this building is in poor shape. Some of the old associated boiler equipment is contaminated with heavy oil and this would need to be cleanup before any major work could commence within this area.

Contamination: Adjacent to the main part of the building is the old bulk fuel storage area which started its life as a coal storage bunker. When the boilers were converted from coal to steam the concrete bunker was used as a storage tank for bunker oil. During the conversion from coal to oil no leak mitigation measures were taken so for well over 50 years oil has been leaching from this tank. The tank still contains in access of 1000 gallons of heavy waste oil. In 2006 several test pits were dug around the perimeter of this old tank and as expected the soils were very badly. In one location the backhoe was digging up more oil than dirt. There is also an old buried fuel oil tank located on the east side of the Laundry Building. This tank has an undetermined amount of fuel oil within. When tested in 2006 the tank was not leaking, but it was heavily rusted and it can be assumed the tank will start leaking in not too many years.
During the replacement of the roof over the bulk storage tank there was a floor drain noted that is just outside the oil tank and between the main boiler room. It is assumed that this floor drain is hooked into the city waste water system and if the tank was over to overflow due to water intrusion or leak the oil that is located within the old tank would drain into the city waste water system. Old city records indicate that a large amount of oil once entered the city system and it was assumed that the oil came from SJ. I think it is likely that this floor drain was the culprit. When the school closed dye tracing of this drain was on the agenda, but was never done.

Stratton Library

Foundation: No known problems with the exception that the flume runs under the building. This has caused problems in the past and will more than likely cause problems again in the future.

Structure: The walls and roof of this building are in bad need of attention. Most of the nails that hold the siding on have worked loose over the years. All the siding should all be refastened. During the summer of 2007 this was on the agenda as was painting of the building, but when the school closed this work did not get done. Even to the untrained eye it is obvious that there is excessive moisture within the walls.

Roof: The roof has been leaking for several years. There has been several patches done to mitigate this leakage, but the roof is still leaking in some areas. The shingles are in very poor condition and should be replaced before the sheeting is rotted.

Electrical: Many of the florescent lights have bad ballasts, other than that most of the wiring is in good condition.

Mechanical and Plumbing: In 2005 new boilers were installed. These boilers are in good shape, but much or the associated equipment is not. In 2006 and 2007 new heat controls were added to the 2nd floor. When the school closed we were in the process of replacing the heating controls on the 1st floor. None of these controls were working so there is no heat control on the lower floor.

Rasmuson Center

Foundation: When Rasmuson was renovated in the early 2000’s the front foundation was not stabilized. A new footer and stem wall were pour right on unstable soils. This is causing the building to settle massively. The building is settling so severely that in my opinion structural failure is only a matter of time. This settling has caused the floors to buckle and sub floor fasteners to pop loose, doors to not work properly and at least one window to break. In time if this problem is not addressed more damage to floors, walls and windows can be expected. More serious problems can also be expected including the failure of roof trusses.

(I took a walk around the campus on Sunday the 3dr of May 3, 2009 and note that the foundations under the front pillars of the building continue to move further out of plumb. I would make an educated guess that the lower water level in the flume is causing this settling problem to speed up since the water table is lower and this is causing additional subsiding under Rasmuson and Yaw.)

Structure: Other than the problems being caused by the excessive settling of the building the rest of the structure is in good condition.

Roof: There are no known problems with the roof. However if the foundation is not fixed the roof will fail.

Electrical: The wiring is in good condition with the exception of much of the old wiring was left in place when the renovation work was done. This makes tracing wired more difficult since it is not always easy to tell which wires are live and which wires are not.

Mechanical and Plumbing: In 2005 new boilers were added and the building was taken off the central steam heat. This saved the school untold dollars. However, during the renovation of the building a much larger HVAC system was installed than necessary. The HVAC system was also very poorly designed and because of this poor design it is impossible to properly heat the building when the temperatures get much below freezing. The oversized HVAC system also is extremely inefficient and very wasteful. (A design to make this system work properly was done by me and a local heating contractor, but funds were never allocated to fix this system.)

Yaw Building

Foundation: The underground infrastructure work that was done on campus caused some unintended problems by changing the water table and underground sheet flow of water. This is causing the ground under the foundation of Yaw to subside. The subsidence has caused the front stairs to move away from the building. It has also caused the building’s foundation to start failing. Wood pilings under the building that were once totally submerged in mud are now exposed and are quickly rotting and loosing lateral support. If the foundation is not repaired soon the foundation of Yaw Building will totally fail. (The lower level of the flume is surely causing this problem to speed up.)

Structure: During the renovation of the building in the early 2000’s no work was done on exterior walls. The same steam leaks that rotted out the floor also rotted out many of the walls. There are extensive pockets of rot in all the exterior walls.

Roof: The roof was replaced by volunteers in the early 2000’s. Unfortunately the volunteers do not install the shingles properly and this has caused some minor leaking. Proper roof maintenance and inspections will mitigate these leaks and the roof should be good for several more years.

Electrical: The electrical wiring in Yaw is a disaster and is a fire waiting to happen. During the renovation the electrical contractor did substandard work, much of it not to code. The wiring is a mixture of old and new wiring, with miles of abandoned wiring left hanging and in conduits. Some conduits and junction boxes have both dead and live wires within the same box. Many of these junction boxes are extremely overloaded and this has caused arching of wire splices to the metal box. Many of the older wire splices are just taped and this tape is old and rotting. One more than one occasion there the main feed breaker has trip, which indicates to me that there is a major problem within the wiring system.

Mechanical and Plumbing: Like all the buildings within the quad area Yaw Building lost heat when the steam line was cut near Hames shortly after the school closed. So there is no way to heat the building. All the other plumbing within the building is shot.

David Sweetland Hall

Foundation: There has been some settling and this has caused problems with some of the interior doors. Other than this minor settling there are no known problems with the foundation with the exception of just over the basement area of the building. In 2004 posts were added in the basement area to mitigate some of the worst settling. These posts were just placed on the floor of the basement and not properly placed on a footer.

Structure: In 2004 major rot was found in the exterior wall and floor of the West 100 shower room. Repairs were made and inspection of the other shower rooms found that all 8 shower rooms had some to extensive rot. As of 2007 the rot in the South 100 restroom had extended all the way through the wall to the point that the exterior red cedar siding was totally rotted in a very large area. The floor joist under the South 100 restroom also showed ever expanding rot. Poor drainage planes from the roof have also cause wall rot in several locations around the building. The dishwashing station in the kitchen leaked hot water into the rear wall of the kitchen for years and that wall has extensive rot and insect infiltration problems. In 2005 we got a bid from a local contractor to repair that wall. The bid was $25,000.00. No funds were ever allocated so it can be assumed the rot and insect problems have grown. All the janitor closets on all floors have leaked water into the walls and floors for years. There is extensive rot associated with all of these leaks.

Most all the windows in DSH are shot. Some have extensive rot, and most do not open properly. Some of the windows have allowed water into the walls and rot should be expected.

Roof: The roof is shot and has leaked in places for many years. The roof over the South Wing has been patched many times, but continues to leak.

Electrical: There are no known major problems with the electrical in DSH.

Mechanical and Plumbing: In 2005 DSH was taken off the steam system and the old boilers from the Stratton Library were installed in DSH New controls and an updated domestic hot water system was added to DSH at this time. These boilers and modern controls have saved tons of money since installed. Most of the HVAC system is in need of upgrading and or replacement. Some of the units no longer work.

During the construction of DSH the thinner wall M grade copper tubing was used. M grade copper has an expected life of 20 to 30 years. This lower grade thinner copper is now springing leaks throughout the whole building. In my 4 years at SJ, I personally replaced hundreds of feet of failed copper plumbing and many fittings. Unfortunately most of this failing plumbing is behind walls and in hard to reach areas. Because of this to fix or replace the plumbing walls will have to be torn into. In at least two locations rubber patches have been hose clamped to pipes to slow down the leaks. Also unfortunately much of this failing copper pipe is large pipe in the 2 to 3 inch diameter range.

Kellogg Hall

Foundation: The foundation has failed in one location on the back wall. Because of this there is major settling on one wall.

Structure: The walls of Kellogg are mostly sound. However, the old Classic Pan Abode construction would no longer come close to meeting energy requirements in today world. In the same location that the foundation has failed there is some rot that should be fixed. Most of the windows are old single glazed windows.

Roof: This is another roof that was put on by volunteers without proper supervision. Because of this the roof has leaked in several locations. The roof is also subject to ice damming and this too has caused leaking into the building.

Electrical: All the main feed lines into the sub panels are aluminum. An inspection in 2004 or 05 showed extensive corrosion. All of this corrosion as cleaned, but no follow up inspections have been made. Because the corrosion was so sever it can be assumed that some of this corrosion has come back.

Mechanical and Plumbing: When DSH was converted from central steam to it own heating system Kellogg was added to the DSH system. A new utilidor was dug between the two buildings and Kellogg now gets both heat and domestic hot water from the boilers that are located within the basement of DSH. With few exceptions this updated system has worked well. Much of the interior domestic plumbing in Kellogg is old and it can be assumed that much of it will need replaced in the next few years.

Yaw Chapel

There is some rot within the Yaw Chapel and the roof is in very poor shape. The building is prone to frozen pipes and this problem should be addressed.

Sage

I’m skipping Sage. At this time Dan Goodness would be much more qualified to tell you about the condition of the building than I would be. I can say that Sage has a very long history of a leaking roof. Also a new duel oil fired and electric boiler was added to Sage in 2006. Funding for a new electric service was never allocated so the electric boiler was never used.

Hames

A professional team has been hired to do a complete assessment of the building. Structural, Mechanical and Electrical Systems. As I recall this assessment will be available for the public sometime late summer or early fall 2009.

SJ Hatchery News on Raven Radio

2009-05-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

A little bit of good news from the former Sheldon Jackson College. Hear it here

SJ(C?) loses Christmas Joy Offering

2009-05-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

Missed this press release from PC(USA) about SJ. Last funding from the offering of $38k was given in May.

There's a few gems from Dobler as well. Ranging from the obvious: “Administratively, the place is in really a rough spot,” to the incredible, blaming the former college's demise on previous administrations, SJ(C?) “has been run by some people who worked beyond their competence.”

My favorite is his assessment of student culture on campus, which apparently he viewed as a clash between the "whale huggers and the whale eaters."

