Railbelt Mental Health & Addictions

Wellness In Nenana WIN Coalition Meeting Minutes 06/28/05

 

There were 10 in attendance including Blaine & Bonnie Reed,  Kat McElroy, Miles Martin,  Tim Horn,  Rose Allen,  Paul Verhagen, Endil Moore, Natalie Dean and Traci Wiggins.

 

The meeting was called to order by chairperson Endil Moore. He read the mission statement.

 

Prayer was led by Paul Verhagen

 

We said the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

Agenda was approved, no calls for modification.

 

Minutes were approved by voice call.

 

There were no guests to be introduced:

 

 

WIN Meeting Place and Meals  This was the first item on the agenda. Traci stated that she wanted to put some facts into public record. She felt that there have been misperceptions regarding WIN contributions to the Senior Center. She said that RMHA records listed donations of over a thousand dollars to Senior Center for use of the building including a donation last month of five hundred dollars. She stated that this is the reason she wrote the letter to the board of the Senior Center taking exception to the new policy of charging $25.00 per use of the building. She noted personal donations of time and materials to the Senior Center during the renovation, including the Verhagen family, TCCC residents, Ray Fox, etc. She said she wanted to clarify that she did not intend to impinge upon the integrity of the new director; rather she felt that this information was unknown to many.

Endil Moore stated that the new building use policy had been enacted by the Senior Center board not to restrict the use of the building but to protect the assets. Natalie Dean asked why the letter had been circulated without the knowledge of the new Senior Center director. Endil reported that he forwarded copies to everyone, including the new director, “immediately upon receipt, within 30 minutes the new director had the letter.”  Endil added that previous records had not itemized “in-kind” donations, just lumped them all together for reporting purposes. He said that a new system has been put into place so that in-kind can be tracked.

Traci stated that she and the new director had a meeting last week and WIN use of the building for our meetings has been assured.

Miles stated he didn’t want any hard feelings. He said, “I had suggested we use the old bar (Goldpan Pizza) because it felt like we were wanted there.” He said he had suggested using the back room of Scott’s pizza place “because we want Auntie’s Place there and maybe this could be a move towards that.”

Discussion ensued regarding strategies for dealing with gossip and criticism.

Traci distributed blank calendars which she said she would like to try to use to schedule who would be responsible for meal preparation for WIN during the month of July. Kat volunteered to take the 6^th. Rosemary volunteered to do the 12^th. It was noticed by Tim that the 26^th would be during the proposed Suicide Prevention conference here in Nenana. Consensus opinion was that we invite all the participants of that conference to WIN that day. Bonnie suggested we do a  pot luck on the 19^th. Miles stated that he doesn’t cook but would be willing to donate moose meat or fish. Kat stated that she has a freezer in her garage that she is willing to donate for use in storing WIN meals foodstuffs.

 

Because Paul and the Reed’s had to leave early, it was decided to do announcements before the Wellness video. Miles reported that it is unknown at this point if the Chamber of Commerce will be doing a bar-b-que as usual for 4^th of July weekend. He said that it was his understanding that there was to be a free feed at the Riverfront Diner. He also noted there would be a street dance the evening of the 4^th. Tim said that there would be the annual 4th of July celebration downtown on Monday, the 4^th, including the Coin Scramble. Bonnie announced there will be a bar-b-que at the Baha’i Center at noon o the 9^th. Miles also noted that anyone interested in having a plot at the community garden should contact Jay Moore at Nenana Native Council. He said that the garden is going great.

 

Wellness Video – Kat McElroy.  Kat stated that this video was made from a grant by the Alaska Federation of Natives. It is a little over 40 minutes long and she will make it available for anyone who would like to view it or show it to any group. It explores risks and resiliency factors in rural/remote Alaskan villages.

 

Our Wellness thought for the week:

Experience has taught me this, that we undo ourselves by impatience. Misfortunes have their life and their limits, their sickness and their health.
–Montaigne

Our program isn’t working. We are misunderstood. Nothing’s going well at work. We just can’t see it through. Why doesn’t someone help us?

Impatience! We become fretful and blame others for our shortcomings. Impatience! We lose touch with the tempo of life and our own particular rhythm. Impatience! We are convinced our addiction will never cease tormenting us.

