Sorted by date Results 226 - 250 of 267
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. April 30, 1914: Work was started this morning on the riverboat of Wm. Strong’s, the Winifred, pertaining to getting her into commission for a trip up the river within the next week. Mr. Strong received a wire from W. Hyland at Telegraph Creek in which he stated that it would be impossible for Eddie Kalkins to get to Wrangell in time to make the first trip on her as he was detained inside. He also stated that the river has been clear at Telegraph for the past three days. They expect to have the b...
Members of the public told port commissioners they preferred the second of three options for the proposed Mariners Memorial. At a second public workshop Thursday evening, a clear consensus emerged among attendees that while the second option offered the most pleasing esthetics and the best way for individuals to approach the monument, elements of another option appealed to them. They said they generally preferred a grand staircase visible in one of the other three possible layouts presented by...
After two winter sinkings in the Wrangell area, port commissioners and the harbormaster said the time has come to discuss a possible insurance requirement. The subject has been on the commission’s agenda since the previous meeting in March. Discussion – commissioners took no vote on the issue – mentioned the requirement but also focused around possible alternatives to an outright requirement. Former port officials present at Thursday’s regular port commission meeting said a requirement had in the past faced criticism – and eventual defeat ...
The Wrangell School board voted 4-0 Monday to fill two critical positions. The board offered Deidre Jenson, interim principal of Evergreen Elementary School from early in the second semester, the same job full time. Jenson, formerly of Thorne Bay, previously said she would accept the position if it were offered. She said Monday she was happy to have been offered the position. The board also voted to offer the position of secondary principal – the joint position for Wrangell middle and high schools – to Colter Barnes, currently a principal in...
A Juneau designer presented three draft options on Monday for a potential layout to the Mariner's Memorial at a public workshop. An octagonal lighthouse pavilion is part of each design, but could be located toward the envisioned entryway for the memorial, at the memorial's midpoint, or at the end. All three drafts used landscaped vegetation to screen the memorial from the noise and bustle of nearby Heritage Harbor and the boat ramp, to create a solemn ceremonial air with a strong connection to n...
Sentinel writer The Wrangell Mariner's Memorial is presently about 3,500 square feet of black empty pavement scattered with mussel shells. It could one day be an educational space. It could one day be an artistic exhibition. It could one day be a memorial shrine. It could one day be a historical exhibit and a place for community gatherings. It could be a navigational aide. It could one day be a tourism draw, though that's not its primary focus, planners said. Wrangell Ports and Harbor...
The borough assembly voted 5-0 Tuesday night to approve a no-bid design contract with Juneau-based Corvus Design. The contract allots $11,372 from a $35,000 state grant to renovate heritage harbor for that purpose. Port commissioners previously said the contract was designed to be no-bid in order to avoid a prolonged bidding process which might stretch past the June 30 expiration date for the grant. The money “is part of the starting of this thing?” assembly member James Stough asked harbormaster Greg Meissner. “Is that what this is?” The goa...
The Wrangell Ports & Harbors commission voted 4-0 three times Tuesday night. Commissioners unanimously approved a no-bid professional services contract with Juneau’s Corvus Design. The vote means, pending approval by the borough assembly, port officials would repurpose approximately $11,372 of state money for the construction of floats and upland improvements for Heritage Harbor. About $24,000 would remain from those funds, any unused portion of which will be lost by June 30, if the assembly approved the contract, commissioners said. The c...
The Chief Shakes House rededication was easily the biggest event of 2013 in Wrangell. However, the year was filled with events and news stories big and small. On the first edition of 2014, the Sentinel pauses to recollect the stories throughout the year. January An electrical fire damaged the fish tank at the Nolan Center, causing it to be removed. A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off of Craig Jan. 4, rattling windows and nerves in town. The quake caused no major damage in town, but...
To the Editor: Concerning the Wrangell Mariners Memorial: In order to encourage more community involvement and add depth to Wrangell’s Mariners Memorial, I would like the community to consider adding a series of kiosks depicting the history of maritime culture associated with Wrangell. The addition of educational kiosks sponsored by specific organizations would help this project obtain additional grant funding. The Nolan Center has interpretative kiosks outside the building conveying site information. I would like the community to consider a s...
In the Sentinel 75, 50 and 25 years ago. November 18, 1938: The Hospital Auxiliary staged a very successful benefit for the Bishop Rowe General Hospital on Armistice Day when 65 persons registered between the hours of 3 to 5 and attended the annual silver tea, postponed from last May. Perhaps the greatest surprise to the tea patrons was the fact that quantities of garden flowers, particularly snapdragons, had been saved from the heavy frost of preceding days and were used to center the daintily arranged tea tables and wherever a vase could be...
The borough port commission unanimously recommended a new ordinance to the borough assembly Oct. 17 after a public hearing. The ordinance empowers the harbormaster to auction derelict or abandoned vessels, as defined by state code, or boats in the harbormaster’s “opinion … is unsound, unseaworthy, and unfit for its trade or occupation” to auction or impound those vessels after 24 months. Harbormaster Greg Meissner told the commission the ordinance could affect as many as six boats currently taking up space at the marine service yard. The code w...
