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A motion filed Aug. 7 by attorneys for Wrangell Medical Center is seeking to give physician Greg Salard a choice – continue an appeal in court of his denial of privileging by the former Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors, or seek reinstatement through a new board that will be seated on Aug. 28. In a memorandum attached to a motion to deny Salard and his attorney, Lee Holen of Anchorage, an extension of time to file a reply brief in the case, WMC attorney Steven Rose said Salard’s request was not valid. “A renewed application for privile...
The attorney for six of the recalled Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors has given a response to a lawsuit filed against them and former CEO Noel Rea by the City and Borough of Wrangell. The answer was filed in First District Court on Aug. 10. The borough, through their attorney, Bob Blasco, filed suit on July 11 seeking to have an amendment to the employment contract of Rea voided, and to order that he return a six-figure severance check paid to him after his termination by the board on June 20. That severance check, in the amount of $5...
The Wrangell Early Childhood Coalition has garnered funding for their 2013 fiscal year after being awarded a sizeable grant from Alaska’s Best Beginnings program. An email from Best Beginnings partnership manager Jonathan Teeter on July 30 informed WECC coordinator Krissy Smith of the awarding of the grant. “I’d like to congratulate the Wrangell Early Childhood Coalition for submitting a strong application for fiscal year 2013 funding from Best Beginnings,” Teeter stated. “The Best Beginnings Allocations Committee met on Thursday the 26th of J...
The defendant in a slander lawsuit in Wrangell’s First District Court has replied to an amended complaint from the attorney of Dr. Greg Salard – and asked the court to dismiss the case. Lisa Gillen, a long-time Wrangell resident whom Salard is suing, filed an answer on Aug. 2 to allegations that she defamed the physician on Facebook in late June. The alleged slander occurred, according to a filing by Salard attorney Michael Nash, when Gillen engaged in an online chat with a fellow Wrangellite, Jasmine Clyburn. In the alleged chat session, which...
Inching ever closer to completion, the Wrangell Roads Improvement project team members held their most recent status meeting on Thursday, Aug. 2 at City Hall. According to project manager Mike Ashton, concrete work has continued during the past weeks near City Market and Sentry Hardware. Concrete work also continued between Campbell Drive and St. Michael’s Street. Ashton added that nearly all the underground utility installations are complete up to Case Avenue, which is the end point of the m...
Much to the delight of Wrangell’s children, the inflatable “Nessie” returned to the community pool last weekend. The new Nessie was purchased with funds raised by young men and women in the borough – with 5th grader Sean Rooney raising $2,210 on his own for the project....
A Wrangell resident is still sitting atop the board of directors of Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, thanks to his re-election to the post late last month. The AHFC board re-elected Frank Roppel to serve as the chair of the group at its annual meeting in Wrangell July 25. Former governor Frank Murkowski appointed Roppel in 2003. He has chaired the organization ever since. Roppel is also the chairman of the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, which is a subunit of AHFC, and he previously...
Wrangell Golf Club hosted the Totem Bar’s 18-Hole 4-Person best-ball scramble tournament last weekend, Aug. 4-5 at Muskeg Meadows golf course. The tournament featured 15 participants on Saturday, with 14 golfers taking part in a 9-hole event on Sunday. Saturday’s 1st place team consisted of Totem Bar owner, Aaron Powell, along with Mike and Chuck Hay, and Adam Sprehe with a gross score of 70, using a team handicap of 27 (net score 43.) Second place went to club members Eric Kading, Faye Koh...
If you are a lover of arts, music and seafood, Coffman Cove might be the place for you this weekend, Aug. 11-12. The 2nd Annual “By The Sea” Arts and Seafood Festival will feature artists and craftspeople from Wrangell, Petersburg, Ketchikan and Prince of Wales Island. The island’s farmers market will provide fresh fruits and vegetables for visitors. A “Battle of the Bands,” will also be held, in conjunction with a “fish” themed poetry slam. Coffman Cove tourism director Heather Hedges said last year’s event was a great start for the festiva...
Whoever wrote the sage advice, “You can never go home,” never met Ty Knudson and his sailboat, the Sundowner. Knudson, who registered the 43-foot boat in Wrangell in 1978, was a Wrangell resident until 1980. After working as a faller in the timber industry, he decided to take a trip to Hawai’i. “After a tough winter here I went to the islands,” Knudson said. “And, I was just going to go for the winter and come back.” Knudson didn’t return, though, and he embarked on a trip that would last more...
Attorneys for the Borough and former members of the Wrangell Medical Center board were busy last week, with filings coming from both sides of the bar in a lawsuit that seeks the return of former administrator Noel Rea’s six-figure severance package. In a stipulation filed July 30 by Anchorage attorney Jon Dawson, who is counsel for Mark Robinson, Sylvia Ettefagh, Linda Bjorge, Lurine McGee, Jim Nelson and LeAnn Rinehart, he asked that the time for the six former members to respond to the borough lawsuit be extended until Aug. 10. Ketchikan S...
By Greg Knight Sentinel writer In Tlingit culture and history, there is a concept of a house outliving its structure – and that the physical presence of any building carries forward in spiritual connotation long after it has fallen to the ground. With that concept in mind, Ken Hoyt of Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium’s native foods program in Wrangell helped organize the building of a community smokehouse for all residents of the island. More than two-dozen Wrangellites came out to...