Let’s slow down and get back in touch with life’s movement. We know that all things have their season and their motion and their end. It may feel like winter now, but spring will come and then summer. Nothing remains static; everything changes and grows. There is a pattern to all life including ours — if we are patient enough to discern it.

I need to slow down to get in touch with the rhythms of my life and life outside me.

Meeting was adjourned at 2:10 PM.

Wellness In Nenana WIN Coalition Meeting Minutes 06/21/05

 

There were 6 in attendance including Kat McElroy, Miles Martin, Paul Verhagen Rosemary Allen, Henry Cole and Gary Edwin.

 

Lunch was catered by Goldpan Pizza. A buffet was provided for those who wanted it, including three kinds of pizza, chicken wings, egg rolls and green salad. Cost was six dollars per person. Again, it was noted that anyone can bring their own food if they want.

 

The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Rosemary Allen, who also read the mission statement.

 

The opening prayer was given by Kat McElroy.

 

We recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

Agenda was approved, with no calls for modification.

Minutes from 06-14-05 were approved with no changes.

 

Henry Cole was introduced and invited to give a report on his feasibility study.

 

Feasibility Study on Racing Project – Henry Cole spoke for about 45 minutes giving us details on his study. He is in the process of working on the final report. The facts will not change, he stated, but some points of the study need to be fine-tuned. He is certain that the project is feasible, he said, “Do we have enough land? Yes. Do we have control of the land? Yes. Do people want to use it? Yes.” He indicated that there will be three things we’ll need to look at as the project proceeds: time, money and people. “None of this will go if the people don’t want it,” he warned. “Our energy and enthusiasm will depend upon the people.” He suggested that the focus currently be on getting races, “every week-end, if possible.” He cited the multiple contacts we have made already towards that goal including the various Racing Lions groups and the World Snow-machine Association. He indicated we can start immediately with mud-bogging and dirt-races. “We already have a dedicated course, and it is only 50-some miles from Fairbanks.”

 

Race schedules are already filled for this summer, he said. He suggested that Nenana Sports Association fund a part-time position, open an office, decide if it is going to be non-profit or for profit. He spoke about the various advantages of each approach. “We need to build a board that represents all the facets of this community and who will bring their skills to that process.” He also suggested starting a newsletter to build a network of friends/allies and to promote a web site with links to the other racing associations towards the goal of forming strong partnerships. He suggested lastly that we set up a meeting with the major players from the Racing Lions, the Snow-machine Association, mud-boggers, etc, to bring them in to the process early, “to get their input, so they don’t feel discounted or ‘diss’ed.’ “

 

Miles asked about the need for an Environmental Impact report. Paul stated, “We already have everything we need on the small parcel, there are no restrictions and we have the required permits. There has been no study as of yet initiated on the larger parcel.” Paul also noted that he had talked to members of a survey company currently working in Nenana that might be willing to survey the larger piece and provide an engineering report pro bono. Another possibility, Henry suggested, would be having a graduate student at UAF take this on as a Senior Project. Miles stated that he is currently working on the web site which will also link to the WIN minutes via the RMHA web page. Discussion ensued regarding ways to help make the Nenana Racing Association a viable entity.

 

 

Community Infrastructure Development – Paul Verhagen spoke for about a half an hour regarding community infrastructure development. He cited the recent Denali Foundation tour group as an example. He stated that the goal would be to develop and build local business opportunities, as well as to tie into other businesses. He mentioned wanting to approach Nenana Native Council to identify families that might be interested in such ventures as there is funding available for start-up for businesses.

He provided us with an overview of a projected schedule for future tour groups which included:

            Day One

                        Arrive in Fairbanks

                        Check in & orientation

                        Tour Fairbanks, including UAF, botanical gardens, El Dorado Gold Mine

                        Dinner on The Tanana Chief river boat

            Day Two

                        Alaska Railroad to Nenana

                        Check in to Nenana Student Living Center

                        Breakfast

                        Community Service Project

                        Lunch

Tour Nenana including Ice Classic, Visitor’s Information Center, the Depot, Yutana Barge lines.

