Sealaska Officially Takes Ownership of Lot Slated for Cultural Center

Sealaska Corporation has officially taken ownership of a downtown lot known locally as “the pit”— which is slated for construction of a Native archival and cultural center.

The official August 16 transfer was contingent upon the previous owner improving the site and fixing a failing sidewalk along the perimeter of the lot, which has stood vacant since a 2004 fire destroyed a structure known as the Skinner Building. After the debris from the fire was removed, the sidewalk over time began to slope toward the lot, prompting the city to file a lawsuit against the previous owner. It is understood that the suit will be dropped now that corrections have been made, said Sealaska Executive Vice President Rick Harris.

“The site has all been filled to our specification and expectations, the owner has gone back in and replaced the failing sidewalk that was sinking into the pit, and they’ve also graded the property in a way so the drainage for rain and snow heads in the right direction. So effectively, they’ve completed all of their obligations on it,” Harris said.

“Sealaska plans to landscape the lot, so it’s attractive in the interim before ground is broken for the center,” said Harris, adding that they hope to move a large maple next to Sealaska Plaza to the site and to acquire mature trees from other sources. A sign also will be installed specifying the site as the future home of the institute’s cultural center.

“In the next 30 days people will see Sealaska and the Sealaska Heritage Institute doing positive work in terms of turning the site into something that is attractive,” Harris said, noting the corporation eventually will turn the lot over to the institute for the center.

Meanwhile, the institute has hired as project manager Synergy Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sealaska Corporation that specializes in design, construction and construction management. Synergy, operating from Sealaska Plaza, will help the institute draft proposals and contracts for architectural and engineering work. Synergy also is managing a project to convert the heating source at Sealaska headquarters from oil to a wood pellet fired boiler system.
“We find it a unique opportunity that we happen to have a subsidiary that’s fully capable of providing all the construction and building management services that we need--not only to convert the plaza-- but also to help lead the development of the Sealaska Heritage Institute building,” Harris said.

The institute will fund the planning phase through a $2 million state grant received in 2010. Sealaska Corporation purchased the lot, and grant funds were not used in that transaction.

The center will be a first-rate institution for the study of Native cultures, preservation of historical papers and ethnographic collections, and the cultivation of Native culture, arts and languages. The project will create more than 80 jobs during the two-year construction phase and generate millions of dollars in spending for payroll, benefits, and goods and services.

Sealaska Corporation founded Sealaska Heritage Institute in 1980 to administer its educational and cultural programs. Sealaska has continued to be the institute’s largest sponsor. The institute is governed by an all-Native Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars. Its mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska.

Pictured above: L to R Ginny Kirchner, First American Title, escrow officer, Lee Kadinger, SHI COO, Rick Harris, Sealaska executive vice president

careers

media

FAQ

Join Our eNews Network