Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 284
A new business will be setting up shop at Wrangell’s boatyard. At its meeting last week, the Port Commission recommended transfer of Lot 6 at the Marine Service Center, belonging to Josh Young of J&R Fiberglass, to Steve Christensen of CTT Marine. If approved by the Borough Assembly Tuesday, the deal between the two business owners can be concluded this weekend. It would also be the first lease lot transferred since the yard was built. “We’ll try to build on the reputation Josh has already built with that,” Christensen said. He and his wife, L...
Gary Morrison, write-in candidate, running for two three-year seats Occupation and experience Retired, formerly of the U.S. Forest Service for 38 years, and former Alaska State Parks Director. Has sat on a number of BLM and USFS boards. Why do you wish to run for the Port Commission? "I think my management experience and background, and my interest in the marine environment, boating and interest in furthering the economy of Wrangell, I think I have something I can contribute and want to try to...
The City of Wrangell is applying to the United States Forest Service to give a historic boat a new home. The M/V Chugach was one of 11 ranger boats operating in the state during the first half of the 20th century. Built at the Lake Union Dry Dock and Machine Works in Seattle in 1925, the vessel was assigned to Cordova for work in the Tongass and Chugach national forests. It remains the last of its kind in the USFS fleet, continuing service until last year. The boat was restationed in Petersburg in 1953, it served from there more than 60 years....
With the seasonal peak behind it, Alaska’s commercial fishing industry is expecting one of the worst shortfalls for salmon in recent memory. As of Tuesday, Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s in-season blue sheet summary estimated just over 102,245,000 salmon had been caught statewide, with less than a quarter of that caught in Southeast. Despite a fair showing for sockeye, the state’s fishermen would be fortunate enough to harvest half the 263,463,000 salmon estimated caught last year. The news has not been good for the local comme...
As the fisheries industry continues to expand and Wrangell’s Marine Service Center’s services demand increases, I believe Wrangell’s economy has nowhere to go but up. However, to accommodate this growth, the state must maintain their services in Wrangell. I am particularly concerned about the conservation of state jobs in Wrangell. Several years ago, Wrangell lost its social worker and its fisheries biologist. Now, the loss of the Wrangell trooper and the potential of reduced funding to the city jail weigh heavily, as Wrangell’s state jobs sl...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A national environmental group on Wednesday asked federal fisheries officials to block an oil company’s plans for offshore hydraulic fracturing underneath Alaska’s Cook Inlet because of the threat to the inlet’s population of endangered beluga whales. The Center for Biological Diversity in a letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service said fracking increases risks of spills, earthquakes and toxic pollutants to belugas, which were declared endangered in 2008. “Offshore fracking poses a grave and imminent thr...
In a close vote the Wrangell City and Borough Assembly approved a new fee structure for the community’s harbors and dock facilities. Already approved once on its first reading by the Assembly last month, the increases being put forward would institute a 10-percent increase to outside and inside dock face moorage, storage, port development fees and most boatyard rates. Those increases would also incorporate an anti-inflationary rise of two percent per year. Transient moorage rates have been rescheduled, shifting from flat per-foot rates to a s...
A consultancy returned with its draft findings for a feasibility study of developing Wrangell’s former mill site. A public presentation was given at the Nolan Center yesterday evening, following up on one given on Feb. 17. Washington-based firm Maul Foster & Alongi has spent the past several months assessing the Silver Bay Logging Company mill site at 6-Mile Zimovia Highway, a 110-acre property which the City and Borough of Wrangell has expressed interest in acquiring for future industrial development. “Overall it went positively,” said Micha...
The Wrangell Port Commission was tasked with solving a problem with access to the boatyard, after local sight-seeing operators were presented letters by the city asking them to stop driving buses through on tours. Gold Rush Tours and Alaska Waters were sent a pair of letters apiece from Borough Manager Jeff Jabusch, requesting them to discontinue tours through the Marine Service Center. This posed a problem for both outfits, as the yard had been included on the itinerary for tours which had already been booked through the season. Brooke Leslie...
An interisland ferry service startup has stopped again, after reporting trouble with its landing craft. After discovering water in the stern of the Rainforest Islander, operator Rainforest Islands Ferry contacted its customers last week to cancel reservations for the foreseeable future. On May 11, the ferry’s crew discovered water inside the hull. Closer inspection identified stress cracks on welds to the hull plating. Baker explained the engine’s shaft is slightly out of alignment, leading to the vibrations which may have caused the pla...
Community members were given a first peek at the budget being proposed for the next fiscal year, in the first of several planned workshops held on Monday. “This is a draft budget. It's certainly the starting point,” Borough Manager Jeff Jabusch pointed out. “The budget here is balanced up to this point,” finance director Lee Burgess summarized, presenting the draft. While the budget draft presented Monday is currently balanced, Burgess pointed out there are still several looming concerns. Rent revenues from the state for use of the local j...
The Stikine Inn celebrated a decade under its current management on Friday, a stretch of time marked by an extensive remodel and plans for future expansion. Located on the commercial district’s waterfront, Bill and Cheryl Goodale of Southeast Properties purchased the Inn on April 15, 2006. At the time the hotel had just 15 employees on staff, aging amenities and an inefficient restaurant. In the years since, the hotel now employs 45 during its peak season, the last room is being renovated, and the same kitchen is now feeding three times as m...