It's been nearly two years since academic operations were suspended for one year, and in that time, I think an argument can be made based on the above comments that someone still doesn't get it.

Incinerator Site Sold

2009-05-13T09:00:00.001-07:00

According to Raven Radio the city did purchase the SJ Incinerator Site at the May 12th Assembly meeting. I’d guess this would squarely put the liability of the contaminated soils on the back of the city and SJ will be clear of the potentially expense of a future cleanup.

City looking at the purchase of SJ(C?) Incinerator Site

2009-05-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

Listening to the news on Raven Radio this morning, I learned that the city is looking at purchasing the incinerator site on the former campus, current asking price is $305k. The city would move the recycling center there from its current location on Katlian Street.

Should this sale go through, that would presumably mean that SJ(C?) has sold $2.4 million or so of property in 2009 thus far. The bulk of that coming from BIHA's purchase of the uplands.

Goodbye SCJ

2009-04-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

Goodbye SJC on Raven Radio.

Hear it here.

I Guess it Doesn’t Matter But it Bugged Me

2009-04-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

Today while at someone else’s home I couldn’t help notice a piece of furniture out of the Stratton Library. When I asked the lady about it she said she paid cash for it at a yard sale last summer. I had to wonder how many of SJ’s old assets have been sold for cash. Both, legitimate sales and non-legitimate. I have also heard many rumors of items being purchased for cash from the SJ campus. I guess at this time it really doesn’t matter. However, I do know many things that are now possibly being sold off were purchased with grant funds or were donated by people who would be sad to know their donations are enriching someone who more than likely did not come by the item legally.

Have any of you seen or heard of other SJ items being sold for cash around town?

Accreditation Ends Today

2009-03-31T08:45:00.000-07:00

According the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), SJC(?)'s accreditation ends today.

Sale pending on SJ(C?) lots

2009-02-23T08:54:00.000-08:00

The uplands and duplexes north of SMC have potential buyers, according to the Davis Realty website.

What will become of the 216 acres of open land?

Below is good news from Dan Goodness

2009-02-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

Good morning, all!

Everything is going great for us here, and I wanted to give you an update. It's springtime in Sitka, complete with February snowshowers, and sunny days, too. We have begun shocking, picking and seeding coho eggs. All of our chinook have hatched, and we will begin ponding them within a month. The pinks and chums are using up their yolk, and we should begin ponding them in March. The feed for this year has been ordered, and so everything is on schedule.
In addition, we have begun the process of coded wire tagging of the Broodyear 2007 chinook and cohos. We started working on the chinook yesterday. All in all, we need to clip the adipose fins from 40,000 fish, (20,000 chinook and 20,000 cohos) and inject these with the coded wire tags recently acquired from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. We will be releasing these tagged fish this coming May, right out in Crescent Bay. Last spring, there were lots of people who volunteered their time to assist us, and learn about this procedure. I am very thankful for all the help we got!! What was especially wonderful was the experience that our local High School students got from this.

In one of the attached photos, you can see Sitka High School students tagging chinook last March.

This spring, I want to once again encourage the community of Sitka, and our local school system, to be an integral part of the continuing educational program that the Sheldon Jackson Hatchery represents, for our City. This is a tremendous opportunity for someone interested in learning about our fisheries resources here. Even if you are an individual who would just like to drop by the hatchery, and watch for awhile, that's OK, too. If you are a part of a group that would like to help us, please reply to this email, and let me know when your group could be here to help. We will be able to do the tagging operation when it's convenient for your participation. This includes Saturdays, if this works into your schedule better. At this point in time, we do not plan to tag fish on Sundays.

There will be hot drinks and snacks for our volunteers. And I want to take lots of photos this spring. So, if you'd like to help, feel free to reply to this note, or call the hatchery at 907-747-8878. Please leave a message if you get the answering machine. I thank you for your interest, and your contributions to our cause. We are dedicated to keeping the educational component of the SJ Hatchery alive, and you are invited to join our group!!

Sincerely yours, Dan

Daniel F. Goodness, ManagerSheldon Jackson Hatchery834 Lincoln StreetSitka, Alaska 99835
Work Phone: 907-747-8878Home Phone: 907-747-3824
Email: daniel.goodness@gmail.comWebsite: www.sjhatchery.org

"Education never stops at the SJ Hatchery"

SJ & TIAA-CREF

2009-02-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

Sitka Sound Science Center & the Old SJ

2009-01-22T21:22:00.001-08:00

Here is another story on Raven Radio about what's happening with the Sitka Sound Science Center. Click Here

Raven Radio SJ News

2009-01-15T09:48:00.000-08:00

As always Raven Radio has a good news stroy about SJ. Click Here

Ron and Fred Savok

2009-01-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

Anyone who was associated with SJC in recent years will remember Ron Savok and many will remember his father Fred Savok. I received a nice e-mail from Blanche Iliff and attached to her e-mail was an e-mail from Ron about the passing of his father. Blanche asked me to post Ron’s e-mail, so here is the closing to her e-mail with Ron’s attached.

Iknow lots of people will remember him. FYI, this is his second tour in Afghanistan.

Love,
Blanche and Chuck
***********************

Greetings to one and all-It is with great and heavy heart that I inform you all that my Dad- Covenant Church pastor (retired), Fred Savok passed away in Kotzebue Alaska. He was at a store shopping and just dropped. EMS tried to revive him- but God has called him home. He joins his wife, Gladys Savok and my little brother Walter (Peachy) Savok at the Pearly Gates and he is very much welcomed there as Heaven rejoices as another great Christian warrior arrives home.I am currently in Shajoy, Afghanistan and will start another long journey home to bury him in Kotzebue. Although it has only been a couple of months since I went to Bethel to bury my brother Walt, I desire to return to Afghanistan and continue the mission of training the 1-2-205 Hero Corp HHC and Weapons Company for independant operations. It is a job I love and am very good at. I thank you for your prayers and well wishes during this very tough and troubling times, but I am doing good and will be home soon.Best regards and love.1Lt Ronald D. Savok1-2-205 Hero Corp ETT MentorShajoy, Qalat Province, Afghanistan

National Geographic Puts Sitka in the News

2008-12-24T10:49:00.000-08:00

Here is a story that could have an impact on the Sheldon Jackson Campus. After all the SJ campus is one of the most historic elements of Sitka, and should be preserved. Raven Radio News

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Stratton Library

2008-12-14T15:51:00.000-08:00

Here is a link that was sent to me by Susan Floyd about the Stratton Library.

Thanks Susan for the link.

2008-12-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

SJ on Raven Radio Again

Here is another news story about the possible future of SJ. I of course have to wonder if even the State would have deep enough pockets to get the buildings in usable condition.

Ok, here is also a question for you folks out there. Do you want Chris and me to keep posting stuff like this? Please no anonymous post if you want to answer that question.

Raven Radio: Resurrecting SJC for vo-tech training

SJ in the News on Raven Radio

2008-11-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

Raven Radio Story

Transcripts here

2008-11-19T22:21:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. Several folks have asked about how to get their transcripts from SJ(C?), so I've placed a link on the right that will take you there. You can also click here.

Once there, scroll down and look for the Transcript Request Form.

SJ on Another List

2008-11-18T20:45:00.000-08:00

It should not be a surprise that The Alaska Association of Historic Preservation has placed the Sheldon Jackson Campus as one of the more endangered properties in the State on their 2008 list. You can read the story here: Most Endangered Historic Properties

SJ On the Radio

2008-11-08T10:47:00.001-08:00

Click here for APRN and Raven Radio story: http://aprn.org/2008/11/07/sheldon-jackson-board-reaffirms-goal-to-retire-the-colleges-debt/

Oops, you missed it.

2008-10-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

Today's Sitka Sentinel reported that on Tuesday the SJ(C?) Board of Trustees met on campus. Hmm... you think they might actually let someone know before they meet if they want any community involvement. Trustee Heather McCarty stated in the article that, "the community needs to have a coordinated voice in some way." How is this going to happen if the community continues to be kept out of the process? To date, no Trustee meeting minutes have been made public since before the closure.

The article also addressed the sale of the campus to pay off approximately $12.7 million in debt, $7.7 million of which is owed to Alaska Growth Capital. Three lots are currently for sale, and McCarty reiterated the Trustees' commitment to holding onto the core campus until a buyer is found that wants to operate a "training, education, and Alaska Native cultural center." McCarty also mentioned that the Trustees will not operate the campus.

Ms. McCarty estimated the value of the land for sale at just over $14 million, presumably leaving the trustees with $2 million after retiring all debt, should everything go as planned.

Dr. Walter Soboleff

2008-10-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

Dr. Walter Soboleff a graduate of Sheldon Jackson High School and long time SJ Trustee will soon be 100 years old. You can read an interesting story about him at this link.

http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/564582.html

Alaska Day

2008-10-18T22:20:00.000-07:00

For those you who did not attend the Alaska Day Parade I thought you might like to see a photo of the Sheldon Jackson Childcare Center marching in the parade. I think a real BIG THANKS needs to go out to Lolly Miller for not only her 20 years of service but for hanging in there and helping save the Childcare Center. She and a very dedicated Board should be credited for all they did to save one more piece of Sheldon Jackson. I’m sure that Sheldon Jackson the man is smiling down on them!

From me, Lolly thanks for all you have given to SJ and to Sitka. There are scores of families all across Alaska and the US who have been blessed by you caring so much for the kids. Thanks, you are the best!

Hatchery Update

2008-10-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

Good morning, everyone!

It's been about a month since I last sent out the news. In my last update, I was asking for volunteers for the 2nd half of our pink and chum spawning program. Well, we had a good day on September 6th!! Lots of folks showed up for the event, and we were able to easily take enough pink and chum eggs to make our goal. There were volunteers of all ages, I can tell you that!!

Quite a few Blatchley Junior High students were there helping, as were Chohla's Mt. Edgecumbe High School students. Thanks go out to Abigail and Samantha, both Blatchley Jr. High students, who have been there for the program all summer!! There was at least one student from Sitka High School as well. Sagan and her brother Liam did a fantastic job, helping me collect adults. Everyone had a good time.

