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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11152023 PACAB Laydown - Survey Results l i1�! A Uwe 0A CA L? �v S CRITICAL SERVICES & BUSINESS �� /I 5 Nov 2023 SCOC SURVEY RESULTS S 23 entries 1. In a few words, please identify what a "critical business or service" is: • builder supply/lumberyard, Plumbing store, key duplication, Child care, duplication services, Shipping services like a UPS store, Nail salon, Hair salon • A business that would be great to have locally and not have to go to Anchorage. Grocery store, auto mechanic, hardware store, restaurant, movie theater, vet • A critical business or service is one that provides services to the community at large that are not ordinarily or otherwise readily or reasonably available or accessible to those who need/require them. • A business is critical when it provides services that are necessary to the community at large and are not easily available or accessible otherwise. • For Seward, a service that people would have without having to contemplate wether or not it should be there when visiting. And those living in Seward a business that complements town living allowing us not to have to travel to anchorage for basic needs. 1 think"critical businesses and services" means a business that provides what people and other businesses in Seward need in an urgent or semi-urgent capacity. Examples would be construction materials, plumbing supplies, marine equipment, and even specialty grocery, spa and hair salons, wireless and land communication services, veterinarians, feed store, auto body shops, medical, dental, chiropractic... • Things necessary to live in seward year round. If you remove anchorage and the Kenai what are we left with? The services that do the necessary heavy lifting that make the rest possible. • One that provides or meets needs around: Transportation, housing, heating and cooling, unprepared food items, health care, or education OR one that builds and maintains such facilities. • Supports day to day living and long term needs for living in Seward, and supports community growth. • Businesses that every town needs to thrive and grow. • Business that support health, infrastructure, and access to food/supplies. • Healthcare, behavioral health care, resources such as the food bank, grocery stores, and fuel stations. 1 would consider critical business or services as healthcare, food and drug services, goods stores, transportation, education, government services and home/maintenance supplies stores. • A service that is essential but not available unless you travel to another city • A critical business or service is something that is necessary to a community. A business/service that is required for survival and/or physical or mental health. • Services that advance commercial or private needs that otherwise require a visit to a brick and mortar store in another community. Businesses that retain an inventory of supplies that have immediate need or provide a convenience rather than waiting on mail or until a drive to Seward. • A business or service that is essential for a community to properly thrive. • A critical business in Seward is defined by how directly it impacts the community. This can mean that it benefits Seward fiscally, socially, and consistently. Because our town is so tight knit, this means that nearly every business can be viewed as"critical." Restaurants and seasonal outdoor companies help boost our economy, entities such as the chamber create social events that contribute to community morale, and long-standing businesses make Seward a more desirable location. • A critical business or service is an establishment that serves as a key function to our community in our for members to live to their best and fullest ability. Without a critical business in a community, quality of life may decrease. It is also operational services that effect our supply chain CRITICAL SERVICES & BUSINESS Nov 2023 SCOC SURVEY RESULTS 23 entries and delivery of goods for said critical items and work to meet our direct human needs (sanitary services, hospitals. food supply, snow removal). • Businesses and services essential to a healthy, thriving and safe community 2. Please provide examples of "critical businesses or services" that you have seen leave our community: • ACE Hardware, Spenard Builders Supply, school attendance decrease, jail, salon • -Affordable food businesses (without having to rely on a monopoly grocer i.e. Safeway)' Affordable Hospice/ In-Home Care options. Veterinaries • Lumberyard Bulk Grocery Supplies, Hardware Stores, Plumbing, Veterinary Care. • Taxi services, food services, plumbing. heating and electrical services, hardware and lumber store. • Veterinarian. GCI, lumber/drywall, banking??, vehicle body repairs/work (and mufflers), hardware store, plumbing store, movie theater • I've seen adequate health care decline it's atrocious