The Haines Borough received proposals for use of the
former elementary school from the Chilkat Valley Preschool, an ad-hoc wellness committee,
and the Salvation Army.
"Personally, I thought there would be more proposals
offered," said borough manager Robert Venables. "But these are the type of
proposals we expected. They are uses the community could benefit by."
Borough assembly members will review copies of the proposals this week,
he said, and discussions on the proposals are tentatively set to begin at the Feb. 26
assembly meeting. Venables said new occupancy of the school might begin as early as this
spring, but added, "We’re not trying to rush through."
An ad-hoc wellness group proposed developing a Chilkat Valley Wellness
Center and associated non-profit in the school, with the express goal of "making
Haines a healthier community by creating a facility that will provide for the promotion of
health and the prevention of disease."
Members of the group include health care providers, SEARHC employees,
and representatives from the Chilkoot Indian Association, the borough’s Parks and
Recreation Committee, the Haines yoga club, and the state fair.
The proposal, submitted by Marnie Hartman on behalf of the ad-hoc
committee, states that the group’s ideas evolved after a public forum on community
health care needs hosted by Chilkoot Indian Association.
"During this brainstorming session, health care providers and
other members of the community spoke of our community’s excellent medical treatment
services but noted the absence of a suitable facility that focuses on well-care and
fitness," Hartman said in the proposal description.
Resources and services offered by the proposed wellness center would
include aerobic and strength building exercise equipment, fitness classes, and health
education programs on topics such as smoking cessation and nutrition.
The proposal asks the borough assembly to create a task force on the
feasibility of a community wellness center at the former elementary building. The task
force would identify actual space needs, determine management and maintenance costs and
lease options, funding and community partnership options, the availability of grants to
support renovations and center operations, and other specifics.
Submitted with the proposal are letters of support from Chilkoot Indian
Association president Jan Hill and tribal administrator Greg Stuckey, Haines SEARHC
administrator Marcia Scott, Lynn Canal Counseling executive director Becky Chapin,
physician Gregory Higgins, and behavioral health clinician Nancy Johnson.
The Salvation Army, active in Haines since 1924, proposes to move its
existing worship center, food pantry, thrift store and youth, adult and study group
programs into the former elementary school building immediately, and sell its Union Street
property.
With the funds from sale of the property, the Salvation Army hopes to
open a recreation and adult re-education center in the building. Unused portions of the
building would be sublet to other community non-profits, "creating a ‘one-stop
for all non-profit needs.’"
Other plans include converting one classroom into two motel-style
apartments in order to provide short-term emergency shelter for temporarily homeless
individuals and families. The center would act as a disaster relief center in the case of
emergencies, and would offer an after-school latch key program, a homework club, a summer
day camp, a computer lab, craft and game rooms, and a junior brass band.
In order to expand the group’s services, the Salvation Army
proposal asks the borough to donate the building.
"(The Salvation Army) requests that the (Haines Borough) gifts the
entire (former elementary school) including the school building, outbuildings, and its
play structures to TSA, with the HB keeping ownership of the property it resides on. In
addition, we request they lease this property, including the surrounding playground,
parking area, access areas, etc., to TSA for $1 a year for a term of 100 years."
The Salvation Army proposes to take over maintenance costs.
The Chilkat Valley Preschool submitted a request to use several
classrooms and partial use of the gym for school activities, an idea requiring shared
occupancy of the building.
First among the non-profit’s reasons for wishing to move from its
current location in the Borough Human Resources building was because "the age and
construction of the building makes it expensive to heat and operate." Moving to the
former elementary school would allow the preschool to share utility costs with other
occupants, the authors said.
The school’s central location would facilitate preschool trips to
the library, the museum, pool and town playgrounds. Because the preschool operates on a
tight budget, lease fees for the space would need to be nominal, the letter says.