What was particularly impressive was the way these students wanted to get geared up in neoprene waders, and help collect adults. There was lots of splashing water, and excitement galore, and by the end of the day, everyone was tired, and soaking wet, but we all got the job done!! You can see in the photos attached that lots of young people helped make it happen. I want to thank each and every one who made it that Saturday, even tho I don't know all your names. Keith and Jolene showed up just in time to help me by cooking the lunch that Lila had bought and prepared. Thanks also to Cheryl Westover, who came by in the early morning, and brought lots of goodies for everyone, but then had to work for the day. Everyone contributed in their own special way, and once again the volunteer effort at taking eggs worked. This is now the second year that the hatchery is surviving, due to volunteer help.

And now, please allow me to introduce Jack. Jack was coming in to volunteer last February and March, when we were coded-wire tagging cohos and kings. He became very familiar with the program, since he was also here to assist with the releases of coho and chinook smolts in May, and has been a tremendous asset to me and the rest of the volunteers!! Jack Lorrigan has been hired by the Sitka Sound Science Center as a Fish Culturist / Assistant Manager in Training. Jack has been on the job now for a month, and is a great help to me. I am finally beginning to take time off on the weekends, and Jack has been getting totally tuned into the idiosyncrasies of the SJ Hatchery. I am teaching him everything I can about this program, showing him all the details of fish culture and management. I must say that after 5 years of working here, I have become very intimately aware of all the strange complications that can pop up. I want to try to get Jack "up to speed" on the details as soon as possible. And I hope that Jack can become a full-time employee soon.

During this month of September, another tourist season wound down to a close. There were thousands of visitors this summer who stopped in to see us. The guest book in the Wetlab was filled to overflowing!! And, of course, we are extremely grateful for all the donations!! We shared our knowledge of Sitka and the salmon ranching industry to people from all over the world. It was a good summer.

For about one week, beginning on September 8th, Sitka Sound Seafoods purchased extra salmon from our adult raceways, fish that were surplus to our broodstock needs. Over 80,000 pounds of pinks, chums and coho were brailled out of the raceways and packed into iced totes. This cost recover effort was possible due to Sitka Sound Seafoods providing the totes, ice, a forklift, and a flatdeck truck, as well as 3 laborers!! Revenue generated from this will make it that much easier for the SSSC to operate the hatchery this winter. Thanks, Jon, for working with the SSSC to make this possible.

On September 12th and 13th, the coho fry rearing in Ponds 13 and 14 were split into 4 ponds, #1, #2, #5, and #6, to reduce their densities by half. Thanks go out to Chohla and her Science class from Mt. Edgecumbe HS, for helping dipnet fish, and carry buckets on Friday, as well as to Jodie and her daughter, Karimae, for helping that Saturday. We used the new electronic scale for this procedure and it worked flawlessly! The coho are all spread out now, and looking good!

There has been a good return of coho adults this month, too. In May, 2007, we released 120,000 coho smolts (these were from Broodyear 2005) and these fish have done well. We have been collecting adult cohos this month for our own broodstock needs. The adults are captured (one at a time) in the concrete raceways, and moved into empty circular ponds, where they will ripen for a month or so. Our goal is to hold to maturity 75 to 80 pairs of adults, so that we can be guaranteed to get our 150,000 fertilized eggs for this year. There has been some fungus in the water, but all in all the adults are doing well.

About two weeks ago, Jack and I turned on a small amount of saltwater to each of the coho and chinook rearing ponds, to help combat the Saprolegnia water fungus that is common in our Indian River water supply this time of year. Using the YSI salinity meter, we can make small adjustments and fine tune the salinities to whatever we wish. The coho have been getting around 4 to 5 parts per thousand, and the chinook have been at 5 to 7 ppt. This addition of saltwater is something that I have done here at the SJ Hatchery every fall, as fungus in our watershed is common following the upstream migration of thousands of salmon, reaching portions of Indian River way upstream of our gravity water intake.

In addition, we have been doing formalin treatments to the 2.1 million eggs that are in incubators. We treat the chinook eggs with a 1667 parts per million concentration for 15 minutes, 3 days a week, and we treat the chum and pink eggs with a 250 parts per million concentration for one hour, 3 days a week. We are seeing very high survivals in our eggs, and this makes it easier to sleep at night!! Soon, the August 30th eggtakes of pinks and chums will be eyed up, and we can shock and pick these eggs. Last year, Pacific High School and Mt. Edgecumbe High School students were very involved with the picking and processing of our eggs, and they all had a good experience!! I would once again like to invite the Sitka School District to participate in fish culture activities here at the SJ Hatchery. I'm pretty sure that Jack and I could no doubt do this alone, but this is too good an opportunity to pass up. Chohla already told me she and her class would like to participate in the "next step" in egg processing!! I encourage the Science teachers at Pacific HS and Sitka HS to let their students know that the educational opportunity is here, and waiting for them as well. I am always happy to schedule tours for school groups wanting to see what's going on.

What about the Aquarium?, you might ask. Lynn and Henry continue to come in to volunteer on a daily basis, doing maintenance, and feeding the remaining animals in the tanks. There has not been an effort to collect new animals. We are all awaiting a decision by the Board of the SSSC as to whether or not the Aquarium will remain active this winter.

The number of visitors has dropped dramatically, since the last cruise ship departed. We are beginning to think about winterizing, and putting all the equipment away for the year. The signs, and the colored flags that had been out front all summer, are now stored in the Sawmill. The air temperature has droppped, and the leaves are falling from the alders. Another winter is almost upon us. We will continue to have the gates to the hatchery grounds open 7 days a week. The front doors to the Sage Building may not always be open, tho. If you would like to look inside the Wetlab, you can always make an appointment with us.

Thanks again to everyone who donated their time and personal resources to the Hatchery and Aquarium this past year. I truly hope the program can continue to survive far into the future.

--
Daniel F. Goodness, Manager
Sheldon Jackson Hatchery
834 Lincoln Street
Sitka, Alaska 99835

Work Phone:
Home Phone: 907-747-3824
Email: daniel.goodness@gmail.com
Website: www.sjhatchery.org

For Sale

2008-10-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

The For Sale Signs are going up on the SJ property again.

You Know You Are From SJ If…..

2008-08-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

SJC Alumnus Nicole Paggett asked me to post You Know You Are From SJ if….. Written by Erin Keenan. Since I liked it and thought much of it rang true for past students, faculty and staff I figured I’d post something fun here for a change.

Both Nicole and Erin also send there best to all.

You Know You Are From SJ If…..

1. Your Professor ever canceled class because it was sunny.
2. You have ever volunteered to spawn salmon.
3. Class was canceled to watch the herring run.
4. You were ever afraid to stand in front of David Sweetland's portrait.
5. Celebrated the day they took it down.
6. You know who David Sweetland was.
7. You know ghost stories about him and the cafeteria.
8. Sundays equaled waffles.
9. You could recognize every single state trooper while in uniform.
10. Once a month you wondered when the Whitworth students had arrived, then realized they were the troopers in civilian dress
11. As a freshmen in DSH you could name all the students and where they were from.
12. You lived in NPH or Whitmore and had no clue who the freshmen were and did not care.
13. Ate more food off campus then on.
14. You ate Pizza Express at least once a week.
15. You knew what the phrase "the troopers are coming" meant.
16. You could run from the Raz to DSH in 10 seconds.
17. You weighed 250 and could make it in the same amount of time.
18. You could do it in flip flops.
19. Your shoes of choice were Extra Tuffs, flip flops or sandals.
20. Everyone would notice if your boot were not Extra Tuffs
21. You could wear long johns, two pair of pants, rain pants, a tee shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweat shirt, a hoodie, a polar fleece, down jacket, two pairs of gloves, and a stocking cap and still have to use the blanket you brought with you to stay warm in class.
22. You have slept in the above mentioned outfit and were still cold.
23. Classes were canceled because it was warmer outside then in.
24. You took a cab or the school van to the bank, but would walk over a mile to Lakeside for groceries and carried them back.
25. You know the difference between "Big C" and "Little C"
26. You have to think about the real name of "Little C"
27. You know what donkey meat (or seagull, eagle, raven, crow) was and looked forward to eating it.
28. You have eaten pork for ever meal for two weeks in a row.
29. You now know all the possible culinary uses of pineapple.
30. Some days not even the kitchen staff knew what was in the lasagna.
31. The vegetarian enchiladas were stuffed with chicken.
32. Just a glance at the menu would cause you to eat a $12 bowl of lucky charms.
33. Some times you had to resort to eating a $12 peanut butter and jelly sandwich, because the milk was bad and so was the lunch meat.
34. You gained 40lbs in one semester on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
35. There were days when even the gravy ran away from the mashed potatoes.
36. Fried chicken was on the menu you would get a shriveled up wing because anything bigger would be frozen solid on the inside.
37. Some days the potatoes would make great snowballs that never lost their shape.
38. You have ever been asked by a trooper for meal advice.
39. You have ever stood in the middle of the trooper line, and waved to all your friends.
40. You have seen troopers do push ups in the snow.
41. You have seen troopers do push ups in the main lounge.
42. You have felt bad for that trooper still in the bathroom when the others have already left.
43. You are female and have had a trooper open the door for you and call you Miss.
44. You are female and remember Sgt Spitzer.
45. You have ever been serenaded by troopers on your birthday.
46. You have ever been afraid that people would find out about you birthday.
47. You know what the flume is.
48. You have been thrown in the flume.
49. You have ever jumped in the flume.
50. You have ever seen someone physically dragged from their room kicking and screaming in the middle of the night and taken outside in winter with snow on the ground, surrounded by a mob of people and no one questions it.
51. You were there when it happened to Bryner. (I was, it was great. Erin)
52. You knew when the salmon came in due to the smell of death.
53. You could name every mountain whether you climbed them or not.
54. You walked through Totem Park because you were bored.
55. You could hear the ocean from your dorm room.
56. Though you could see it, you rarely ever walked the beach.
57. You have been told not to walk around campus at night because of bear sightings.
58. You got excited when you saw a deer on campus.
59. You got really excited when you saw a deer behind the cafeteria.
60. You either know him, or know someone who knows that guy that saw a deer behind the cafeteria ran to his room and shot the deer with a bow and arrow out his window.
61. You know the handbook has a rule about not cleaning game or fish in the bathrooms or bedrooms.
62. You know people who have broken that rule.
63. You are one of the people who broke that rule.
64. You don't know where the designated cleaning place is.
65. You are, or know, a hippy tree hugging vegetarian who hates bald eagles and wishes they would all die because they perch on boats and crap everywhere.
66. You know what a bear stick is.
67. You have threatened to hit your best friend with one if the need should arise.
68. You know what the "Gloria" is and still wonder who owns her.
69. You know the location of Superman's phone booth is.
70. You know where the Raz is, but not the Rasmuson building.
71. You and your teachers wore Extra Tuffs to graduation.
72. You have referred to Whitmore as a cult and as a group distrust them.
73. You got excited when the new staircase in NPH and Whitmore were built.
74. You watched the crack in the smoke stack of the laundry room get bigger.
75. You have ever wondered when the Allen building was every going to be finished.
76. You have ever failed a class because the server was down.
77. You can recognize the sound of rage when the internet goes down.
78. You know who Gizmo was.
79. You could recognize a certain person’s whistle and take a different path.
80. You have seen an ice ax, a sleeping bag, and a math book strapped to the same bag.
81. You have worn hip waders and brought your fishing pool to class.
82. You did that after fishing.
83. You have had a beer with a professor.
84. You have been given a hug by Duna.
85. You know which teachers to refer to as Dr. and which go by their first name and to this day still refer to them as that.
86. You have ever been hunting or fishing with a professor, staff member, or VIM.
87. You know what VIM stands for.
88. You had a favorite VIM.
89. You had a VIM you hated with a passion.
90. You know Marcel and speak of him always with high praise whether you knew him or not.
91. You think Pat is pretty much the coolest guy ever.
92. You know who Martin was, even if you have never met him.
93. You have ever been sea sick on a teacher’s boat.
94. Two words. Sock Wars.
95. You know for a fact that in the end, sock wars always turns out to be a battle of the sexes.
96. You have ever been one of the body guards to the last two sock war members.
97. You have ever had Pat Shehan try to set you up on a date.
98. You have ever dated your ex's present partners ex.
99. You realize that the couple that broke up has only been together for two weeks (not two months like you thought) and are now on their forth or fifth girlfriend/boyfriend.
100. The first week or two of classes girls wear makeup, cute clothes, and high heels, then stop due to weather conditions and the fact that no one cares if they are cute or not, but weather or not they will have sex in the woods.
101. You understood what "she is going to Juneau" meant.
102. You remember Cohabitation.
103. You remember when Cohabitation was defined as vaginal sex.
104. You remember when that changed.
105. You laughed your ass off when they thought it would make a difference.
106. You know people who justified having sex during the day, then saying that as long as they were out of the room by curfew they were not breaking any rules.
107. You were one of those people.
108. You did not care and had sex whenever you wanted.
109. You fantasized about Sgt. Spitzer.
110. The smallest rule to break was watching a DVD in one of the lounges.
111. You would hide the DVD and swear it was a movie on TV.
112. You would search for movies that said "Public viewing rights included" just to piss people off.
113. You have ever stood in the snow at night in a towel and wet hair because the fire alarm went off.
114. You have ever had the misfortune of the happening while the troopers were there.
115. You have ever been excited about a trooper saying something, anything, to you.
116. After all this time you still keep track of SJ by reading Bryner's blog.
117. The name Brian Chamberlain causes intense anger and uncontrollable rage.
118. You love Louis Driver.
119. You knew the other mail box es that your mail box key opened.

