In the case of a memorial park to honor the Native children who lived through the trauma of the federal boarding school in Wrangell, the land agreement between the borough and Wrangell Cooperative Association truly is a sincere and caring win for everyone.

The borough had committed a couple of years ago to setting aside for WCA two lots in the Alder Top Village Keishangita.’aan residential subdivision near Shoemaker Bay for development by the tribe as a memorial park.

But those lots were small, not even an acre in total, not enough for a public park, gazebo, totems and parking. And what could be built on the small parcels would be insufficient to recognize not only the lives of the students who went through the Wrangell Institute boarding school over more than 40 years, but also the Alaska Natives who were forcibly relocated from their homes in the Aleutian Islands to live in a tent city on the school grounds during World War II.

The borough proceeded to sell all of the other 20 lots in the first phase of the residential development, now with plans to sell more parcels this year. There has been strong interest in the lots, but it cost the public treasury far more to prepare the ground, put in streets and utilities — more than $4 million — than it will earn from the land sale — about half that amount.

City Hall realized that the smarter move would be to sell the two small home lots that had been set aside for WCA, sticking with its push to make more land available for new housing and to recover more of the development costs. And at the same time, giving the tribe a much larger parcel of 2.7 acres that straddles Institute Creek, presenting a much better site for a memorial park than in a residential subdivision.

That new site will include direct access to Zimovia Highway and plenty of room for historical signs, totems, picnic tables and parking, creating a lasting memorial to recognize the past, while providing for future use by the public.

The assembly last week approved the land donation.

“Tonight we are welcoming land home. Yeah, you heard that right. We are welcoming land home,” Tribal Council President Ethan Petticrew said at the Aug. 25 assembly meeting. He said establishing the park ensures that the full scope of the site’s history will be honored and preserved for future generations.

The land donation is a win for everyone, including those generations.