Sivunniigvik Retreat

For the purposes of evaluating our work, preparing our work plan for the years ahead and nurturing togetherness among our staff, the Borough held a staff retreat on December 3 and 4.

I chose the NANA facility at Sivunniigvik as the site of our meeting for a number of important reasons. I felt that if we met at a place where the staff would be together 24 hours a day we would accomplish all our goals better. From a financial perspective, I knew we could hold our retreat at a much lower cost if we stayed within the region and that all the money we did spend would stay right here in the Borough. And finally, is there anywhere more beautiful than right here where we live?

Our guest facilitator for our meeting was the esteemed Native leader Byron Mallot of Juneau. Byron now heads the First Alaskans Foundation, an organization that is dedicated to the well-being of our Native people. He is a former head of the Permanent Fund Corporation and SeaAlaska Regional Corporation.

The two of us traveled to and from Sivunniigvik by snow machines at night. On the trip out to camp, we visited my father, John Schaeffer Sr., at Ivik. We returned on the Pipe Spit Trail. It was fun to travel with someone who had never driven in our country at night and, despite the cold, it was a glorious moonlit adventure. Byron summarized his trip in this way: "This was the best trip and experience I've had in many years. I got my badge of courage (a frozen cheek) and enjoyed seeing caribou up close, meeting beautiful people and feeling spiritually refreshed." Among those "beautiful" people were Vera and Langford Adams, the lodge hosts and caretakers. Vera made sure our group of 12 was very well fed and Langford kept the fires burning and all of us laughing with his many tales.

Our focus for the meetings was the Borough priorities, as established by the Assembly at their own retreat last year. We reviewed each in detail, as we had almost a year earlier at the start of my administration, to examine how well we were doing and chart our future action plan. While there is much to do during the next two years of my term as mayor, I am pleased with our progress over the last year. We will continue to work on our land selections, village comprehensive planning, economic development and capital projects for the region. We will also continue to improve our working relationship with all the other organizations in the Borough.

A real highlight of the trip was all the time we had to spend together. Beyond the six or seven hours per day that we sat in work discussion, we ate three meals a day together and socialized throughout the two evenings. I believe that in order to be a cohesive team, it is important to get to know and appreciate one another personally. As I sat at my desk after returning from the trip, I reflected on what a valuable two days they had been. I also thought about how much city and village councils from the region, the school board, our assembly, and other businesses and organizations could benefit from a similar experience.

Sivunniigvik is a special place. It is a special environment for bringing people together. It is ours. I hope every group with a desire to have an especially productive and meaningful retreat will consider using that wonderful resource. My last thought is back to the return trip with Byron Mallot. I noticed that his snow machine had stopped, so I circled back to see if he had a problem. He assured me that everything was fine; he just wanted to sit for a few minutes and admire the full moon and its reflection across the ice. It was just another vivid reminder of how lucky we are to live on this great land.