And last but not least, and I am sure there are many, many more great things that made SJ such a great place...

120. You still know the address to SJC.

American Library Association highlights Stratton

2008-08-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

The American Library Association (ALA) recently published an article about the situation at Stratton.

I'll miss Martin

2008-08-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

It was with great sadness that I read today's paper and discovered that Martin Strand passed away on August 14th in Anchorage.

Martin was as much a part of my SJC experience as anyone. I had been responsible for supervising Rasmuson when it reopened, and Martin was usually first in and last out most days. We'd whistle a bird call to each other in the street, and I always greeted Martin with the drawn out "Haaaaaaaaay" he was famous for. He'd come in and order his "usual" (apple cider) from the cafe and then hold court over a billiards table for hours on end. Students were schooled around a pool table with Martin, each break and subsequent shot another opportunity to listen and learn from a gifted poet, photographer, hunter, and lifelong learner.

We all have mourned the closure of SJ, but few people have been with the school for so long. Martin, like SJ was an institution that will be sorely missed.

Memorial services are being held on Thursday, August 21 5:30PM at the ANB Hall, and a Celebration Martin's life is being held at First Presbyterian Friday at 10:00AM.

SJ(C?) cancels Science Center lease...new one in the works

2008-07-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

The Sitka Sentinel reported on Wednesday, July 30th that SJ(C?) had recently notified the Sitka Sound Science Center that their lease was being terminated because the original lease was arranged by Chilkat Services, and was out of the scope of Chilkat's contract with the College. Reportedly, a new lease is in the works.

I certainly hope that the terms of the new lease will support the work of the SSSC.

SJC Stratton Library in the News

2008-07-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a Raven Radio news story about the Stratton Library. Humidity and Mold threaten Stratton Library Collection.

Friends of the Hatchery

2008-07-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

Another Friends of the Hatchery Newsletter / July 28, 2008

Good morning, everyone!

It's been another extremely busy month. And there have been some developments. Please allow me to share them with you.

Pacific Tower Properties (PTP) is the new property management company for Sheldon Jackson College, replacing Chilkat Services. I am grateful to Russ and Sky / Chilkat Services for all their contributions. It was good of them to employ me during last December, following my layoff from the College. (I helped board up windows on the quad, and do the rounds of the buildings.) They are both great fans of the hatchery program, and I sincerely thank them for all their efforts to keep the Sage Enterprise alive.

I have met Mark and Lisa of PTP, during a day they were touring the hatchery grounds. They both seemed very positive about the hatchery and wetlab. I look forward to getting to know both of them better, and helping in the task of taking care of Sage Enterprise.

Here's some SSSC news- I signed Addendum #4 this month, and my month-to-month contract with the Sitka Sound Science Center continues! Mr. John Stein was hired by the SSSC as their new Executive Director- congratulations to you, John!! I look forward to working with you and the Board. In addition, the SSSC was awarded $10,000 from the City of Sitka from the Salmon Enhancement portion of the Fish Box Tax, and $2,500 from the PNP grant fund. These dollars make it much easier for the SSSC to continue their lease arrangement with the College into August and beyond.

Here's an Americorps update- Jessie, Charity and Mandi have been giving tours of the facility, making signs and printing / laminating pictures, and setting up kiosk displays. In addition, they transferred the chinook fry in Ponds 13 and 14 into Ponds 9 and 11. Americorps students working for Russ Thorpe (Jonathan, Seaton and Joe) tore the sagging, leaking roof off of the spawning shed, and have been working on replacing it! The roof is now finished, and they are installing the conduit for the ceiling lights and exhaust fan. I have been their construction supervisor for this past week, and am impressed with their ability. My thanks go out to everyone who was involved in making this happen!!

From July 21st to July 24th, ANSWER Camp students visited, touring the hatchery, and assisted with the transfers of coho fry from Nursery Troughs into Ponds 13 and 14. They all were very attentive and helpful, and I'm glad they could come here and learn! If you want to learn more about the Alaska Native Student Wisdom Enrichment Retreat, go to www.answercamp.org. There is a photo gallery for this summer's events.

The water has been turned on to the fish ladder since June 15th, but so far there has only been one adult fish return. We have been patiently waiting for the chinook to arrive, but so far, none have returned. By now the pinks should have come in as well. The fish return has been late for many Alaskan hatcheries. We have to be patient, and confident. There are schools of pinks out in the estuary of Indian River, but only a few jumpers at the bottom of the fish ladder so far.

Here's a Wetlab / Aquarium update- Lynn Wilbur has been coming in every day, and overseeing the operation and maintenance of the Wetlab. She has trained student helpers, and together they have made the Wetlab and Aquarium a beautiful place to visit. Visitors marvel at the cleanliness and orderliness of the place. Lynn and Henry have put their heart and soul into this endeavor, making it something that the College and the volunteers can be proud of. What's really something are the number of 7th grade students who have been helping!! Everybody works together, and shares in all the duties. One project that has been ongoing for awhile now is the refurbishing of an old acrylic aquarium donated to the College several years ago. It has been resurfaced / polished on the insides, and soon I will prepare a stand for it, and provide water plumbing into and out. This tank will soon be the home for a group of Kelp Greenlings now living in the hatchery incubation room. Thank you, Lynn, for all your dedication to this project. I'm sure that Molly would be touched by your leadership and devotion to keeping the Aquarium and Wetlab Alive!!

Dan Neri from Emperor Aquatics contacted me awhile back. Emperor Aquatics makes a variety of products for the aquaculture industry. I offered to promote their Ultraviolet and Incubation products to the visitors coming through here this summer, and in exchange Emperor has sent me an upwelling egg incubator to try out with our chinook and coho program. My summer project is to install this component into our existing incubation system, adding a recirculation ability to chinook and coho incubation. I would like to be able to perform otolith marking on the coho and chinook eggs we take this fall. For more information about otolith marking of salmonids, see this site: http://tagotoweb.adfg.state.ak.us/OTO/ For more information about Emperor Aquatics, please visit their website: www.emperoraquatics.com

Steve Warren had volunteered to pressure wash the Sage Building, anticipating dry weather, and a possible opportunity for painting. This preparation for painting is now done, and tho the building still looks like it needs painting, it was a tremendous effort, and I am very thankful for his involvement! He began working on the broken and crumbling windowsills as well, using a hydraulic cement product that sets up quickly, and can be molded and worked nicely. Thanks so much, Steve, for all your time and hard work to get us to where we are today. The paint for the building was ordered, and is now at Spenards, awaiting pickup. What color will it be? you are all asking, right? Many years ago, the building was painted a beige color, and that's what it will be again. I would like to think there will be warm enough weather this summer for drying and painting, and that there will be enough volunteer effort to get the job done.

United States Senator Senator Ted Stevens visited Sitka about 3 weeks ago, and one of his stops was the Sage Building and Hatchery. It was an honor to meet him, and be a part of the tour group that showed him this most wonderful facility. Keith Cox described the vision of the SSSC to the Senator as well.