that women have to leave the community for weeks at a time just to have a baby, that minor surgeries involve the added expense of commuting to Anchorage and staying in expensive hotels. We've lost our unemployment office, our job service office, our movie theater, bowling alley, adequate affordable day care among other things Too many businesses close from September to May. There are many volunteer organizations that try to make up for those losses but if you don't know the beauty of our town why would you choose to move here? • 1 have seen two home or commercial maintenance supply stores close. One of which has lumber and other building materials that my business relied on being readily available in seward. • Spa, and all services associated. Building supplies. Plumbing supplies. Home maintenance supplies in general. Personal care suppliers. Craft shops. Book stores. Entertainment services. Child care. Not necessarily business but health care and behavioral health care workers. • Childcare, doctors, vet, background check services (fingerprinting), mechanics • Hardware store, Lumber yard, building supplies • Lumber yard, hardware store, plumbing store, auto shops, auto body shop, doctors, veterinarians. Chinese restaurants. • SBS, Ace. Terrys tires, Jail, Title co. Dmv • Sure we ve had our lumber yard, plumbing store, child care center, gci, and our title company leave, It's not even that. For me, it's two fold. First, we aren't giving companies the ability to stay (housing). It's a numbers game and finding employees is a great excuse to close a place that isn't a revenue generator. We need consistency in employees. Consistency points to housing. And critical infrastructure is meant for for families. If you want companies to stay here, you need childcare services and housing, we're a town of 5,000. Companies want to be here but they spent their meetings talking about employment vs the services they are providing, it is easier to shut down than it is to hire. It is not a question of revenue it is a question of stability in staffing. Seward is a distraction to their overall mission • Spenard Business Supply, Seward Ships Ace Hardware, Seward Plumbing and Heating, The Retreat Salon & Day Spa, GCI, Doc Hall, Chiropractors. maybe even our Health Food Store since it is for sale. • SBS- need a building store, ACE hardware The plumbing store • Seward Building Supply, Seward Plumbing Store, General Hardware Supply, Auto Body Repair, Childcare, Daycare, preschool. Veterinary Services CRITICAL SERVICES & BUSINESS Nov 2023 SCOC SURVEY RESULTS 23 entries gilding Supplies, Plumbing Supply, Auto Body Repair, General Hardware Supply, Veterinary Services, Childcare, Daycare, Preschool, Head Start • Peking, Oriental Garden, Dreamland Bowl, Liberty Theater, Spenard Builders Supply, GCI 3. Please provide examples of"critical businesses or services" that you would like to see re-established in our community: • Personally I think the answer is bigger than that and this question is wrongly worded, what businesses or services do we need to be able to viably support the return of some of these businesses? It's not hey, let's convince a lumber yard to return, it's understanding fundamentally why the left. It's like being in a relationship. They broke up with us. We need to work on ourselves. Quality of life goes up-then everything comes back, maybe support avtec more. A literal trade school in a town with lack of trades people. Maybe build employee housing for 400 people or more so current employee housing could be sold and freed up so countless apartments / land could be offloaded for year rounders. There isn't a quick fix. It needs a big solution that is one part simple physical infrastructure and one part social infrastructure. But the simple answer is that Seward is not a year round town. Tourism isn't the problem - it's the only reason we're hanging on by a thread. So acknowledge where we are at. We are where we are. And dream of where we want to be. How have other towns dealt with this. Not alaskan towns but outside of our bubble. • OBGYN, allergists, fish market, childcare, well diggers(more), housing support • A building supply store at least and daily flights to anchorage. I am a travel nurse and would be flying monthly myself. A apartment complex for year around rental would allow those with hopes of owning a home in seward to have housing stability while they work on saving for a home. • A recreational center with bowling, skating, movie theater, etc. An adequate hospital, Possibly a DMV, Job Service, Unemployment Office combo, Affordable Day Care. • Hardware and lumber store. (Spenards, Lowes or Home Depot) • Septic pumping service, Marine supply store, Another auto repair shop, Sports arena with a hockey rink 4. Is there any feedback you'd like to share with the Seward Chamber of Commerce and PACAB on the topic of"critical businesses or services:" • Interested in