It was an award-winning couple of months for Wrangell and its public employees.

It started at the end of September, at the annual gathering of the Southeast Conference, a 68-year-old organization that promotes economic development across the region. The conference honored Wrangell as its Community of the Year.

Wrangell was selected “due to the exemplary efforts to partner and execute” its opportunities for economic development, the conference statement said.

“So many of our communities were economically devastated by the shutdown of the forest products industry, from Haines to Prince of Wales Island and in between. The struggle to reinvent the community (Wrangell) continues with attempts to diversify and leverage opportunities on the waterfront with a mix of tourism, commercial fishing and related services.”

The award made note of Wrangell’s ongoing efforts to turn the former sawmill property at 6-Mile Zimovia Highway into a deepwater industrial port, including possibly a privately operated shipyard to go after federal government contracts.

The Southeast Conference plaque says the award is in “recognition of exemplary economic resilience, vibrancy and strength.”

“That’s really big honor,” Borough Manager reported to the assembly at its Oct. 27 meeting. “It’s pretty fantastic to hear the buzz about the community, the amount of (federal) money that we’ve got competitively, the amount of projects, the amount of partners.”

The borough was selected last month for a $43 million federal grant for development work at the 6-Mile property and along the downtown waterfront.

On Oct. 21, Andrew Scambler was honored as Water Treatment Operator of the Year by the Alaska Rural Water Association at its annual conference in Anchorage.

Scambler is the lead operator at Wrangell’s water treatment plant. He was honored for his technical expertise, leadership and dedication, Villarma said.

“He played a key role in moving the borough’s water treatment from the old and slow sand filtration system to the new dissolved air flotation facility (in 2025), a complex transition that required major technical and operational changes and close coordination,” the manager said.

“He put a lot of blood and sweat into that new plant, getting it online. We’ve had some hurdles to get over, certainly, but big lift from him and his teammates.”

On Oct. 22, the Wrangell Port and Harbors Department was presented with the Alaska Clean Harbors Silver Tier Award at the Alaska Association of Harbormasters and Port Administrators conference in Valdez.

“That’s for operating clean harbors and taking on best practices, whether it be sewage pump-out stations or how you deal with derelict vessels or having places for oil collection along the harbor system,” Villarma told the assembly.

“Alaska Clean Harbors is a voluntary statewide program that certifies harbors for meeting environmental standards in waste management, pollution prevention and clean boating,” he later added.

“This recognition reflects the work our harbor staff does throughout the year to maintain our facilities and provide a clean, safe working waterfront,” said Harbormaster Steve Miller. “With commercial fishing, recreational boating and marine service operations all sharing our waterfront, keeping our harbors clean is an ongoing responsibility.”

The award “is something our entire harbor crew can take pride in,” Miller said. “It’s also a good starting point as we continue improving our facilities and working toward higher certification levels in the future.”