Regent Seven Seas Cruise Lines has developed a special walking tour arrangement with Allen Marine Tours. The group visits the SJ Hatchery, Aquarium and Wetlab on Mondays and Fridays, every other week. The name of the tour is Ambassadors of the Environment, or AOTE. The walking tour starts at the Raptor Center, and works their way through the Park, visiting the Hatchery, and then they go out on an Allen Marine boat, and see marine wildlife. I give a short presentation to the visitors, and they get to feed the fish in the display tanks, and view the touch tables and aquariums inside. Everyone really seems to like what they see, and I think it's great!! Allen Marine donates $3.00 per visitor on their walking tour to the Friends of the Hatchery account. This is special, and I want to thank John Dunlap for this wonderful gift. I'm hopeful that this will happen again next summer as well.

The State of Alaska funding for the SSSC will begin sometime during August, I have been told. I am going to be renegotiating my existing contract with the Sitka Sound Science Center, so that I can hire a helper for the fall and winter. My company, Goodness Enterprises, is about to expand. My plan is to continue to recruit volunteers, and to once again invite all the local High School science classes, to partake in every aspect of fish culture here. I will surely need helpers as the eggtake season begins.

At this time, I want to once again thank all the people who have donated time and money to this project. The Friends of the Hatchery account will have a balance of over $4,000 this next week, following another deposit from the past two weeks. These dollars will go toward the continuing operation of the Hatchery and Wetlab. The doors to the Wetlab and Hatchery are open 7 days a week. This weekend was one of the first in many months that I was able to have some time off, and it's because volunteers were available to cover for me, and take care of the fish. Mandi, Jessie, and Susan, I really appreciate how you helped me! Without the help of the volunteers, I don't know what I would have done.

Every Saturday I have gone around town, collecting donations from the plastic containers. Lila helps every Saturday afternoon, rolling up all the change, and counting out the bills. All that money has been a huge part of the hatchery's survival. All you folks here in this town of Sitka, and all you folks who visited the Sage Building, and left your donations-You have all helped make the hatchery program a success!! This hatchery, and the Aquarium, is there for your education, and for your children's education, and for your enjoyment, and we all thank you for your contribution to keeping it going. It's hard for me to describe how much I appreciate everyone's gifts. I will do everything I can to keep the facility open, for the future, and for the good of this City.

Soon the fish will return, and before long there will be water running in the incubators again. Broodyear 2008 is about to begin!

I can imagine many of you ask yourselves, as I do, the following question: Will "normal" classes be taught here again? Well, I say this- As long as the Sitka Sound Science Center contract-operates the SJ Hatchery for SJC, there's every reason to expect this to happen. The State of Alaska granted a quarter million dollars this year to keep the educational component of the SJ Hatchery alive. There are a number of research projects that could be launched into right away. Additional grant funding could be sought after. Hands-on training opportunity for interns is available at any time, all through the year. The hatchery lives on, and I need for the students to return as much as I need the fish!! I truly believe this site would be ideal for University of Alaska fish culture students to get experienced in coded wire tagging, fin clipping, sampling, recirculation technology, spawning techniques, etc. There's always the possibility of a certificate program to be developed here as well.

I hope you all enjoy the pictures. If ever you're in Sitka, please feel free to stop by the Sage Building, and see what we've all done. It's a labor of love.

Daniel F. Goodness, Manager
Sheldon Jackson Hatchery
834 Lincoln Street
Sitka, Alaska 99835

Office Phone: 907-747-3824
Home Phone: 907-747-3824
Email: daniel.goodness@gmail.com
Website: www.sjhatchery.org

"Education never stopped at the SJ Hatchery"

SSSC in the News

2008-07-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

The Sitka Sound Science Center is in the news. Listen to the Raven Radio story here: SSSC

CIRI Alaska Tourism Corp

2008-07-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

Anyone who is interested in learning more about the new company that is going to do the property management for the now defunct Sheldon Jackson College might be interest in seeing who owns Pacific Tower Properties. You can go to CIRI Subsidiaries by clicking on this link. CIRI.

I have to wonder if they might be the new owners of the Quad?

One Year Retrospective on Raven Radio

2008-07-02T15:39:00.001-07:00

I had the chance a few weeks back to talk with Andi McDaniel at Raven Radio about SJ(C?) a year later. My comments (which many people, but not all will agree with) can be heard here.

Raven Radio plans on several more interviews from folks formerly associated with the College. If you're interested, contact Andi at (907)747-5877.

I've also submitted a letter to the editor to mark the anniversary of the "one year deferment". Text follows below:

...One year ago this week the Board of Trustees of Sheldon Jackson College announced the deferment of academic operations for one year. This led to the loss of close to one hundred jobs and left students with few alternatives just weeks before the start of the semester. By September, trustees accepted the reality that the school would not open in the near future. Today, they are in the process of selling off the campus. It is an especially spectacular fall for an institution that had operated continuously for over 130 years.

The loss of Sheldon Jackson College affects different people differently. Many have grieved, mourning the loss of their alma mater, the place where they met their future spouse, read Shakespeare for the first time, or became the first in their family to graduate from college. Others have accepted Sheldon Jackson’s demise, viewing the closure as inevitable and even necessary for an institution that had lost its way. Reflecting on this past year, I find myself somewhere in between these two positions.

Like all of my colleagues, I lost my job the day the Trustees made the announcement. I was stunned by the news and deeply saddened. I worried about my students, my coworkers, and my livelihood. Some took it in stride while many others have struggled to move on. Many former employees remain unemployed, and many students have yet to return to school.

There is another part of me, upon reflection, that views the closure of Sheldon Jackson College as a necessary event. I will never accept the way in which it was closed, with virtually no notice or support for staff, faculty, and students. However, I am more and more convinced that Sheldon Jackson College had not been providing the educational experience students deserved. Despite the very best efforts of talented faculty, despite the promise of new programs and initiatives, Sheldon Jackson College failed to meet its commitment to those in its care. A college unable to insure that its employees will have work beyond the next day needs to close. A college unable to provide its students with fours years of quality education without interruption should not continue. At some point, Sheldon Jackson became that college.

There will never again be a Sheldon Jackson College at 801 Lincoln Street, but something will take its place. Due to the efforts of many dedicated members of our community, there may be a state-of-the-art childcare facility, community wellness center, fish hatchery and science center. These entities and others need our support as Trustees and their surrogates look to subdivide and sell off the campus. Much of the process is outside of our control, but we do have recourse through planning and zoning, historical preservation restrictions, city ordinances and citizen initiatives. The decisions being made about the future of the campus will impact our community tremendously.

College Trustees have given themselves until the end of this month to find a suitable buyer. After that, they have stated that they will begin the process of subdividing and selling parcels piece-meal. Is this what is best for this community? Let’s make the issue a matter of public debate.

One Year After the Ax Fell

2008-06-22T15:40:00.000-07:00

One week from today the 29th of June will be the 1st anniversary of the closing of SJ. I was recently asked by another former employee if I was over the closing yet. I had to truthfully answer that I was not and might not ever get over it. How about the rest of you out there? Past students, faculty and staff, how are you all doing one year after the ax fell? I know I’m interested in hearing and I bet others are too. Please post a comment on how things have turned out. Maybe you could list a few good things along with the bad.

Here is my list:

The Bad:

I miss the fine people from students to employees, but most especially all the wonderful volunteers.

I still feel the school could have been saved with proper management and I’m still heart sick that such a historic and important institution closed after 130 years of operations.

I worry what will happen to the historic buildings.

The Good:

I’ve had more time to spend with my family, most especially my grandsons.

I have not missed the middle of the night calls about something being broken.

I had lots of time to work on my house and to find out what partial retirement is all about.

I don’t wake up in the middle of the night worrying about what’s going to break next and I can tell you there has been a lot less stress in my life.

So, as much as I miss SJ maybe the good has out weighed the bad. How about you?

Good News from the SJ Hatchery

2008-06-16T07:18:00.000-07:00

Below is a newsletter from Dan Goodness the SJ Hatchery Manager. If any of you reading this want to be added to Dan’s growing list of recipients to his e-newsletter please send him an e-mail. You will see his e-mail address listed at the end of his letter.

Thanks!

Good morning, everyone!

There's been lots of activity here since my last newsletter went out. Friday, May 23rd was indeed a special day. We began releasing the cohos from Pond 13 at around 2:00 PM, and KIFW was there broadcasting the event! Devin Reiter was lots of fun to work with, and we sincerely appreciate the efforts that Erin Long made to set this up. We also appreciate the contributions from local businesses to make this airtime possible. Over $1000 was raised to help in the effort. Lots of my Friends showed up for the event, and helped let these coho go. The next day was Saturday, the first day of the Sitka Salmon Derby. In the afternoon, we released the cohos in Pond 14, and at that point, all the Broodyear 2006 smolts were gone.

On June 1st, I was given an addendum to my contract, and so I'm once again employed this month! $15,000 had been transferred from the Friends of the Hatchery account to the SSSC near the first of May. Sufficient funds remained for operation in June, so the contract continues! In the meantime, the donation account continues to grow. Today, there is almost $3,000 in the Friends of the Hatchery account, available to the SSSC for operation in July.

On May 28th and 29th, the chinook fry that had been rearing in the Nursery Troughs were transferred outside, into Ponds #13 and #14. I want to thank Judy Lehmann and Jack Lorrigan for their help with this! These transfers made it possible for us to pond the coho fry into these same troughs. We now have around 150,000 coho fry, and they are around 0.4 grams. There are belt feeders set up, so they get to eat all day long. They are growing quickly, and looking great!

Before long, the chinook will be split into Ponds 9, 10, 11, and 12, giving them room to become smolts next spring.

A wonderful development here this summer is Americorps! I want to thank Faith Lee and Karen Martinsen, from the Southeast Alaska Career Center, for making this possible. These student volunteers will learn fish culture, and assist with the duties of the hatchery during the summer months. They are learning to be tour guides, answering most of the commonly-asked questions that our visitors have. Charity and Jessie are actually taking my course, entitled FISH 100, Hatchery Applications and Experiences, for 1 credit. I am so glad to be teaching students again, and having student help!!

The numbers of cruise ship visitors is incredible! I want to thank everyone who has stopped by the Sage Building, to see the hatchery, and I am ever so grateful for the donations all of our visitors have left for us! The donation account continues to grow!

In addition, we received our Fish Resource Permit from Fish and Game, and so the Wetlab and Aquarium is now open to visitors! The Touch Tables are a real favorite. It's amazing to watch the barnacles feeding. There are lots of little creatures to see and enjoy, including a small octopus. The two large brown king crabs that Lila and I purchased last March are now in the 800 gallon tank, and they're doing just fine! Visitors are amazed at the size of these creatures.