The borough assembly voted 5-1 Tuesday to reject changes to borough code during a first reading. The changes would have given the harbormaster powers to impound or remove abandoned and derelict vessels from the marine service yard at the port. Harbormaster Greg Meissner had told the port commission that the changes were necessary in order to deal with up to six boats currently housed in the yard. Assembly members seemed to have no complaint with the primary text of the change, which officials have said was made to bring borough code into...
Southeast Alaska Power Agency CEO Trey Acteson this week decried what he called the ‘overwhelming amount of misinformation’ circulated at a city council meeting Sept. 24. Acteson focused primarily on accusations made at that meeting during the public comments section. In particular, he cited rumors of a rate increase, the possibility of new diesel construction, and statements about the SEAPA payroll, saying they were false. At least one SEAPA board member disagreed with Acteson’s characterization of the debate. Both he and SEAPA keep the walle...
Name: John Yeager Age: 45 Occupation: Fishing Guide and co-owner of Alaska Charters & Adventures. What is your previous experience on boards or other relevant experience related to the position you are seeking? I have been on the Port Commission for a few years now and have had the privilege of serving with some positive, community driven individuals. I like the diversity and combined years of experience our current Commission has. I feel that a Commission with members that represent all aspects...
Name: John M. Martin Age: 63 years old Occupation: Retired teacher/ carpenter apprentice What is your previous experience on boards or other relevant experience related to the position you are seeking? I am a lifetime Wrangellite. As a young man, I fished commercially, served a tour in the U.S. Coast Guard, and worked my way through college on tugboats in the Gulf of Alaska. It has always been important to me to give back to my hometown and I have done so on a number of boards and committees....
Name: David Silva Age: 58 Occupation: Commercial Fisherman, Speech/Language Therapist What is your previous experience on boards or other relevant experience related to the position you are seeking? As a commercial fisherman, I have had many opportunities over the past six years to utilize our harbor facilities here in Wrangell. My wife and I have leased slips at Shoemaker Harbor and at this time have two slips at Heritage Harbor. We have used the services of many of the businesses in the...
A series of capital projects led the way in Borough Manager Tim Rooney’s final report to the Borough Assembly last week as he highlighted the improvements on-going or planned in the Borough. Starting off, Rooney informed the Assembly about a number of projects related to the city’s Harbor Department, including upgrades at the Marine Service Center pier. “Pool Engineering has begun work on the pier upgrades and good progress is being made,” Rooney wrote. “The two new batter piles have been driv...
The Borough Assembly approved a change order in the amount of $34,600 for the 300-ton marine hoist purchased by the City and Borough of Wrangell this week. The city is under contract with Italian firm Ascom S.p.A. to manufacture and assemble the new 300-ton capacity vessel hoist. The bid documents required a backup control system for use in the case of failure of the wireless remote control, which Ascom is providing as a redundant, plug in, wired remote control. In a memo to the Assembly, Wrangell Public Works Director Carl Johnson explained...
Jerry E. Elliot, a resident of Wrangell, Alaska from 1969 to 1989, died at home June 14, 2013. He was born in Amboy, Minn. July 5, 1931. Jerry graduated from Central Valley High School outside Spokane, Wash. in 1949 and shortly thereafter joined the Navy serving 5 years in Korea and Japan. After discharge he went to work for Pacific NW Bell in the Columbia Basin area. He married wife Carol in 1956 and they had 2 daughters. In 1969 they moved the family to Wrangell where Jerry took over the...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. June 26, 1913: Yesterday was a red-letter day in Wrangell. For weeks the citizens have been hearing that soon the Alaska Bureau of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce contemplated a trip through Alaska and their itinerary would bring them to Wrangell. They were also informed that many notable men of the newspaper would come as guests but were not prepared fully for the great surprised that awaited them. At 9:30 o'clock last night the Jefferson steamed into port conveying 125 of the “liveliest bunch” tha...
The proposed Mariner’s Memorial at Heritage Harbor is one step closer to becoming a reality as the Wrangell Port Commission has released a professional design document showing what the structure might look like once built. A set of elevation drawings and a floor plan completed by Corvus Design of Anchorage is now in the hands of the city – plans that show an octagonal design with some sides of the memorial open to the air and to allow visitors to enter the gazebo-styled structure. Port Com...
On May 4, the sun rose on Wrangell Island under gray skies – though those skies would part slightly and sunshine would descend upon a place that is the spiritual heartland of the Tlingit in Wrangell as the Chief Shakes Tribal House was rededicated for the first time in more than 70 years. Last week, over the course of May 2-4, Wrangell entered the pantheon of history as nearly 1,000 visitors from the Native communities of Southeast Alaska and beyond traveled to the Borough to witness the r...
The Wrangell Port Commission passed a resolution last week that will prioritize Shoemaker Bay Harbor as the next renovation and replacement project for the Borough’s Harbor Department. Shoemaker emerged as the lead candidate for replacement after a March discussion by commissioners. They weighed the issue of whether Shoemaker or Inner Harbor would be next on the list. Before passing the resolution, resident Frank Roppel spoke to the commission about his feelings on the harbor project. “I wou...
Zimovia Strait is under consideration by the Alaska Division of Forestry for short-term moorage space for logs and a log ship, with Shoemaker Bay being a preferred location. According to Borough Manager Tim Rooney, the state is looking to replace or improve some of the marine infrastructure for the timber industry to provide for a series of state owned marine moorage systems throughout the region – and because of Wrangell’s central location and future sales in the area – it makes sense for t...