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Applications for candidacy in the Oct. 6 regular borough-wide election closed on Monday. Candidates have filed for all available seats, with those on the Wrangell School Board in contest. Among those open to the polls this year are two 3-year seats on the City and Borough Assembly. Incumbents David Powell and Becky Rooney have both filed to run again and are uncontested. Incumbents John Martin and Clay Hammer have also filed to retain two 3-year seats on the Port Commission. On the Wrangell Medical Center Board, Woody Wilson has filed to...
Runners, swimmers and other fitness-minded folk are reminded that new fees for Wrangell’s Parks and Recreation Department facilities are set to take effect on Sept. 1. The new rates were approved by the Borough Assembly in July. A previous schedule put forward last winter was rejected, with proposed changes criticized for being too steep. Bounced back for consideration in May, the new schedule maintains some of the changes proposed in the previous draft, with an effective decrease to most community center and facilities rental rates and modest... Full story
A special meeting will be held on Aug. 12 to allow the public to discuss and review a proposed ordinance relating to the new property tax payment due date. In May the Wrangell Assembly passed an ordinance amending the Municipal Code to establish a single due date for payment of property taxes to Sept. 15, rather than dividing it between two dates. Under the ordinance, interest on late payments was set to 10 percent annually. Mayor David Jack requested the Assembly revisit the matter at its meeting Tuesday, after some residents expressed... Full story
KENAI, Alaska (AP) – Several hundred people made their way to Kenai for the opening weekend of the most widely used personal dipnetting beach in the state. More than 300 people gathered on the Kenai River Saturday to use their hand nets to search for salmon, the Peninsula Clarion reported. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has predicted that 3.7 million sockeye will be harvested during the 2015 fishing season, but many people reported smaller-than-average catches and slow fishing this weekend. “Very few people (are catching),’’ said Ma...
Wrangell's Parks and Recreation Department will be getting a new look, after deciding on a winner of its logo contest last month. The department's advisory board chose a design submitted by local artist Charity Hommel, who submitted 16 variations for the contest, which drew entries from a dozen other artists "I'm honored my design was chosen," Hommel said. A longtime artist with experience in brand design, she explained the simple black-and-white layout gave it versatility as a logo. It has a...
Wrangell's City and Borough Assembly elected to update its capital projects list for the 2017 Fiscal Year at its regular meeting Tuesday. The selected projects will be submitted to the state Department of Environmental Conservation for competitive review. Water main distribution system replacement will top the revised list, with Shoemaker Bay Harbor float replacement moving up to the number-two slot. This year's list was topped by improvements to the community pool and boatyard. Projects from around the state are weighed on a point-award... Full story
At its last meeting for the summer, Wrangell’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board approved a new fee assistance schedule for using public facilities. Parks and Recreation Department director Kate Thomas explained the new assistance schedule would allow applicants up to a 100-percent discount for a specific activity each quarter, depending on income level and household size. For example, a three-person household making $26,120 or less could receive a 50-percent discount on an activity or 75-percent off from a pass. Guidelines follow the s...
At its regular Assembly meeting Tuesday, Wrangell's City and Borough Assembly approved a spending plan for improvements at Shoemaker Bay Harbor. Designed by PND Engineers, funding for the $10.7 million project would require $5 million to come from an Alaska Department of Transportation matching grant. The deadline to file an application is on August 1, prompting a special meeting of the Port Commission on May 26 to get things moving. Under the plan the commission put forward, part of the funds for a match would come from the Harbor Department,... Full story
A Wrangell running club raised $1,800 in a hastily organized 5K last week, held in part to mark National Running Day on June 3 but also to assist a local family in need. "It was impromptu," said the Southeast Beasts' director, Lucy Robinson. Creating an event on Facebook only the day before, she was surprised to see around 50 participants at the community center the next evening, ready to go. Runners, joggers and walkers of all ages had come out in support of the Appleman family, which lost its...
A delegation of Royal Canadian Mounted Police visited Wrangell last month in search of one of their colleagues, a constable killed in a boating accident near the island over a century ago. Constable Spencer Heathcote was a member of RCMP's Yukon District, Stikine Detachment, and was on patrol with two other constables when he died on Dec. 26, 1901. On patrol, the constables' boat was swamped in a gale when crossing over to Wrangell Island, and Heathcote perished along with Constable Norman Campbell. Though nearly succumbing to hypothermia, the...
Wrangell’s Parks and Recreation Board approved a new fee schedule for the upcoming fiscal year at its May 6 meeting. A workshop was held the previous week to revise a schedule draft that was rejected by the Assembly in January. “This is what we discussed and agreed on at the workshop,” Parks and Recreation Department Director Kate Thomas explained. “I thought our workshop last week was really productive,” said board member Holly Owens. One of the main changes to the new schedule is a different structure for the gym and pool family rate. Under t... Full story
Wrangell's senior class showcased its various projects May 6 inside the high school commons. Parents, faculty, students and community members mingled between booths and displays as the seniors explained what tasks they had taken on for their requisite service project. "There's just so much diversity in what they do," said secondary schools principal Colter Barnes. "I love the diversity; I like the service behind it. And it's a nice time for the seniors to showcase their talents." Students set...