On May 12th, there was a rupturing of the penstock, under Lincoln Street. I had to turn off the water to the adult raceways for these past several weeks. During the past 48 hours, the break was repaired, and the water is back on! I am adjusting the flows down the fish ladder, getting it just right, because we are expecting the first of the chinook to return soon. During this next week, I will once again string the corkline across the mouth of the fish ladder, designating a Broodstock Protection Zone. No sport fishing will be allowed on the freshwater side of this boundary.

By the middle of July, we should be seeing the return of the pinks and chums. It's going to be time to get the incubators set up, and prepare the spawning shed. There will soon be cost recovery harvesting of the early surplus. It's a busy and exciting time of the year, and Broodyear 2008 is upon us!

Once again, I want to thank all the volunteers who have helped me with the details of the hatchery, and I especially want to thank all the folks who have been instrumental in bringing the Wetlab and Aquarium to life again! Without the help of Steve Warren, Lynn Wilbur, Henry Larsen, Bob Reid, and many others, I don't think it could have happened. The whole community is getting involved, and assisting in many ways. Your donation dollars have kept the program running into June.

The City Assembly voted to award $10,000 to the Sitka Sound Science Center from the Salmon Enhancement portion of the Fish Box Tax. Thank you, Assembly, for acknowledging the contribution that the hatchery represents! It might be a small production facility, but it's a big training facility. I sincerely appreciate how you recognize this important fact.

The $250,000 from the State of Alaska should be available to the SSSC during August or September. With these funds, the SSSC can begin to operate the hatchery on something other than a "shoestring" budget. We will continue to collect donations throughout the summer, and I will always encourage everyone to come by and help in this effort to Save The Hatchery. This has become a great place to visit, and it's good for children. Education never stopped here, and I hope it never does.

Until next time,

Daniel F. Goodness, Manager
Sheldon Jackson Hatchery
834 Lincoln Street
Sitka, Alaska 99835

Office Phone: 907-747-3824
Home Phone: 907-747-3824
Email: daniel.goodness@gmail.com
Website: www.sjhatchery.org

"Education never stopped at the SJ Hatchery"

SJ in the News

2008-06-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to an Associated Press article about SJ. Religion in the news

SSSC Survives Governor's Veto

2008-05-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

The Sitka Sound Science Center, formed upon SJ(C?)'s closure will receive $250,000.00 from the state of Alaska to further organizational objectives. Members include former SJ(C) faculty and staff including Keith Cox, Scott Harris, Kitty LaBounty, and Marissa Chelius.

Excellent news, and excellent work.

News on Raven Radio

2008-05-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

Here are 3 links to recent news stories on Raven Radio in regards to the former Sheldon Jackson College.

Timeline set for sale of Sheldon Jackson's core campus

Sheldon Jackson campus subject to property taxes

SJ tax appeal: College still striving to educate

SJ(C?) loses appeal to city regarding property taxes

2008-05-07T07:19:00.000-07:00

According to a Sitka Sentinel article published Tuesday, May 7, The City Assembly upheld an earlier decision by the City Assessor to levy property taxes on SJ(C?) property, assessed at a value of $17 million.

Back in January, the Assembly determined that SJ(C?) was no longer an educational institution, which had been the basis for its exempt status. As a result, the Assessor determined that SJ(C?) owed taxes and the former college appealed. The amount owed this year is just over $100k.

The Sage / Hatchery facility remains exempt.

SJ(C?) can appeal in Superior Court.

Survey

2008-05-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

A past donor of SJ passed this survey onto me today. I’m posting it here in hopes that many of you will print the survey, fill it out and send it to the UAA Address.

Click to enlarge.

E-Newsletter

2008-05-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

Chilkat Services advertised that they would send out e-newsletters in April. Did anyone get one? I signed up but never received one in April, so I’m checking to see if one was sent out.

Commencement

2008-05-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

This is surely a bittersweet time for many. Several former SJ(C?) students survived the closure of their college, and will graduate in the coming weeks. I am very proud of them, and humbled. These students were placed in the worst of circumstances and refused to be defined by them. SJ(C?) failed them, but they did not fail themselves.

I would encourage everyone to celebrate their success in Sitka, Juneau, Anchorage, and all points in between.

APU - Held April 26th.

UAS Sitka Commencement: Friday, May 2, 7:00PM - Sheet'ka Kwaán Naa Kahídi

UAS Juneau Commencement: Sunday, May 4, 2:00PM - UAS Recreation Center

PC (USA) continues Christmas Joy Offering for 2008

2008-04-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

The General Assembly Council (GAC) of the Presbyterian Church (USA) recently decided to continue to provide SJ(C?) with funds from the Christmas Joy Offering at least until March 2009. The following stipulations were added:

A) Sheldon Jackson College continue to meet and follow the standards and criteria set by the General Assembly Council for the Historically Presbyterian Racial Ethnic Institutions, including having a GAC representative serve in an ex-officio capacity on the school’s board of trustees.

B) Sheldon Jackson College report to each GAC meeting on the school’s status, plans and
progress, including a current financial report.

C) That at the September 2008 GAC meeting, Sheldon Jackson College provide as detailed a report a possible on it’s strategic plans for its transition.

In addition, the continuation of the disbursements will be reviewed in March 2009.

SJ(C?) submitted the following report to the GAC regarding the former college's status. Interestingly, the report states that SJ(C?) has received a $1.5 million dollar grant from the Department of Commerce. Does anyone know if this is still on the table?

News Letter from Dan Goodness

2008-04-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

Good morning, everyone!!

Much has happened here at the SJ Hatchery since the last newsletter went out, one month ago. Right after the week of Spring Break, the chums were ponded and transferred to a 20' X 40' netpen, since they had finally used up most of the yolk. At the last sampling, they were 0.65 grams per fish. The sunshine we have had for the past several days has begun to warm the water, and the fish are now eating furiously! As for the pinks, they also are eating "like pigs", and growing quickly now, almost as big as the chums. (Don't you just love the expression, "Eating like Pigs!!")

In addition, all the coho have hatched. It's an amazing sight to see 7,000 alevins wriggling in a Heath tray.

We have been feeding the Broodyear 2006 coho presmolts 3 times a week now, to get them to the 20 gram release size that we want. The chinook have smolted, and could be released anytime. But we will wait until May to release smolts.

In the past, during the late spring and summer, the Wetlab / Aquarium and the hatchery have been open to the public for tours, and outreach education. Large groups of local schoolchildren have come here for their final field trips each spring, and gazed into the touch tables, picking up and examining the starfish and other sea creatures on display. In addition, these kids have peered over the edge of the fiberglass Swede ponds, and watched the pink and chum salmon swim in circles, and eat the EWOS feed presented to them. In addition, during May, as the coho and chinook have reached their release size, visitors to Sitka, primarily from the cruise ships, have participated in the annual Releasing of the Smolts. I have begun to work on a tentative schedule for these events already.

Will things be normal this spring?? I hope so, and am doing what I can to make it so. I am attempting to get the collection permit from ADF&G current, so that we can collect marine animals again, for displaying this spring and summer in the Wetlab. I know how much it means, to so many people, to see the Sage Building "alive!" again. I want to help make things "normal" again, and I encourage anyone who wants to help me accomplish this to contact me. There's much to do now, to get things normal.

And then there was the meeting of April 1st and 2nd. The Final Report is attached. What an awesome event!! To be in that room, and sit among so many professionals, with such diversity of experience and background, and to listen to their expressions of support for the continuation of education and research; well, it was too good to be true, but it was true. I am so greatly encouraged, now that the meeting is over, to continue on with my quest to help "get things back to normal". Keeping this educational hatchery program going continues to be my ultimate goal.

Nothing is easy. It takes hard work to accomplish the near impossible. Having a Positive Mental Attitude makes the fight more endurable, if you will. It is now a matter of waiting, and planning, and hoping for the best to come about.

At this time, I want to thank the Sitka Sound Science Center for employing me for the past 4 months. Funding seems to have run out for continuing my contract. My last day with the SSSC is April 30th. At this time, I also want to thank the entities that provided monies to the SSSC to make my contract, and the continued operation of the hatchery, possible. NOAA Fisheries, the At-Sea Processors, and the Wells Fargo Friends of the Hatchery donation account funded the operation, making it possible for me to live, work, and stay in Sitka, employed in my chosen profession. All three of these funding sources were very key to "keeping the place going." At present, as you all now know, the SSSC is looking at other sources of funding. If $250,000 is awarded, wow, wouldn't that be something!!

What If the $250K doesn't happen? Well, my understanding is that the SSSC is working on other sources of funding besides the $250K. Let's all hope something wonderful happens.

On May 1st, it is my intention to unlock the gates to the hatchery grounds, and allow the public (this includes groups of schoolchildren!) to walk through the grounds, and see the fish. The SJ Hatchery grounds are becoming more and more like a park every day. There are benches to sit on, and the view is spectacular!! I have vowed to finish the broodyear, releasing pinks, chums, coho and chinook smolts, and I will do this, whatever it takes. I may be a volunteer on May 1st, but thanks to your donations, the hatchery program will not fail. There will be donation boxes at the entrances to the hatchery, once again giving visitors a chance to give to this most worthy cause. All donations will continue to go into the Friends of the Hatchery account. At present, the balance stands at $15,000!! $8,600 was transferred to the SSSC to assist them with funding the hatchery. One very large donation, for the amount of $10,000, was mailed directly to the bank. My understanding is that the donor wishes to remain anonymous, but the very generous donation is made "in memory of Molly Ahlgren".

What can I say? I am going to try to fulfill this person's wishes, and help make the Wetlab come "alive" again!

My very sincere thanks to everyone who has donated their time, and/or their dollars, and/or loaned equipment, and/or offered support, in one way or another. This group, the Friends, are very important to us. The entire City of Sitka has given so much, and I hope you can help me spread the word how grateful Lila and I are for your involvement.

