Quality of life in Seward requires sharing, vision

BOB HICKS

February 01, 2008 at 1:55PM AKST

For The Seward Phoenix Log

This column is about us – the community of Seward. Whether we live downtown, north of Resurrection River or on Lowell Point, we all have shared interests and commitments that make us just one community.

I’m the new director of Community Development. I’m trying to define what community development means, and I welcome your participation. Phone me at 224-4020 or stop at my office in Petro Plaza to discuss your ideas and opinions.

Here are some of my preliminary thoughts: Community development is all about quality of life in Seward.

This is measured by land uses, recreational opportunities, libraries and museums, housing, job opportunities, cultural activities, public services and nonprofit support facilities.

Quality of life is everything from sidewalks, parks or a post office that integrates people, to the outreach of our service clubs and our churches. Nonprofits indicate not only how we care for less fortunate neighbors but also the level of personal commitments we make to volunteerism.

Education and training opportunities comprise another huge facet of community development, and we’re rich in this measure. We have K-12 public schools, a Connections home-schooling program, AVTEC, Kenai Peninsula College Extension, Community Schools and the Alaska SeaLife Center.

We have a talented pool of potential instructors who should be recruited to teach more frequently in classrooms and outdoor training programs. We have broadcast and print media, but we need far more local coverage for community events.

We also need to assess our educational programs to ensure that we’re meeting needs. We need to promote internships among our businesses and government agencies.

"Innovation" is another measure of our community. We need to foster a can-do attitude toward new ideas and potential improvements.

Seward’s Lael Ki Gordon recently won a Rasmuson Foundation Award for creative cabinetmaking. The Kings and Brandon Anderson are developing innovative ideas in photography.

Scientists at the SeaLife Center are designing creative techniques for gathering scientific data. Paul Tougas created sewardcitynews.com for us.

Creative methods, procedures, devices and art forms must be supported and encouraged in a progressive community.

Of course, economic development is essential to a healthy community. Laura Cloward has led our Chamber of Commerce to new prominence and great successes. We must continue the focus on not only attracting new businesses but also on diversification, competition, capital improvements and consumer education.

Some ideas might sound farfetched, like exploring the possibility of Seward becoming a duty-free staging port of bonded warehouses for summer shipments "over the top" between Europe and Asia.

Other projects are more mundane but still require a vision, like a high-end resort with spectacular scenery on the bench north of the Seward Marine Industrial Center. We need to exploit more effectively the recognition of Seward by National Geographic Adventure magazine as one of the top 10 adventure based locations in America, and the listing of Seward among top 10 destinations by Expedia Trip Advisor.

The final pigeonhole in my concept of community development is what economic analysts call sustainability. This aspect focuses on climate and weather, disaster mitigation and response-preparedness, and conserving the quality of our air, water and ground.

Winter thaws affect the sustainability of winter sports. Tsunamis, earthquakes and floods pose real catastrophic threats, such that levees, seismic structural analyses and trained response teams are essential to good living.

Industrial development must be balanced carefully with the environmental qualities that sustain Seward as a nationally recognized top 10 location.

The bottom line is that we are a unique community nestled at the head of an awesome fjord surrounded by spectacular mountains to contemplate and climb, facing a pristine ocean bay rich in sea life, and breathing crisp, clean air blowing off a glacier.

We deserve the All-American status we’ve won three times in national competitions. It’s a neat place to be the director of community development.

Bob Hicks is Seward’s director of community development.