Salmon Bake

            Day Three

                        ARR to Denali

                        Tour Denali Park

                        Dinner at Black Diamond Golf Course

            Day Four

                        Optional activities to include

                                    River trip from Nenana

                                    Flight tour to Tanana

                                    Bird Watching

                                    Walking tour of working artist’s studio

                                    Native crafts demonstrations

Paul noted that this is just a rough suggestion of the sorts of things that could be developed to create economic opportunities for people in Nenana. Discussion ensued regarding ways that existing and new businesses could profit. Kat mentioned the article in yesterdays Daily News-Miner about the man in Ft. Yukon, Richard Carroll, who provides tours daily in his village. The article stated that it was an opportunity for visitors from Outside to learn about some of the dynamics of rural Alaskan life and the forces that people in small rural/remote villages contend with on a daily basis. The article stated that the Carroll family has been involved in this endeavor for more than 20 years. Discussion ensued regarding the feasibility of Nenana having flight-seeing, local planes/pilots to take visitors to see Denali, or to the village of Tanana.

 

WELLNESS THOUGHT

Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds.
–George Eliot

The reading ended with this: Today I will watch how I think, feel, and act. I will remind myself to think, feel, and act like the person I want to be.

 

There was no time for Updates and Announcements.

 

 

Meeting was adjourned at 1:30 PM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wellness In Nenana WIN Coalition Meeting Minutes 06/14/05

 

There were 11 in attendance including Blaine & Bonnie Reed, Kat McElroy, Miles Martin, Tim Horn, Bruce and Andie Boschert, Lisa Radford, Frank Jacobs, Paul Verhagen and Vickie Moyle.

 

The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Paul Verhagen, who also read the mission statement.

 

The opening prayer was led by Bonnie Reed.

 

We recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

Agenda was approved, with two calls for modification. Miles Martin requested time to make a suggestion about River Daze. Paul Verhagen requested time to speak about recent events with the Denali Foundation

 

Guests were introduced: Andie and Bruce Boschert introduced Andie’s niece Lisa Radford. Frank Jacobs was welcomed as we have not seen him at WIN recently.

 

Per our agenda: Paul Verhagen reported on the feasibility study for the Racing Project. Henry Cole has completed the preliminary feasibility report and forwarded it to Paul. It will be reviewed and edited and presented to the Nenana Motor Sports Association at their next board meeting. Paul said that Mr. Cole met with people, talked to them around the state and around the nation, did research and feels it is feasible to move forward on the racing project. He has time-lined the project and broken it down into phases towards their goal of providing racing tracks for different motor sports. This year will focus on building tracks to accommodate 4-wheeler and dirt-bike races.  Next year’s focus would be getting the permits for bigger projects including motor-cross and a longer touring race route.  The Fourth year focus would be funding for a paved drag strip and fifth year would be surfacing for a road course. An eventual goal is to have a site appropriate for arctic testing vehicles, with a course that will provide all the specs required by automobile engineers. Discussion ensued regarding the benefits this could bring into the community as well as potential problems it could create that would need to be addressed as the project proceeds. Paul stated that a copy of the preliminary report could be obtained from him if anyone is interested. The final report is projected to be complete by mid-July.

 

Kat McElroy reported on the Rural Provider’s conference she attended with Karen Lord in Bethel last week. The conference is organized every year by Rural/CAP and is held for two years in different communities. To be eligible to host RPC, a community member must be an active participant on their planning committee for three years. The highlight of this year’s conference was eating King salmon caught fresh from the Kuskokwim River and bar-b-qued at the culture camp. The culture camp also featured opportunities to go out on the boats to set and pull nets, demonstrations of fish-cutting, Yup’ik drum and dance, and story-telling events. Other events included a youth dance, a Fiddle dance, marching and close-order drill demonstrations.  There were workshops on grief recovery, alternative treatment modalities with an emphasis on culturally-based treatment, early intervention and prevention programs, healthy relationships, parenting and FASD. The conference ended with the traditional Staking Ceremony, with participants taking a stake to demonstrate commitment to various recovery paths including personal sobriety, helping their homes or communities to heal from alcoholism/addiction, ending domestic violence, or raising strong children. People had opportunities to talk about their personal recovery journeys during Open Mic sessions each afternoon.

