Cross-country
Splitting the pot
Election coming
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THE SKAGWAY NEWS.
Running meets PAGE 4
Business grant plan PAGE 3
September 10, 2021
Candidates share their views PAGE 6
Sk a g w ay, A l a s k a
$1.50
RV woes impact housing
By Gretchen Wehmhoff Three years ago, in response to a shortage of housing for hundreds of seasonal workers, the Skagway Borough Assembly passed a resolution allowing residents to house trailers and motorhomes on their property. The ordinance required sanitary and unique hookups to city utilities. “In 2018, the Assembly adopted the attached Resolution No. 18-12R that allowed for a temporary permitting system for living in RVs, but it expired on May 1, 2021,” said Skagway Borough Clerk, Emily Deach. Deach said the MOS code section that applies to RVs, Section 15.15, is now back in place. Section 15.15 covers normal storage and habitation (no habitation) for recreational vehicles. Resolution 18-12R, proposed by the Planning and Zoning Commision had a three year limit. The resolution recognized the need for seasonal housing for employees and “the proliferation of the habitation of recreational vehicles (RV) in conflict with SMC 15.15.” The commission’s goal was to mitigate the seasonal housing problem “to coincide with the development of a municipal RV park over the Pat Moore Bridge and to gradually transition current RV users to a legal use of RVs.” In addition to requiring a permit every year, RV users were required to be properly connected to city water and sewer. Proof was needed to make sure the utilities were in the owner’s name. The plan was adopted April 19, 2018 with a sunset continued on page 9-RV
Photo by Jeff Brady
Jake Sager on the home stretch, after making the turn at the Gold Rush Cemetery parking lot on Sept. 4. Haines, Hoonah, Juneau-Douglas, Mt. Edgecumbe and Thunder Mountain competed with Skagway at the biennial high school cross-country race.
Dahl Clinic public testimony gets personal By Melinda Munson The Aug. 26 Dahl Memorial Clinic Board of Directors meeting went for three hours before being adjourned and continued to Sept. 1. During the two hours of citizens present testimony, residents related vastly different patient experiences from learning to walk again to difficulty accessing birth control. Mayor Andrew Cremata addressed the board first, stating he was “neutral” when it came to the issue of SEARHC taking control of the struggling clinic. “You have the assembly’s support, and you have my support as mayor. I want to make that clear, because I think there is confusion that the assembly has some motive to step in here to take away your responsibilities as a board -- and this does fall squarely on you guys to deal with these issues. And I personally have no intention of putting my nose into this
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situation or trying to tell you how it should be handled,” he said. “We are here to help” and “our resources are available,” he added. Jan Wrentmore echoed the mayor’s sentiments. “According to the municipal code, the governing body of the Dahl Memorial Clinic (DMC) shall be known as the DMC Board of Directors. I think it’s important for the public to know that this is the board to bring their concerns to. It’s not the job of the assembly to fix this. It’s not the mayor’s job, it’s not the city manager’s job,” she said. Wrentmore said she is pleased with her provider and called it a “personal loss” when the provider tendered notice. Board president Cory Thole instructed participants to not name providers if the comments were critical, to protect privacy and
reputations. Providers were allowed to be named if the remarks were positive. “You can praise but you cannot speak ill,” he said. The Skagway News has opted to leave all providers unnamed in this article, regardless of the nature of the remarks. Billi Clem read a statement on behalf of her sister, Kelly Ewald. Clem said that In 2015, Ewald was in a debilitating car accident but “her pain was mainly under control” in 2017 when she moved to Skagway. Her medical condition spiraled upon switching to DMC. “...The clinician here informed her he would not be able to respect the plan in place.” The new plan involved “changing almost every med that she was on,” Clem said. “It didn’t take long for the rebound pain and the withdrawal to set in,” and Ewald was “told to take Tylenol”
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Clem said. Eventually, Ewald was able to see a different DMC provider. “She held my hand and told me that while she couldn’t understand my pain, she did understand pain,” Clem read. “Now, I’m very happy to say that Kelly is walking unassisted,” Clem said tearfully. “She doesn’t have to use a cane, she doesn’t have to use a walker, and (the provider) is a big part of that.” Cooper Hays, a new addition to Skagway, utilized the clinic when her husband was injured at work and she suffered from kidney stones. “Both of us received excellent care from the Dahl medical providers. We are sad and frustrated to see that most of those specific providers have resigned,” she said. “We’ve also had struggles with the clinic. Some of them have shocked us,” Hays continued. continued on page 3 - CLINIC
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