Daniel F. Goodness, Manager
Sheldon Jackson Hatchery
834 Lincoln Street
Sitka, Alaska 99835

Office Phone: 907-747-3824
Home Phone: 907-747-3824
Email: daniel.goodness@gmail.com

SJ Hatchery Collaboration Metting

2008-04-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

Sheldon Jackson Hatchery Collaboration Meeting
April 1-2, 2008 Final Report

Purpose: The University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan campus organized and sponsored a collaborative meeting in Sitka on April 1 – 2, 2008 to explore potential future operation and functions of the Sheldon Jackson Hatchery facility.
The desired outcome of the day and a half meeting was to offer a thorough assessment of legitimate capacities, resources and interest(s) of participating organizations in SJ Hatchery operation, use & management.
Attendees: Representatives from a wide variety of agencies and organizations were present at the meeting. Please see Appendix A for attendance roster details.
Assessment of Capacities:
The group reviewed past capacity and was given a tour of the hatchery. The possibilities for the facility were discussed at length, both in small break out groups and as a whole. The general consensus was that the facility would be most effective as:
Education/Training facility
Production facility
Research facility
Within each of the three major categories, a wider variety of options were expressed for potential income, use, and staffing of the facility in best case scenarios. Appendix B outlines the full list of potential uses.
Assessment of Resources:
Financial
The issue of financial resources was a critical discussion during the entire meeting. Currently, the Sitka Sound Science Center (SSSC) organization has a short-term contract from Chilkat Services to run the hatchery. Chilkat Services represents Alaska Growth Capital (AGC is the primary debtor owned money by SJ College) and is coordinating the management of SJ assets and real property. SSSC, in turn, has contracted with Dan Goodness, former SJ hatchery manager, to maintain the current hatchery stock and manage the hatchery. All other uses, including the touch tanks/aquarium have ceased to operate.
The SSSC is a new 501(c)3 with a board of seven directors. Keith Cox, former SJ Science faculty chair, is acting SSSC Executive Director and is working for NOAA as a researcher. SSSC does not have a business plan developed for the continued operation of the hatchery. Currently, the board is limited in resources. There is some hope for funding from the State, but short-term stop-gap funding is scheduled to run out April 30, 2008.
One primary issue limiting the SSSC ability to seek funding sources is the continued uncertainty of Sheldon Jackson College debt, attachment of this debt to the hatchery and surrounding grounds and the commitment by the Board of Trustees to retain the hatchery and surrounding property.
Through the meeting process, Chilkat Services assured the group there is no intention of selling the hatchery or surrounding property. In addition, both the President of Sheldon Jackson

David Dobler and Board of Trustee Gary Paxton reasserted the college’s intention to keep the hatchery and facilitate uses of it that best suit the community.
With that noted, financial resources are critical to the continuation of the hatchery. Long-term areas of potential revenue included:
· Increase the number of Deep Creek Chum salmon on the permit as a way to increase revenue (10 million chum?) – can increase SJ revenue to about $150K/year, increase commercial harvest, increase NSRAA cost recovery – about 6 years to see return
· Make full use of the building to generate revenue – touch tanks, classes, services, gift shop, use of building as part of overall business plan
· Assess viability of a shellfish nursery – is the industry willing to pay?
· Fish Tag Lottery as fund raiser
· Consider membership fees in SSSC
· Power generation as a possible income source
· Assess costs associated with different species of salmon, raise the number of fish needed to maintain broodstock
· How to get return from sport fishermen – they contribute $30 million year to local economy but no contribution to the SJ Hatchery or NSRAA
· Contact State Revolving Loan Fund Program – request extension on outstanding debt (about $180K) and/or ask for additional loan.
· Consider an Economic Development Loan from City or asking for some of the head tax or fish box tax income
· Pursue state and federal requests
· Follow up on EDA $$ and pursue match for it (Alaska Growth Capital loan for match as a way to increase their assets?)
Management
Management of the hatchery was discussed at length. In addition to the hatchery, the Sage Building itself presents management challenges including, but not limited to, maintenance and repair, heating, public access and classroom rental or other usage.
The SSSC was seen as the de facto organization to continue management of the facility. The board needs some assistance, but in general, it was perceived by the group that the SSSC’s mission best matched that of the hatchery’s purpose. The permit for the hatchery remains with Sheldon Jackson College, but management can be delegated to anyone Sheldon Jackson deems appropriate.
The bigger issue is establishment of a long-term lease with Chilkat Services for the hatchery, Sage Building and surrounding property. Currently there is a 90-day lease with Chilkat Services. Key issues to resolve for management success included:
Long term lease with Chilkat for building/grounds/hatchery use
Long term commitment for Chum production with NSRAA
Strengthened SSSC organizational structure
Business plan for financial success
Seasoned management team to manage facility/grounds/hatchery

Interest(s):
The overall interest of participating organizations was strengthened over the course of the day and a half of meetings. The group generally agreed that major players including Sheldon Jackson, Chilkat Services, NSRAA, SSSC, and the community of Sitka were committed to keeping the hatchery operational and the Sage Building a functioning educational/training facility for fisheries/mariculture/aquaculture interests.
The group agreed that through concerted effort, the SSSC could forge partnerships with other organizations to provide a variety of services/functions/components to keep the hatchery functioning.
Some of these organizations included:
· Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG)
· National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
· City & Borough of Sitka
· University of Alaska
· Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association
· Education Consortium of Sitka
· Other non-profit organizations in Sitka
· High Schools in Sitka/Region
· Alaska Native Tribal Organizations
· Commercial/Sport Fishing Organizations
A full list of organizations and suggested partnership components are listed in Appendix C.
Recommendations & Next Steps:
At the conclusion of the meeting, the group agreed that with a determined effort on the part of the SSSC board of directors, the future of the Sheldon Jackson Hatchery has promise. To that end, the group offered a list of specific tasks, both short and long term, for SSSC to be successful in its endeavor to keep the hatchery producing. Recommendations were made by participants with 20 plus years of fisheries management, state agency management, educational and research experience with the goal for SSSC to be successful.
Immediate Short Term Steps:
1. Clarify Roles: Can Chilkat Services make a long term (10 years +) lease to SSSC? Is there any problem with SJ giving SSSC long term management authority to operate the hatchery/facility? (Gary Paxton, Keith Cox, Russ Thorpe will clarify and investigate that and have that information available to Board of Trustees meeting on May 1).
2. Board of SSSC meets on April 7th. At that time, SSSC should vote to add and diversify its board membership through recruitment of new members immediately. (Keith, Kitty)
The following individuals volunteered to join the board: Steve Reifenstuhl, NSRAA; Gary Paxton, Sitka Economic Dev Assoc; Bill Smoker, UAF Fisheries, UAF; Karen Schmitt, UAS Dean of School of Management and School of Career Education.
John Stein, City of Sitka was volunteered. Other names suggested included: Seafood Processors – Rick; Sitka Tribe – Director; Educational Consortium of Sitka – Karen; a tourism/charter representative. Commercial fishing rep – Eric Jordan? Cruise Ship rep? Recommended Ex-Officio members include: NOAA – Doug Mecum and Doug DeMaster should be recruited; Chilkat Services, Russ Thorpe; ADF&G; USFS; National Park Service.
3. Create a short needs statement & facility development proposal describing the management approach planned by the SSSC to make the hatchery a sustaining facility/resource for the City/Borough. (Keith, Dave and others)
4. A press release/media kit will be developed by UAS Ketchikan for SSSC use outlining the meeting and plans to move forward. SSSC will send out the information to the media before the May 1 Sheldon Jackson Board of Trustees meeting. (Cathy LeCompte, UAS Ketchikan Campus Director will have this developed, Keith will send it out).
5. The SSSC should ask the City of Sitka for financial assistance – particularly for these next few months. Provide the Council members with the short proposal mentioned above. (Russ will check on timeline to approach City; Gary and Keith will work on how/when to approach them).
Recommended Long Term Steps:
Develop a 10-year business plan for the hatchery, Sage Building and surrounding grounds. Contact UA Marine Advisory Program Business Specialist Glenn Haight for help with Business Plan development or ask Rasmuson for Tier 1 grant to develop Business Plan.
Make sure any outstanding debt is understood by all parties, how each is affected and how debt will be dealt with long term.
SSSC should pursue Board of Director training, possibly from the Foracker Group.
SSSC should hire a strong executive director/business manager/coordinator with proven experience and skills in creating partnerships and raising funds.
The SSSC should remain autonomous from Sheldon Jackson College/Foundation so they are able to apply for funding and build a program without concern by funders that SJ’s issues will be part of the SSSC.

Sitka Sound Science Center to receive $250,000.00

2008-04-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

The state legislature has approved a bill to provide the Sitka Sound Science Center with $250k to continue hatchery operations and grow the organization. The Sitka Sentinel reported on the story, and I'm in the process of posting it here.

Governor Palin could veto the bill, so let's let her know we support the funding.

E-newsletter

2008-03-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

Chilkat Service has announced that they will publish an e-newsletter starting in April. You can subscribe to this newsletter by sending an e-mail to: Chilkat.services@yahoo.com. According to the announcement in the Daily Sitka Sentinel they are doing this to keep the community aware and involved with the progression of the SJ Campus operations.

One remianing legal challenge

2008-03-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

With the recent agreement with Alaska Growth Capital, SJ(C?) avoided a lawsuit regarding liens placed on campus property as part of a loan package back in 2006. The agreement also provided long overdue severance and annual leave payments to former employees, most likely ensuring no legal challenges on that end.

At least one legal challenge remains. Traveler's Insurance had filed a lawsuit back in November alleging that SJ(C?) is responsible for any charges against a surety bond purchased by the College as part of an agreement with Alaska Post Secondary.

On March 10, 2008 an attorney for Traveler's issued a lis pendens, or intent to sue.

Earlier blog posts about the issue can be found here.

SJ Hatchery Update

2008-03-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

There is some good news from the SJ Hatchery. Below is a letter from Dan Goodness. I think we would all have to agree that Dan has gone above and beyond the call of duty to save the hatchery. He is to be commended for his hard work to save the hatchery. I think we would also all agree that the Hatchery is an important thing for this community. If you see Dan please be sure to thank him and Lila for all they have done.

Be sure to check out the new website for the hatchery at this link: http://www.sjhatchery.org/

Dan's Letter:

Good morning, everyone!

It's been an exciting week for me here at the Sage Building this week. Several College students spent the week of Spring Break volunteering at the SJ Hatchery, and boy did we get lots done! I especially want to thank Jennie Smith and her daughter Kat for all their help (Jennie flew up from Oregon to be a part of the team). Thanks also to Victoria and Paul, two more students attending UAS in Juneau, for their assistance in coded wire tagging of chinook, and other projects. Polly, Jack, Lila, Jan and Kathy also did their part in making the week special. Lila fixed a big lunch for everyone on the tagging team on Wednesday. My very sincere thanks to everyone who helped. We have clipped and tagged over 22,000 chinook, and so the tagging of Broodyear 2006 coho and chinook is complete.