Seven retired totem poles changed homes on March 11, with volunteers from Wrangell Cooperative Association working with the Harbor Department taking advantage of the sunny weather to move them out of storage at the boatyard to the newly-built cultural center on Front Street. The poles vary in age and condition, and until they were put into storage were positioned on Chief Shakes Island and at different spots around town. The Sun Totem, for instance, for a time previously stood on the lawn...
The City and Borough Assembly approved a multimillion dollar infrastructure plan put forward by Wrangell Municipal Light and Power on Tuesday, which is set to tackle a half-dozen deficiencies over as many years. The decision follows a utility study commissioned last year which identified a startling number of infrastructural needs the community will need to focus on in the near future. The two largest problems it identified were Wrangell’s many aging utility poles and its insufficient backup power capabilities. As presented, the utility’s pla...
In the midst of rate increase talks and utility concerns, Wrangell’s Port Commission approved the renewal of three leases at the Marine Service Center during its Feb. 18 meeting. The lease lots of welder Chuck Jenkins, shipwright Tyler Thompson and contractor Steve Keller were up for their five-year renewal. Commissioners had previously approved Jenkins’ renewal in December at its $0.08 per square foot monthly rate. On Jan. 12 the Assembly decided to return Jenkins’ request for renewal to the commission, reasoning it might want to update lease...
Wrangell residents gave their input about what they would like to see happen to the former Silver Bay Logging Company mill site, which the City and Borough is interested in acquiring and eventually developing for maritime and industrial use. One of the borough's first steps was to initiate a feasibility study of the 110-acre site, with a bid going to Maul Foster & Alongi of Bellingham, Wash. The bid was approved by the Borough Assembly in early November, funded through a $90,000 Department of Co...
Wrangell residents were rocked late Monday and early Tuesday morning as a storm system worked its way northward along the Southeast panhandle. Homes, businesses and facilities along Zimovia Highway were hit hardest as sustained gusts of up to 55 miles per hour or more buffeted the coastline. Work crews scrambled throughout the morning trying to remove debris and fallen trees from yards, streets – even homes. Power was down for parts of the island in the early morning hours, with an outage to t...
The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) on Tuesday announced the release of its upcoming summer schedule, covering May through September. The release of the schedule also coincides with the implementation of the new reservations and manifest system. AMHS has planned a phased implementation of the new reservations system starting with the reservations call center, then followed by online reservations for summer travel. Implementation will continue with new hardware installations in terminals and aboard vessels through the spring. The system...
Ringing in the new year, Wrangell's American Legion Post 6 decided to take an opportunity to thank several of its longest-serving members over coffee at the Stikine Inn on Saturday. Certificates were presented to four veterans who have been with the organization for more than half a century: Gilbert Gunderson, Harry Churchill, Willy Eyon and Cappy Bakke. Post commander Chuck Petticrew Sr. explained the award ceremony was a first for him since taking the position last March. "We admire you boys t...
The year 2015 was largely a good one for Wrangell, with the appearance of several new businesses, large infrastructural developments undertaken by businesses, the formal opening of the Tribe's cultural center, and a balanced financial outlook for the city despite tumultuous budget negotiations in Juneau. The state deficit will remain the largest issue moving ahead into 2016, as will continued mining developments in Canada along shared waters. January On Jan. 12 and 14 the first of three sets of...
The plan to build a memorial dedicated to Wrangell's mariners is now shovel-ready – organizers now just need to pull together the funds to buy the shovels. The Port Commission has been spearheading the memorial project, and accepted completed designs from Corvus Design's principal landscape architect Chris Mertl during its Dec. 3 meeting. "I'm really happy with the progress we've made," said commissioner Clay Hammer. "Stuff's about to get real here." A draft design was last presented to the p...
Christie Jamieson, running for one of two three-year seats on the Assembly a write-in candidate Occupation: Owner of CLJ Consulting and The Squawking Raven B&B. Why do you want to sit on the Assembly? "I have local and state government work experience, and I believe I can be an asset in the decision-making for our community's future. I'm ready to take on another challenge for the next three years." At the moment, what do you feel is Wrangell's most pressing concern, and how should the assembly...
Clay Hammer, running uncontested for re-election to the Port Commission, three-year seat Occupation: Electrical superintendent for the City and Borough of Wrangell Why would you like to sit on the commission again? "I enjoy sitting on the Port Commission as it gives me a chance to give back to a community that has given me so much. I have four children, all born here, and I hope that as they 'leave the nest' that they and all our children will have as good a chance at making it here as we all...
The cruise ship Regatta's departure Tuesday evening marked the start of the end for Wrangell's tourist 2015 season. "I think it was a great season," said Cyni Waddington, with the Chamber of Commerce. "I feel we had just the right amount of cruise ships." The summer's high point came during Wrangell's annual July 4 celebrations, which benefitted from clear weather during an otherwise unusually rainy month. "It was probably one of the most well-attended," Waddington said. "I was happy with the...