learning how the SCOC could be influential in reestablishing these services. • Seward is getting older(population age) - so these businesses are leaving because of normal spending demographics. However, we are working on a building boom and to lose them will deter families who are accustomed to these services. So I'd also look and what other communities have like Nome, Homer, Haines, and see how we can recruit these businesses to set up"satellite" spaces so down the road they already have a foot in the door. • In my opinion our community's main focus is tourism. The 'powers that be' stay focused on what the businesses need rather than what the people need. • 1 think the chamber of commerce and PACAB should support any growth in Seward (commercial and residential) even if it is more nightly rentals because seward has people that are working on building enough housing for the locals and seward is too small of a town to start limiting business opportunities. With the cost of home prices out of reach for most people in seward specifically this may be the only hope for some to own their own home eventually. Supplementing the cost of ownership with local market demand. • Thank you for working toward addressing these issues • Without housing we will never be able to fill the much needed health and behavioral health care needs. CRITICAL SERVICES & BUSINESS Nov 2023 SCOC SURVEY RESULTS 23 entries • Thank you for doing this survey! • Please no more gift shops or restaurants that serve $25 burgers! In order for basic business to succeed we must have affordable year-round housing so people that work there can live and grow in this community. Tourism while a critical part of the economy is strangling the community. we must find a balance. (It may be too late sadly) • More"yes and"thinking Vs "no but'thinking. We have land. We have resources. If companies left Seward it's because they ultimately were not invested in the town of seward, I mean did any of them fight to stay here? We're any of them on boards?Any of them donate to our non profits or volunteer for any community event. Any of them work the movie counter or support any families in need We do not need critical services -we need partners and collaborators. Yes, it's annoying and alarming they are leaving, but considering who is leaving it shouldn't be surprising, SBS laid off loyal people because their rent increased.... Come on, GCI closed because why exactly? They have a signed lease and then being empty and paying a lease makes more sense then being open. Seward is a line item that was cut. Housing helps, sure. But I don't necessarily want those businesses to return - I want vested partners that believe in Seward to be here. Major marine closed it's anchorage office and doubled down in seward and their director of operations that desperately wanted to live in seward couldn't find a way to make it work and is moving back to anchorage to work remote. And when you think of it that's basically everyone. Sbs is remote, same with gci. They wanted it to work.... But it didn't pan out and was easier to consolidate in anchorage. I mean our Safeway is very different than our neighbors on the Kenai simply because it's not worth it for them to go down the''spur". What work is Safeway doing in our community? What boards do they sit on?What community drives are they promoting? They make money here but they aren't invested in our community. We need partners Please work diligently at defining the questions correctly because it will lead to ambitious solutions And what we need are ambitious solutions not a bitch fest about how things used to be. I wasn't here 20 years ago but I m here for the next twenty and raising a kid and running businesses because this town is my home. It's not a line item, it's not a strategy, it's not a distraction. It's where i make my living, I don't think giving tax breaks or rent discounts or things like that solve the core of the need. The town of 20 years ago is not the town of tomorrow. Forward is the way. We all love it here (except for most of December when it's rainy, no snow, and depressingly dark) so we don't need to convince people or companies to come here. We need to invest in our community, all of it. The youth, the families, our seniors, and our seasonal workers Think big, be brave, • The cost of housing is pushing businesses out Most businesses rely on some entry level and unskilled labor to bring affordable products and services to customers. Without affordable housing for the low to middle income families that work at and support small businesses, our town will continue to dry up. • We need to continue to grow businesses, not lose critical shops. • Seward is no longer a town or a community, it is a tourist trap/gyp joint. • Not having the basic necessity of animal care is crushing my soul. • I'm not sure if critical is the right word because it sounds more like emergency type services.