Wrangell’s Parks and Recreation Board continued to reexamine the fee structure for Park’s facilities at their April 1 meeting. A previous draft schedule was rejected by the Borough Assembly in January. Park Board members will meet April 29 for a workshop to discuss future rates for pool and facilities usage. “People are curious to see how we’re going to move forward,” Parks director Kate Thomas said. “And I want to be able to give them that answer.” At its January meeting, the Assembly told previous Parks director Amber Al-Haddad planned rate...
At its March 4 meeting, members of the Wrangell Parks and Recreation Advisory Board continued to examine their revision of user fees of the city pool and other fixtures. Representing Wrangell’s Swim Club, Jamie Roberts came before the board to inquire about future fees for her group to use public pool facilities. Under a proposed rate structure rejected in February by the Borough Assembly, the club would have to pay $10,000 per year. “I’m just wondering where in the process we’re at,” Roberts asked. Currently there are 15 children enrolled...
A number of concerned residents appeared Tuesday night at the public hearing for an ordinance amending Title 10 of the Municipal Code, specifically dealing with concealed-carry and weapons misconduct in the City and Borough of Wrangell. The Assembly had the proposal before them on its second reading, and during oral presentations at the hearing and later in their regular meeting itself, half a dozen people expressed their dissatisfaction with some provisions of the ordinance. Local resident Charles Hazel felt the rules omitted allowing the... Full story
It was back to the drawing board for a new multi-year fee schedule at the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board’s monthly meeting Feb. 4. The Wrangell Borough Assembly rejected proposed schedule increases put forward at last month’s meeting, saying a number of the rates seemed too high. “Afterwards we decided let’s get together and hash this out,” said the department’s director, Amber Al-Haddad. A public meeting was held jointly with the Assembly on Jan. 21, gathering further feedback on where the new rates ought to be set. “I’ve put together so...
A bit short-handed at its regular Tuesday-night meeting, Wrangell City and Borough Assembly nonetheless reviewed the first readings of several ordinance revisions. Members Becky Rooney, David Mitchell, Daniel Blake and Mayor David Jack discussed a proposed ordinance No. 893, relating to weapons and discharge of firearms within the Borough limits as well as adding a section regarding abuse of the 911 emergency system. The proposal would strike much of the rules previously on the books relating to concealed weapons and carrying loaded firearms,... Full story
Wrangell Parks and Recreation Board discussed the possibility of setting up wireless internet at the community center gym, after receiving a letter from resident Jim Leslie asking for the upgrade. Board members Bob Lippert, Holly Owens, Michael Brown and Cindy Martin were present to discuss the matter at the Jan. 7 meeting. In his correspondence, Leslie indicated the change would be helpful for exercisers who prefer to stream music through their cellular phones while running. The letter pointed out that reception indoors is limited and data... Full story
Not long after their last meeting on Nov. 19, members of Wrangell’s Parks and Recreation Board sat down again on Dec. 3 to discuss new goals for the coming year. Haig Demerjian, Michael Brown and Cindy Martin met with Parks and Recreation director Amber Al-Haddad to lay out some ideas. A big one they settled on is to craft a strategic plan, particularly in the area of examining current programming. “Are we doing it well, can we do it better?” is the question Al-Haddad said they should be asking themselves. Other goals would be to improve signa...
Rate changes being adopted by Wrangell’s Parks and Recreation Department will be phased in over the next three years, its board members decided at their monthly meeting Nov. 19. Beginning in the new year, corporate-rate discounts for use of the community pool will be phased out. The way year-round passes are currently priced, individual passes cost $300 for unaffiliated community members, while those employed at a participating business or agency can purchase passes at a rate linked to the size of their workplace. The difference can be quite s... Full story
As Christmas approaches and people prepare to cut their trees, Wrangell’s Park and Recreation Department reminds residents not to “top” or otherwise chop down any of the trees in the borough’s parks and public spaces. The yuletide topping of a pair of trees in Volunteer Park last December prompted the drafting of an ordinance, which was passed by the Assembly in June. It states that no unauthorized person shall cut, remove or otherwise damage any tree or shrub, whether dead or alive, standing or downed, within any public park, recreat...
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... Full story
After several years of remaining unchanged, fee rates for using Wrangell’s Parks and Recreation facilities may soon see a readjustment. At its monthly meeting Oct. 1, the Parks and Rec Advisory Board examined a new fee schedule being developed. Explaining the proposed rates, board member Haig Demerjian said the current rates were last adjusted in 2010. Looking at rates for other communities in Southeast Alaska, he found that Wrangell’s rates tended to be considerably lower than the regional average. “We’re kind of toward the bottom,” he said.... Full story
There was a good turnout at the Parks and Recreation public information meeting at Wrangell City Hall Monday night, with about two-dozen residents coming to hear about and discuss the department's proposed trail projects. "We've got a big public meeting," Borough Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore noted. "We don't normally have this many people." Parks and Rec Director Amber Al-Haddad is looking toward a Nov. 15 deadline to submit applications to a Recreation Trail Program grant... Full story
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... Full story