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Wrangell has received $291,566 that it was owed by the state but never expected to receive, and could hold it as a cushion to soften the debt payments on bonds to repair school buildings and the Public Safety Building. Borough Finance Director Mason Villarma said last week he would recommend to the assembly that it move the money into the debt service fund, keeping it there if needed to help with payments on the proposed bonds, easing the pressure on property tax payers. Wrangell voters are being asked in the Oct. 4 municipal election to...
The 935-foot-long Holland America Noordam made a stop in Wrangell last Wednesday, bringing 1,664 passengers and 700 crew members to town. Curious travelers flooded along Front Street and walked as far down as Peninsula Street and out to the Volunteer Park Nature Trail, stopping in shops and taking as many photos as they could during the seven hours the ship was in port. The Noordam wasn't originally scheduled to stop in Wrangell; cruise lines typically schedule their routes about two years in...
The roller rink, a community gathering place which has been vacant the past three years, is slated to reopen this fall. According to Jim Freeman, one of the cleanup coordinators, the rink, housed at the Church of God, was a mainstay of Wrangell social life in the 1980s. It was “one of the most popular things in town,” he said, and hopes that skaters will feel a sense of nostalgia once the facilities are up and running again. Organizers are not yet sure when the rink will be open to the public, but they hope the space will be functional by Hallo...
Next spring, the Forest Service will begin thinning portions of second-growth forest around Nemo Loop to improve blueberry yields in those areas. The blueberry enhancement project is a collaborative effort between the borough and the Forest Service. It has been funded by a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The grant is part of the USDA’s Southeast Sustainability Initiative. The initiative seeks to partner with Alaska Native corporations and municipal governments to bolster local economies and improve food security t...
Sept. 28, 1922 A party of prospectors came into town last week with an extensive collection of samples of various kinds of ore taken on the Iskoot in British Columbia. Some of the metals were gold, silver, lead and copper. The samples were forwarded to the government assay office at Victoria, and there is no doubt that the returns will show high values. While the samples brought in from the Iskoot attracted some attention, they caused no great surprise locally. There is little doubt that the Iskoot district is as highly mineralized as the...
It’s been 12 years since Wrangell voters were asked to approve the borough taking on debt, and next Tuesday’s municipal election ballot will include two such proposals to repair worn-down public buildings. The Oct. 4 ballot also will include the election of a new mayor, two borough assembly members, two port commissioners and three school board members. In addition, the ballot asks voter permission for the borough to sell or lease the former sawmill property at 6-Mile. The borough bought the property this summer for $2.5 million, and is loo...
Now that the community garden has put down roots and harvested a successful return, committee members are mulling over what comes next for the budding group. At its monthly meeting Sept. 20, a few members gathered at the community garden site at 1.5 Mile to discuss end-of-season plans, a final harvest wrap-up party and what will happen next year. Committee member and co-founder of the group Valerie Massie said there was still work left to do this season, such as building an eight-foot-high...
During its regular monthly meeting on Sept. 19, the Wrangell school board started discussions on revising its strategic plan. Strategic plans provide school districts with guidance on reaching specific goals over the course of five years. The current plan expires in 2023 but can be updated at any time. In its recent accreditation assessment of the Wrangell Public School District, Arizona-based company Cognia determined the strategic plan was too vague. Schools Superintendent Bill Burr said Cognia came to that conclusion because plan timelines...
Workers, families and retirees are not the only Alaskans squeezed by inflation, rising interest rates and tumbling investments. The state is in the same tight spot. And it could get worse. The price for Alaska North Slope crude oil was down to $86.57 a barrel as of last Friday, dropping a third from almost $128 in early June. U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate was even lower, at $78.74. The stock market, where the Alaska Permanent Fund invests much of its money, as of Friday was down 20% from the start of the year. Bond and real estate...
Time may heal all wounds — but that doesn’t apply to old buildings. Time just makes them worse and more expensive. That’s the case with Wrangell’s school buildings and Public Safety Building, which are all three or four decades old. All are showing the signs of rot, mildew, ventilation, roof and siding problems, in addition to boilers, fire alarm panels and other safety features that need a contractor’s care. The only thing that lasts forever in a rain forest without maintenance is the muskeg. After years of dodging the costly building...
Voters will go to the polls next week with only two contested races on the ballot — mayor and two borough assembly seats. Choosing elected officials is an important decision for the community, and voters deserve to know where candidates stand on key issues. In Wrangell, do the candidates support or oppose the bond issues for repairs to the Public Safety Building and school buildings? And why? What are their priorities for the borough budget? What past spending did they like or not like? Declining newspaper and radio interviews is not fair of c...
I was in high school when I read “1984.” It was an assignment and a tough slog for me. I couldn’t see that happening here. We had too many examples of totalitarianism in South America and Eastern Europe for it to take root in America. We had free and fair elections and we always had a peaceful transition of power. Then the MAGAs and their Dear Leader showed up. They have cast aspersions on every national election since 2008. In 2020 they attempted a violent takeover of our Capitol in order to stop the certification of an election that they...
