March 04, 2007
Sunday PM

Wow, it's been awhile since the last time I've written a letter on SitNews. So give me a minute to compose myself. Whooo.... big deep breaths and here we go!

O.K. people's, listen up. Maybe you are not aware of the fact that Alaska Mental Health is (I'm not going to give all the details in this letter) about to sell off some of the few beaches that we, as Johnny public, have access too! I don't know about the rest of you, but I enjoy those beaches. On any given summer day there is the usual handful of kids digging through the tide pools, exploring and giggling at every discovery they make! People bring their pets to frolic in the waves and along those sandy beaches. Sometime's, people (including myself) just bring themselves, to enjoy the last gleaming lights of the sunset and reflect on the day they just had. Some of us (including myself) don't have a boat to whisk us away to some dreamy beach that is full of shells and awesome things for our kids to explore. But what we do have is the beaches right here in our own backyard! Mental health wants (or needs) to sell them!

So...... Please correct me if I'm wrong, but, I feel that this is not in the best interests of the community! Granted, these lands were entitled to Alaska Mental Health, but there has to be another solution. One would be a possible land swap. Another would be to try and block the sale entirely, and lock the lands up in a legal battle that could last for however long.

But .. since it's my soap box and I'm standing on it, I'll voice my opinion! Do the right thing! We all know we love those beaches, so stand up and be heard!

There are several different ways that you can voice your opinion. One is go to ketchikanbeaches.org and sign the petition. When you do this you will let our Borough Assembly know that your name is in the hat. Talk to people, let them know what you think! Talk (or write, e-mail, etc) to our local assembly (they won't know what you want unless you tell them). Talk to your legislatures (They are not gods, they're just like you and I) they just had the unfortunate accident of getting elected! The only way this is going to happen is if you let them know!

And since I'm still on the soap box, I'll voice my opinions on some other issues!

Ketchikan is not Seleville! The Seley family has employed a lot of people around this town for many years. My hat is off to them for making this a better place to be by providing much needed jobs. Those jobs supported families, paid mortgages, provided groceries, sent kids to school and generally made Ketchikan a better place to be! If it wasn t for hard working families like that, none of us would be here! Ketchikan owes its thanks to the men and women that came and put their backs into the logging, fishing and mining industries and made our town what it is today! We can't all live off of tourism!

By the way, Jerry Cegelske, you're welcome. Thanks for the thank you note you posted on SitNews on Sunday! It was a great way to spend an afternoon.

Tom Scott
Ketchikan, AK

Received March 02, 2007 - Published March 04, 2006

 

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