After more than a year of site development and construction, a new clinic facility for Alaska Island Community Services is set to open in mid-September. The new clinic, located on Wood Street, will practically double the number of examination rooms and nursing stations available to clients. It cost nearly $4 million to build, which included development of the previously muskeg-filled property where it now sits. “That $4 million included site development, which was pretty extensive,” said AIC...
A group of young Wrangellites has been working over the past few months to maintain the fruits and vegetables at the community garden. From left: Alisha Armstrong, Will Ashton, Ethan Blatchley, Carrie McCormack, Zahara Ritchie, Grace Miller, Devlyn Campbell, Ryan Rooney, Laura Helgeson, Yoshua Massin, William Helgeson and Briana Schilling....
Over the course of five days – and nearly 50 different events – Bearfest 2012 was celebrated in Wrangell without a hitch July 25-29. The 3rd annual event, which included classes ranging from digital photography and Photoshop editing skills, to gun safety and ways to live in peace with our furry neighbors, is the brainchild of local outfitter Sylvia Ettefagh. Ettefagh said the event is growing in size and what it can offer to the community and those who visit from abroad. “For one thing, the t...
A bevy of capital improvement projects are underway in Wrangell, with the city dock undergoing rehabilitation, the Marine Service Center seeing a lot of pavement work, and underground electrical work on the Front Street redesign in full swing. In a July 24 supplemental report to the Borough Assembly, Borough Manager Tim Rooney brought the group up to date on those projects and others underway on the island. According to Rooney, while working on the city dock, crews found a number of improperly installed piling. “Several piles were discovered t...
The Wrangell Golf Club hosted Bearfest’s 2012 golf tournament on July 26 and featured a 9-hole, 4-person “best-ball” format at Muskeg Meadows Golf Course. Temperatures topped 70 degrees for the 23 participants who came out to show off their golfing skills in a rare evening tournament that featured a tiebreaker. The 1st place team consisted of club members Aaron Powell, Mike Ottesen, Jr., Chuck Hay and Tyler Gunn with a Net 19 (team handicap 13) score. Another team of club members took 2nd place...
Brad Williams - 2014 What is your previous experience on boards or other relevant experience that would qualify you as a member of the Wrangell Medical Board of Directors? I was Chairman of the Board for the Mountain Book School District for 3 years. I was Chairman of the Board for the Montana Advisory Counsel for 1.5 years. I also have 35+ years dealing with various boards on a wide range of issues. I have very strong moral values to include a sense of right and wrong. I believe in and try to...
Wrangell scoutmaster Don Roher works with Matt Covalt on his kayak merit badge requirements at the Wrangell Pool. Covalt will be the first Alaskan scout to earn the badge....
A lawsuit filed in Wrangell’s First District Court by Dr. Greg Salard and his wife, Laura Salard, is seeking monetary damages and attorney fees in a defamation case against a longtime Wrangell resident. The case, which was initially filed on July 13, alleges that Lisa Gillen made statements in an online chat session about the physician, his family, and his ability to practice medicine. The filing also seeks damages exceeding $50,000, the Salard’s attorney fees, and any other relief the court may see fit to award. Attorney Michael Nash, who is r...
A proposed resolution to support the development of new hatcheries in Wrangell and Petersburg – and the resignation of a member of the assembly were the main topics of discussion at the July 24 regular meeting of the Borough Assembly. Mike Symons, who has held Seat F on the assembly since 2010, formally tendered his resignation from the assembly after being tapped as the new General Manager and News Director at KSTK FM. Symons said his resignation was spurred on by the nature of his position as the head of the news department at the station. “I...
Wayne Harding, left, can do nothing but look on as members of the Wrangell Fire Department work to put out a fire in the bumper section of his vehicle on July 22 at Muskeg Meadows golf course. According to the department, the fire was most likely electrical in nature....
A largely forgotten piece of Wrangell history may soon come to light, with the awarding of a Sealaska Heritage Institute grant to research the 1869 Bombardment of Wrangell. SHI received a one-year National Park Service Battlefield Preservation grant to document the 1869 bombardment through oral history work with elders. The work will be done in partnership with the Wrangell Cooperative Association. “This is the first ever Battlefield Preservation Grant awarded to an organization in Alaska to s...
With the rising costs of heating homes and businesses in Southeast Alaska, an earth-friendly product may be the answer to lower costs – and possibly creating jobs in Wrangell. The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, in collaboration with the Wrangell Cooperative Association, has been working in past weeks to bring a feasibility consultant to the borough in an effort to determine the economic and strategic possibilities of producing a biofuel – or “biobrick” – product locally. Biobricks...
There is an old adage that workplace romances never work. But, what if you brought your romance into the workplace – and held mutual dreams and goals for your life and career? That is precisely what two clinicians at Alaska Island Community Services are doing in the Crossings program. Bethany and Lee Burgess, a married couple who are Licensed Clinical Social Workers in the program, met in college in Michigan and, as the pair says, they fell in love and made their career goal a life’s passion – t...
