Sorted by date Results 201 - 225 of 284
Recently-elected Alaska House District 36 Representative Dan Ortiz paid Wrangell a visit Tuesday, meeting with Mayor David Jack and Borough Manager Jeff Jabusch at City Hall that afternoon. Since the Nov. 4 election, Ortiz explained he has been connecting with his constituent communities, and gathering input for setting goals for the next legislative session when it starts in January. As Wrangell's future representative, he said three local projects stood out. The first was final phasing for the Wrangell Marine Service Center, which is...
In his monthly report to the Port Commission on Dec. 4, Harbormaster Greg Meissner explained that plans to replace the dock at Shoemaker Bay Harbor are at the point where an engineer can be brought on site to draw up designs. Showing a preliminary design to commissioners, Meissner said Shoemaker would be looking at having five main fingers, with additional berths for 54- and 60-foot vessels. The materials used would consist of polyethylene tubs, doing away with wood or iron in the water and...
Students taking vocational instruction courses at Wrangell Public Schools have been making use of some exciting new pieces of equipment. Under instructor Drew Larrabee, the shop's new Universal Laser, 3D printer and computer numerical control (CNC) router should broaden students' future prospects. These devices incorporate traditional craftsmanship with computer technology and are effectively setting a new course for industrial production. The laser-cutter can make precise cuts in wood with...
At its Nov. 12 meeting, the Wrangell City and Borough Assembly approved its list of capital project requests for the 2015-16 fiscal year. Assembled by city staff and Assembly members, the annual list prioritizes projects in order of importance and gets circulated in Juneau and Washington D.C. by the borough's lobbyists, also serving as a target for finding funding opportunities. Topping the list are pool facility improvements, which could be as high as $1.5 million. Borough Manager Jeff Jabusch...
Wrangell’s Planning and Zoning Commission twice lacked a quorum at its scheduled evening meeting Nov. 13 and midday Monday rescheduling. Due to scheduling difficulties, Commission chair Terri Henson and Economic Development Coordinator Carol Rushmore were alone in the City Hall chambers at the Thursday night meeting. All seven commissioners were then notified of a rescheduling to Monday, but only Henson, Dorothy Hunt-Sweat and Don McConachie were able to attend. “Sorry everybody,” Henson said, as some residents had shown up to Monday’s meeting...
Wrangell seems to be in a fine position to prosper as attention in Alaska turns toward strengthening the region's various maritime industries. The Fishing, Seafood and Maritime Initiative (FSMI) has been developed by the University of Alaska and other public and private partners with the intention of supporting a strong and sustainable maritime workforce in the state. With over 500 firms and 70,000 employees, the maritime industry represents Alaska's largest employment sector, and its various "b...
Drawings for the future mariners' memorial at Heritage Harbor were unveiled at Wrangell's monthly Port Commission meeting on Nov. 6 in the City Hall Assembly Chambers. Drawn up by architect Christopher Mertl of Corvus Design in Juneau, the memorial plan calls for a concrete plaza designed to resemble wooden planking, a pavilion and weathered steel patina memorial wall evocative of the prow of a ship. "When it takes that curve it rakes out," explained Harbormaster Greg Meissner, going over the dr...
The big, predominately green, bear-stymying garbage receptacles ubiquitous to the island may be soon partnered up with a blue variety as Wrangell weighs the benefits and costs of investing in a curbside recycling program. Members on the Borough's Economic Development Committee were abuzz with the idea at their Thursday night meeting following a public presentation for a solid waste recycling management plan submitted by consultants Richard Hertzberg and Chris Bell the previous evening. The bigge...
Tuesday's Regular Borough Assembly meeting was preceded by a public hearing on Ordinance 887 being proposed, an amended section of the Wrangell Municipal Code largely dealing with the control of animals within City and Borough limits. The revised ordinance has already been sent back to the Ordinance Review Board before for retooling, and this latest appearance would be its second reading. A number of the island's residents showed up to express their concerns that the wording of several sections...
Candidates for Alaska House District 36 met in Wrangell Thursday evening for an on-air forum hosted by radio station KSTK. Republican candidate Chere Klein and Independent Dan Ortiz – both from Ketchikan – are running in the Nov. 4 election to represent the district's communities in the State Legislature. KSTK's director Cindy Sweat acted as the evening's moderator. Candidates were given five minutes apiece for opening statements, alternating who got to answer questions posed by the public fir...
Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Dan Sullivan visited Wrangell Thursday as part of a broader tour of Southeast Alaska. "We're on a pretty big Southeast tour," he explained, visiting Ketchikan and Petersburg before moving on to Fairbanks and Barrow. Early in the day, Sullivan visited Wrangell's Marine Service Center, which he seemed impressed with during an interview before his evening meet-and-greet at the Stikine Inn restaurant. "That looks like a really impressive job creator," he...
Aleisha Mollen Wrangell School Board, three-year term Occupation: Service Manager, Wells Fargo Why do you want to be on the Wrangell School Board? "I care deeply about the youth here in Wrangell. They are a great group of kids and I want them to have the best educational experience possible. They are the future leaders in our community and our nation and I believe that making sure they have the opportunity at a better education will better us all. Making a difference in the schools today can...
