In This Issue

• Planning in Alaska
• New Funding Opportunities
• Indigenous Planning in Alaska and Beyond

Inspiration

Music - check out Imogen Heap, Matisyahu and the Flat Mountain Girls.

People - Randall Burns, Director of the Alaska Small Hospital Performance Network.

Agnew::Beck has been privileged to work with Randall Burns on several projects. With his guidance, members of the Alaska Rural Telehealth Network secured funding to provide telemedicine services to small hospitals and clinics around the state. Randall was also an organizing force for the Alaska Experience Project, which brought funders and healthcare providers from around the country to rural Alaska to learn about the challenges of providing health care services in our state's more isolated communities.

Agnew::Beck is currently working with Randall to secure electronic health record systems funding for several small hospitals in Southeast Alaska. A true resource to our state, Randall is tireless in his drive to improve the lives of Alaskans and brilliant in making connections between people, organizations and a whole world of opportunities.

VOLUNTEERING

On a recent trip to McCarthy, Alaska, the Agnew::Beck team rallied to help the Wrangell Mountains Center spruce up the old hardware store in preparation for this summer's programs.

SUMMER 2007

Welcome to the very first A::B Buzz! We're starting this quarterly newsletter to keep you updated on what's happening at Agnew::Beck and resources that may be helpful to our friends and communities. Do you have stories to share? Let us know!

Changes Ahead for Agnew::Beck
Beginning in late August of this year, firm principal Thea Agnew Bemben will be working remotely from Pittsburgh. Thea's husband Will is starting medical school at the University of Pittsburgh, so they are relocating to the east coast. For two lifelong Alaskans this is a big change.

Thea will continue to work for Agnew::Beck using the latest in video-conferencing and internet-based communication. She will also be returning to Alaska on a regular basis for in-person meetings and to remind her son Noah of his true Alaska heritage.

Planning and Community Development

Homer, Alaska and Anchorage's Hillside - what do these two areas have in common? Agnew::Beck is currently working on the Homer Comprehensive Plan and the Hillside District Plan, two projects that share similar planning issues. Both Homer and the Hillside seek to maintain their unique character, scenic environment, feeling of open space, and access to nature while they respond to growth and change. Challenging decisions confront both locations around the possible extension of water and sewer service, infrastructure improvements, and density of development. Steep slopes, drainage issues, and erosion problems require innovative thinking in both communities, where Agnew::Beck is proposing ideas such as open space neighborhoods/cluster development, "green infrastructure" mapping, and specific design and development standards to respond to the unique environmental constraints of these areas.

Funding Opportunities

Through a research and proposal development contract with the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, we have identified some funding opportunities that may be of interest:

Seva Foundation: Addressing Native People's Needs from the Grassroots

US Department of Health and Human Services: Translational Research for the Prevention and Control of Diabetes and Obesity.

US Department of Health and Human Services: Decision Making in Health: Behavior Maintenance

Indigenous Planning

Save the Date! Indigenous Planning Conference in Alaska - Fall 2008
(Tentative October 1-3)

The Indigenous Planning Division of the American Planning Association recently voted to support the efforts of Alaskan planners and community development professionals to host an Indigenous Planning Conference. The Conference will provide a forum for the exchange of ideas between those interested in, working with, and a part of indigenous communities.

Conference planning has just begun. A steering committee formed and initiated the important tasks necessary to plan and execute a successful event. If you are interested in participating in conference planning or would like more details about the conference, please contact Janet Hall or Ruth St. Amour. Also, stay tuned for the conference website currently under development: www.indigenousplanning2008.com.