What some would see as just a portion of muddy lawn at City Park, Angie Flickinger saw as an opportunity to better the environment. A couple years ago, Flickinger, who works on a part-time basis with the Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition in Juneau, conducted a community watershed assessment to determine areas that would be ideal for a rain garden in Wrangell. Rain gardens act as natural filtration for rainwater that empties into streams and other waterbodies. "Basically, I went around on...
At a special assembly meeting Sept. 20, the borough committed to match 10% of a possible $2,584,650 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for design and permitting of a new barge ramp. The borough has not received the grant but anticipates an update on the status of its application around Sept. 30. Last week, DOT Port Infrastructure Development Program staff contacted the borough to confirm their ability to cover 10% of the project, meaning that the grant application has made it to the final stages of the selection process....
Tribal members from both sides of the U.S.-Canada border — the headwaters and downstream region of the Stikine River — talked about strengthening their relationship when they met at the recent Sharing Our Knowledge conference in Wrangell. One of the common interests bringing the Indigenous people together is their concern for the river — protecting and preserving its salmon runs that have fed tribal members for generations. The discussions during the conference were about “connecting and cementing those relationships,” said Christie Jamieson,...
Winston Davies is running for an uncontested three-year term on the port commission to give back to his community and support Wrangell's commercial fishing industry. He has no previous experience in public office, but when he heard KSTK's plea for candidates to fill the empty port commission seats, he decided to "step up to the plate." Davies is a teacher during the school year and a commercial fisherman in the summer. He has taught a variety of subjects in his 18 years in education, including...
John Yeager, sport fishing guide and commercial halibut fisherman, plans to keep promoting sustainable growth in Wrangell during his upcoming three-year term on the port commission. "Fortunately, I have been on the port commission to see a lot of our projects started, like the Marine Service Center and a lot of our harbors," he said. "I want to stay on and see Wrangell's continued growth." Yeager has served on the commission for six terms already, totaling 12 years. He believes that the...
David Wilson has served two three-year terms on the Wrangell school board and is seeking re-election for a third. He is serving as board president during his second term. Since being elected to the board, Wilson, 67, said he believes the schools are "headed in the right direction," despite the challenges the schools face. When he originally ran for the board, the semi-retired cabinet maker said he was unhappy with how things were being run in the schools. "I wanted to see our education...
Elizabeth Roundtree is running for one of two three-year seats on the Wrangell school board, and her main focus is creating more opportunities for students through funding. One of her main concerns, like many involved with the schools, is the budget. That, and lunches. Roundtree, who went to school for accounting and is now the office administrator for Wrangell IGA, wants to find solutions to keep the school funded. Declining enrollment has reduced state funding for the schools, creating holes i...
Esther Ashton sees an opportunity to strengthen partnerships between the school district and entities such as the borough and U.S. Forest Service. She is running unopposed for a one-year seat on the school board. Ashton, 45, is the tribal administrator for the Wrangell Cooperative Association and had held the position for five years. She's been with the WCA since 2014. She has also served on multiple parent committees and is the chair for the Indian Education Committee. In the past, she was on...
After nine years in public service across four different councils, commissions and committees, Patty Gilbert is running for Wrangell's highest elected office. Gilbert is a retired math and science teacher who left the Wrangell School District in 2018 after 23 years. The mayoral candidate has since served in a wide variety of government organizations, including the borough assembly, where she is vice mayor, and the school board, where she served a two-year term as vice president. She also sits...
Terry Courson, a firearms instructor and retired police officer, is running for borough mayor. Though he declined interviews with KSTK and the Sentinel, he has posted flyers around Wrangell outlining his stances and experience. Courson served on the borough assembly from 2020 to 2021. He is a fiscal conservative and plans to vote no on the bond issues on the Oct. 4 municipal election ballot, which would finance repairs at the schools and Public Safety Building. Officials believe that the borough can cover the annual debt payment on the $3.5...
The Wrangell High School boys cross country team ran into a third-place finish last Saturday in Juneau at the Capital City Invitational. Eight runners made up the group, with sophomore Daniel Harrison leading his team, finishing fifth out of 143 competitors. The team finished behind Sitka (first place) and Juneau-Douglas (second place). Harrison finished with a time of 16:59.27. Senior Ethan Blatchley finished 11th at 17:48.17; senior Devlyn Campbell finished 12th at 17:49.11; freshman Boomchain Loucks finished 14th at 17:50.92; senior Elias...
Alaska officials are asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide 100% of the funds necessary for Western Alaska communities to recover from damages inflicted by Typhoon Merbok. That would match the 100% funding that was committed to help Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Fiona in President Joe Biden’s federal disaster declaration. Typically, FEMA covers 75% of disaster-relief costs, leaving the remainder to be matched by state, local or tribal governments. For Western Alaska, “we feel that that’s just not acceptable, parti...
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources is preparing a new program that would allow Alaska sawmills to sell lumber for local construction without having that wood graded for quality by an Outside inspector. The program was announced by Alaska State Forester Helge Eng on Sept. 13 at Southeast Conference, a gathering of Southeast Alaska political and business leaders. Eng said the program, which may take two years to implement, would encourage the growth of Alaska’s lumber industry by making it easier to use locally produced lumber. Many resid...