 

Kat also made a progress report on the Chose To Live project. She and Karen Lord have had a meeting with Traci Wiggins and Shirley Demientieff to discuss logistics of the proposed 3 day conference in Nenana. Shirley continues doing front-work, contacting people in the 13 villages she plans to visit, arranging rides along the river system. Karen has spoken to Robin Campbell at NNC and they will make tribal workforce development people available during the conference. Gilbert Ketzler has approved of the plan to allow people to erect tents for accommodations. Karen and Kat talked to numerous providers in Bethel who indicated they would make themselves available for the conference to provide workshops and activities. Kat completed and submitted a small projects grant to the mental health trust fund for money to feed participants and to defray expenses for Ms. Demientieff and the NCC workers. We will not know if the money is awarded until the end of the month.

 

Our WELLNESS THOUGHT of the week: Not the fruit of experience but experience itself, is the end.

 

The reading went on to conclude: Let’s concentrate on today; it’s all we have. Within this day, we have many choices and a rich texture of experience. We can’t control outcomes; the moment is within our grasp. We must seize it, savor it, learn from it; it is life itself.

 

Old Business: Vickie read the new Senior Center building use policy which has been approved by the board. It contains a checklist of chores to complete after using the facilities which will be posted at the center as well as provided to each person or entity that contracts for use of the building for events. It includes a $25.00 user fee. She mentioned concern that the majority of the work for setting up and cleaning up after WIN has fallen upon Bruce Boschert, who along with Andie has been doing most of the cooking. She expressed concern that this was putting too much responsibility onto them. Bruce stated that it wasn’t a problem as far as he was concerned. Vickie stated that she thought there should be something “more concrete” in place regarding WIN lunches. Miles suggested that we could use the Gold Pan Pizza premises and said he would ask Scott about use of the back room there.  Bonnie asked about those of us who bring our own food; would they still be welcome to WIN even though they would not be purchasing a lunch?  Paul stated he didn’t think this would be a problem. Vickie said she felt that we should rotate, having WIN at a different establishment every week. Miles stated that previous experience doing that with Chamber functions proved unsatisfactory as “Everyone just ends up confused: where are we supposed to go this week?” Kat stated that she would like to see WIN meetings held in the back room of the old Corner Bar as that is in line with the concept of utilizing that building for community development and personal recovery. Consensus opinion was to try WIN meetings at Gold Pan Pizza and see how this works out, starting next week, 06/21/05.

 

Discussion ensued regarding our ongoing difficulty having one WIN meeting a month at night. Bonnie noted that frequently there are only one or two participants. She attributes this to the frequency with which City Council meetings are re-scheduled at the last minute due to lack of a quorum, which defeats our initial intent. Discussion ensued. Consensus opinion was that for the time being WIN shall go back to the original schedule of meeting every Tuesday at noon.

 

New Business: Paul Verhagen reported that the Denali Foundation had their first group for scheduled activities, as organized by frequent WIN visitor Ted Dodge. It was a package tour including room and board, “Alaskana” classes, transportation to and from Fairbanks via ARR and including a trip from Healy to Nenana where they made a river trip to Wes & Mary Alexander’s camp and erected a 10×12 storage facility. Part of their tour was purchasing the supplies and erecting the structure as “volunteerism” to give back to the community they visited. The project went well and Paul noted that Wes quipped, “This isn’t a storage shed, it’s (big enough to be) living quarters.” Ted is looking at other tour groups to bring in during the course of the summer including “Broad Adventures” (an all female group) and a youth group that would be coming as part of their graduation from a residential program.

 

Miles requested time to discuss the River Daze celebration. He stated there is no process for evaluation of how it went. He was disappointed that none of the Sunday events went as scheduled. He stated that this was bad for the vendors. He noted that he had visitors from Germany who had made a special trip to Nenana to observe the canoe races which didn’t occur. He wonders if we could come together as a community to debrief events and problem solve ways to make them better.  Discussion ensued regarding the two unexpected funerals that coincided with River Daze. It was noted that some community members had expressed opinions that it might have been better to cancel River Daze altogether this year due to the funerals. It was suggested that the issue of this need to debrief be brought to the planning committee.

 

There were no Updates and Announcements

 

 

Meeting was adjourned at 2 PM.