Com-mu-ni-ty:
a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.
Defining "Our Community" is at the heart of the most important issues facing Alaskans is the meaning of community and the role it plays in our everyday lives.
Is community defined as the people that actually work and reside in a location year round, or is it merely the businesses that operate there? Are the citizens of the community those who keep their most prized possessions – family members, ancestral photographs and heirlooms, important papers – in the homes of that village, town, or city? Or, is community defined as the seasonal business owners who arrive in May, stay until September, and then leave Alaska returning to their permanent and primary residences…in other states?
One of the biggest problems facing Alaska is that many of these "seasonal" business owners only stay long enough to make thousands of tax-free dollars, employ crews and staff flown in from out-of-state, take advantage of Alaskan and/or federal grants, and then leave when the season ends.
Often times, as these businesses board up their buildings for the winter, they also lock up our community resources…community resources like the gym, the library, medical equipment, and meeting spaces. Resources secured with grants and meant for the residents who actually live in our Alaskan communities year round.
Is community defined as the people that actually work and reside in a location year round, or is it merely the businesses that operate there? Are the citizens of the community those who keep their most prized possessions – family members, ancestral photographs and heirlooms, important papers – in the homes of that village, town, or city? Or, is community defined as the seasonal business owners who arrive in May, stay until September, and then leave Alaska returning to their permanent and primary residences…in other states?
One of the biggest problems facing Alaska is that many of these "seasonal" business owners only stay long enough to make thousands of tax-free dollars, employ crews and staff flown in from out-of-state, take advantage of Alaskan and/or federal grants, and then leave when the season ends.
Often times, as these businesses board up their buildings for the winter, they also lock up our community resources…community resources like the gym, the library, medical equipment, and meeting spaces. Resources secured with grants and meant for the residents who actually live in our Alaskan communities year round.
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See the very community resources we're talking about...
Take a Tour of the Elfin Cove Community Building |
Elfin Cove, Alaska is becoming a Ghost Town
The summer businesses and vacation homes are boarded up. Buckets cover the smoke stacks and the lights have been turned out…since September. The current population of Elfin Cove is somewhere between eight and fourteen souls. It looks a bit like a ghost town. Though many people claim to live in Elfin Cove, they really don’t. Almost all our community leaders actually reside in other states. If a head count were held today, March 17, 2015, there wouldn’t even be twenty people in our little village. So, the next time someone claims to be from Elfin Cove, ask them where they are calling from. Ask them where they are physically standing on the planet. If they are standing in front of you, ask them when they returned to Alaska. Then, ask them how much time they actually spend living in Alaska during any given twelve-month period? You might be surprised by their answer. Truthfully...surprised.