Continuing pool woes concerned the Wrangell Borough Assembly when members Maxi Wiederspohn, Pam McCloskey, Mark Mitchell, Becky Rooney and Mayor David Jack met in their City Hall chambers Tuesday evening. “It seems that everything here has gone wrong at the same time,” reported Borough Manager Jeff Jabusch. Last month Wrangell public pool staff discovered a number of problems, including a significant leak, roof issues, some corrosion and electrical problems with a heat exchanger. Jabusch said a public pool in Juneau had experienced similar hea...
Despite the at times uncooperative weather, the Borough of Wrangell successfully hosted this year's annual Southeast Conference at its Nolan Center, from Sept. 16 to 18. About 180 visitors arrived for the three-day conference, fully booking every inn, hotel and lodge in town. Volunteers opened their houses to some attendees as well, but to accommodate the remaining attendees Trident Seafoods allowed the conference use of its bunkhouses. Volunteers were essential to the event's success, fixing...
Field trips aren’t just for elementary school students, as Wrangell Planning and Zoning commissioners decided Thursday they will need to examine a request to vacate public property first-hand before reaching a final decision. The request to vacate came from The Bay Company, a marine and sports equipment business on Front Street and neighbor to Silvernail Work Road. Currently a portion of the road serves as a northeastern access point to the Marine Service Center (MSC), but the remainder that would link up with Episcopal Street remains c...
By the time the fog finally dissipated Tuesday afternoon, the 56th annual Southeast Conference (SEC) was already underway at Wrangell's Nolan Center. Poor visibility prevented the appearance of the conference's opening speaker, Alaska Governor Sean Parnell, but there were a number of interesting presenters on hand to cover a wide array of topics near and dear to the region. “It's just a great opportunity to learn about all of Southeast,” commented Chere Klein, the Republican candidate for House District 36 in November's upcoming election. “It...
Closely mirroring the mood of the last Wrangell Borough Assembly meeting, dogs were on the mind of the Port Commission as it met for its first meeting of the season Thursday. Wayne Kaer came to the meeting bearing several grievances, the most urgent of which were the harbors’ uncontrolled canines. Kaer had not been able to speak his mind at the last Borough Assembly meeting because he had arrived after the time for public comment had already passed. He told commissioners that dogs’ rubbish was r...
With only a month left to prepare, organizers for the 2014 Southeast Conference (SEC) are finalizing an agenda and adding names to the register of attendees. “We’re happy to have anyone that wants to come,” said Shelly Wright, SEC executive director. Registration opened at the beginning of the month. The Nolan Center will be hosting the conference, which promotes economic interests and brings stakeholders together to discuss issues for Alaska’s southeastern communities. “It is a good draft agenda,” Wright commented. A number of weighty top...
Yard operators at Wrangell's Marine Service Center were excited last Wednesday as their new mobile lift pulled the Marauder, a Juneau-based tug, out from the water on its third attempt. Rated at 300 tonnes (just over 330 short tons, or 661,000 pounds), the lift was initially unable to pick up the 85-foot tug until the crew emptied its tanks and stripped down the tires and equipment. "We're happy to finally get out," said the Marauder's skipper, Harold Medalen. The Marauder was due to be...
After much discussion, the Wrangell Borough Assembly voted 4-0 Tuesday evening to approve a formal transition agreement that will allow Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA) to take over the operation and maintenance of the Tyee Hydro Facility from the Thomas Bay Power Authority. "It's been a long time coming," said assembly member Julie Decker as she moved to approve the measure. The current agreement is the product of months of negotiations between representatives of Wrangell, Petersburg and SEAPA. "Concessions were made by everybody a...
The Wrangell Assembly approved bids for two projects at a special meeting last week. The assembly will use Commercial Passenger Vessel excise tax funds to purchase $22,340 worth of new park benches and waste receptacles that will be installed in town. “We’re are going to put them in the downtown area, mainly along Front Street, to match the theme of our older-style light poles,” said City and Borough of Wrangell Manager Jeff Jabusch. Graber Manufacturing out of Waunakee, Wis. bid the lowest, and the borough will receive the equipment from...
Some burly men were duct taping a video camera to the side of a plasma cutter in a shipping container at the Marine Services Center Friday afternoon. The camera was a GoPro. The plasma cutter belonged to Superior Marine Services, and the shipping container was transformed momentarily into a set for a television show. "This is gonna be (expletive) awesome!" one man said. A moment later, the plasma cutter started roaring. It cut an elaborate metal "S" out of a piece of plate metal. The cameras -...
The Wrangell Ports and Harbors Commission voted 3-0 June 5 to take over management of the Meyers Chuck dock and seaplane float from the state Transportation Department. State officials originally proposed the transfer and offered $1.4 million to sweeten the deal. About half of that money will go into a reserve fund, to be supplemented by dock fees with the goal of eventually replacing the seaplane float and dock at the mainland community, which has seven remaining full-time residents. Greater potential also exists to use that portion of the...
The borough assembly voted 5-0 Tuesday to pass both the property tax rate and the municipal budget for the fiscal year 2015. At a May 13 budget workshop, officials pledged the mill rate of 12.75 mills will remain unchanged this year. That means that a house assessed at $200,000 would pay a property tax bill of $2,550. Since presenting the budget at a public workshop May 24, officials have received news of $37,219 in additional revenue, composed of a $23,821 shot in the arm from increased revenue sharing and a $13,398 increase from the state...