Also this week, the Broodyear 2006 coho and chinook in circular ponds began getting a small amount of saltwater mixed in with the fresh. This helps prepare them for life at sea. These fish will be released during May this spring. Ther coho were sampled during the week, and a plan is now in place to spread them out amongst the available ponds to give them more room for the next two months.

A very special gift this week came from Mim McConnell, who is a very talented graphic arts designer, web designer and photographer. She had heard about the "plight" of the SJ Hatchery Program, and offered to create a website for us. She asked me to write the text, and provide photos for this project. I want to thank James Shewmake and Sitka Tribe of Alaska for their movie clips which have been incorporated on this site, and Don Shawler for the use of one of his photos. I have collected digital photos for several years now, primarily of my students, but also of my volunteers, working and learning in the hatchery. Mim, your work is exceptional, and I cannot thank you enough for this generous donation of time! The new website is up and running now, and can be viewed at http://www.sjhatchery.org/. You can see Mim McConnell's works, and business contact information by going to http://www.sheltercovepublishing.com/.

In addition, 650,000 pink salmon have been ponded and transferred into a 20' X 40' netpen, and are being fed daily. The water has been cold (around 3.0 degrees C.) so the chums are developing slowly. But they will be ponded soon, as will the rest of the pinks. The coho eggs have been picked and seeded, and will hatch soon.

In my last newsletter I referred to a meeting to take place in Sitka near the first of April, 2008. This meeting will include people from the University of Alaska Southeast, NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, representatives of PNP hatcheries in Southeast Alaska (this includes me) as well as the Sitka Sound Science Center, and possibly representatives of other educational entities. I don't have an agenda quite yet, but the meeting is planned to go for a day and a half, and I hope to give everyone an extensive tour of the Sage Building, Wetlab, classrooms, and hatchery. We are preparing for everyone's arrival, getting the building and hatchery grounds "shipshape" for this special event. In my next newsletter, I hope to give everyone a summary of this get together. But for now, let me say that I sincerely believe everyone present will come to realize the enormous value of this educational hatchery and aquarium, housed in a historic building, located in a very special spot in Sitka. More news to come.

Our donation account, the "Friends of the Hatchery", at Wells Fargo Bank, in Sitka, Alaska, has raised over $10,000! The donation containers Lila and I placed around town have produced many hundreds of dollars. I don't know everyone who has donated. I wish I could thank each and every one of these folks for their gifts. But the containers and their contents show me that the entire City of Sitka is behind us in our struggle to keep the hatchery alive!!

If you have questions or comments about the hatchery, feel free to email me. Have a great day.

Daniel F. Goodness, Manager
Sheldon Jackson College Hatchery
801 Lincoln Street
Sitka, Alaska 99835

Office Phone: 907-747-3824
Home Phone: 907-747-3824
Email: daniel.goodness@gmail.com

A Question from Kansas

2008-03-20T19:16:00.000-07:00

Kansas Volunteer posted this question in the comments section:

"The director of news services of PCUSA, who is a board member, says the college is preserving its core property so the college can resume as soon as finances are in place. This blog and comments do not seem to agree with that statement. Who are we to believe?"

I attempt an answer below:

I don't doubt that board members would choose to resume operations if finances were in place. What would that require?

1. Debt Free. The College would have to be debt free in order to move forward. Currently, outstanding debt is somewhere between 6 and 10 million dollars. The current plan is to sell property, even the core campus possibly, in order to pay this off.
2. Working Capital. The College would need at least 10 to 20 million to open shop once again. New hires, student recruitment, and additional costs must be paid up front. Serious physical plant issues would need to be addressed. Deferred maintenance is estimated at 20-60 million.
3. Accreditation, licensure, and financial aid. The College's accreditation is scheduled to end in March of 2009, when the teachout plan ends. Authorization to operate in Alaska was revoked in September 2007. The Dept. of Ed. pulled authorization to disburse financial aid back in July.
4. Trust. Who will work at the College, and who will attend? The reputation of the school is worse now than prior to closure.

From my perspective, these challenges are far above the capacity of the current board to effectively meet. It may also be that the board member referenced made this statement prior to the most recent news regarding Alaska Growth.

Alaska Growth & SJ(C?) come to terms

2008-03-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

Alaska Growth Capital and SJ(C?) have apparently reached a deal regarding payback of a loan made by AGC to SJ(C?) in 2006 fpr $4.5 million. Raven Radio is working on a story. What I've learned so far is that the agreement involves AGC managing the former college's debt, including faculty and staff severance, IRS liens, and possibly city utility back payments. In return SJ(C?) gives AGC the authority to manage the sale of properties to pay back the debt.

The core campus, including the Sage building, is supposedly not on the table. Hames may be off as well, but I'm waiting for confirmation.

Bottom Line: Faculty and Staff, many still unemployed, can breathe a little easier.

Please notify me if you do not receive payment by the end of the week.

Final Pay and Severance Pay

2008-03-05T10:13:00.000-08:00

It looks like SJ somehow pulled together the money to pay former employees. Yesterday several final paychecks were mailed out to laid off employees. Keep your eyes on your incoming mail to see if you get the same nice surprise that I got.

File a Wage Claim Today

2008-03-04T10:48:00.000-08:00

This week I spoke with folks at the Department of Labor and Governor Palin's office. It is their recommendation that we file wage claims immediately. The form can be found here.

Don't wait. I think folks at Wage and Hour are ready to act.

Alaska Growth Capital removes lis pendens

2008-02-29T22:47:00.000-08:00

It appears that SJ(C?) may have come to agreement with Alaska Growth Capital (AGC) over a dispute regarding property liens in conjunction with AGC's $4.5 million loan. On February 25th, AGC attorneys removed their original intent to sue. Also named in the original suit was PC USA and the City of Sitka.

More SJC News

2008-02-22T07:43:00.000-08:00

I noted this morning that KTUU TV in Anchorage has done a news story on SJC. Go to the link below and then read the story and/ or click on the video links in the upper left hand corner.
KTUU TV NEWS

There should be another video added to this news site tonight too.

A strange series of events

2008-02-21T21:38:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, February 19th - I call the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities to inquire about SJ(C?)'s accreditation. I am told that the Commission met in January about the issue, but that I need to ask SJ President David Dober about the meeting. I look on the NWCCU website, and SJ(C?) is listed as accredited - show cause, a status that the College has held for quite some time.

Wednesday, February 20th - The NWCCU website is updated (just the Alaska page), and SJ(C?)'s status is changed to....

Thursday, February 21st - I visit the NWCCU website and discover this. Holy Sh*%! I say, "How did this happen?"

The NWCCU defines accredited status as this:

"An affiliate status indicating that an institution meets the Commission's established standards of educational quality and effectiveness. Accredited status indicates that the institution: 1) has clearly defined and appropriate educational objectives; 2) operates under conditions by which achievement of those educational objectives can reasonably be expected; 3) is substantially accomplishing its educational objectives; and 4) is organized, staffed, and supported to warrant confidence that it will continue to achieve its educational objectives in the foreseeable future."

Huh?

Should the Church continue to finance SJ(C?)?

2008-02-20T22:21:00.000-08:00

That very question is being asked by the General Assembly Council of the Presbyterian Church (USA). According to a Church News Service release on February 15th, a delegation will visit Sitka to determine whether or not the Church should continue to provide SJ(C?) with a share of the proceeds from the Christmas Joy Offering.

Of note: Beneva Bibbs (SJ Board Member) states in the letter that SJ(C?) has retained accreditation. Interesting.

SJ(C?) to Reopen!

2008-02-19T14:55:00.000-08:00

After what we all agree has been a very difficult seven months, it appears that Sheldon Jackson College is making a comeback. Don’t believe me? Just read the following from a recent fundraising letter from SJ President David Dobler and Board President Shirley Holloway:

“The Board of Trustees has embarked upon a program of deliberate liquidation of all but the core campus of Sheldon Jackson College in order to retire the long term debt and to fund the refashioning of the school’s programs to meet the current a future needs of Alaska communities and students.” (emphasis mine)

In several past statements, the “current and future needs of Alaska” included the hatchery, which, according to Dobler, “we will continue operation of the hatchery as the linchpin of our future as an institution.” (Presbyterian News Service, September 20, 2007)

Has anyone notified Dan Goodness, who has to fund the operation by setting donation cans out around town?

Earlier the letter states that the Board voted to suspend operations for one year, but fails to mention that in subsequent statements, the Board has clearly stated that the closure is far more permanent that this.

“It is safe to say that Sheldon Jackson College will not reopen as a college in the near future,” said board of trustees chair Shirley J. Holloway. (Presbyterian News Service, September 20, 2007)

The letter also fails to notify potential donors that the College has lost its authorization to operate in Alaska, and the ability to award federal financial aid. And what of accreditation? The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities met in January to discuss this very thing. I’ve got a call in to find out.

This letter strikes me as extremely naïve at best, and misleading at worst. My favorite part of letter: “Last year the accumulated debts of the College made it impossible to continue “business as usual”.

It appears that “business as usual” is alive and well.

Friends of the Hatchery

2008-02-07T18:02:00.000-08:00

As many of you know some dedicated folks are working very hard to keep the old SJC Hatchery alive. This is a reminder that donations to the Friends of the Hatchery can be made by dropping in or mailing in a check to:

Friends of the Hatchery
Wells Fargo Bank, Sitka Branch
300 Lincoln Street
Sitka, Alaska 99835

I also noted that there are donation cans around town a various business. I saw one today at Murray Pacific. Drop your loose change into the can next time you see one of these cans. Every little bit helps!

Thanks!

No Longer for Sale?

2008-02-05T17:21:00.000-08:00

The link to the Century 21web listing of SJ (C?) property has been pulled that is why the web link below is not working. Rumors are flying right and left as to why the listing were pulled, but it is not Chris’s or my place to post rumors on this site. Feel free to speculate.

SJ(C?) for sale

2008-02-01T21:01:00.000-08:00

Century 21 has listed nearly all SJ(C?) residences. Finally a solution to the affordable housing crisis. Except for the staff and faculty living there now.