SitNews - Stories in the News - Ketchikan, Alaska

Viewpoints: Letters / Opinions

Disappointed

By Chloe Joy Lewis

 

August 09, 2015
Sunday PM

Letter to Editor,

Ketchikan is boring, there is nothing to do! How many times do we hear that from teenagers in every city? Well, it might hold some water in Ketchikan.

I grew up in Ketchikan, moved away, and recently returned. And am pretty disappointed in what I’ve seen since coming back.

Wanted to take the kids to the library last night. But it closed at 5 PM. Still can’t believe that. I’m sure residents (and students) would have preferred a less expensive library that was OPEN more often. Let’s go to the mall. Nope, closed. Let’s go play tennis or basketball at the outdoor courts by Schoenbar. Nope, it’s now a storage area for the city. No problem. Let’s go underneath the old Valley Park and play. Nope, fenced off now. All the places my friend and I played and hung out at as kids – closed or locked out.

So we went to the Rec Center. Looks like the cost of everything has doubled from when we moved.

Today I start looking into organized activities. Gymnastics? Ballet? Wow. Double what we were paying before we moved. Double. Is that because the instructors here are twice as good as the teachers down south? We’re going to have to take out a personal loan just to pay for our kids to participate in athletic activities.

I won’t even mention how expensive restaurants are here compared to down south. Lunch at Subway here costs the same as going to a nice restaurant for lunch in the lower 48.

Ketchikan is still beautiful and there are a lot of outdoor activities to be found. And I’m sure several people will respond with all the great activities that Ketchikan has to offer.

But man. When your kids come and tell you they are bored and there is nothing to do, don’t just ignore them. Because I can tell you from personal experience, a majority of the things that were available to us as kids in Ketchikan are now gone.

How sad.

Chloe Joy Lewis
Ketchikan, Alaska

 

About: Born and raised in Ketchikan. Moved back home this summer.

Received August 07, 2015 - Published August 09, 2015

 

 

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