Borough officials are negotiating with American Cruise Lines and the two barge companies that serve Wrangell, and the results could produce big changes for the downtown waterfront.

Officials from American Cruise Lines presented at a work session at City Hall last week, telling a roomful of people about their company, its business model of smaller ships and more time in each port, and plans to put a third ship into service for Southeast Alaska.

The cruise line would like to strike a long-term deal with the borough to use a proposed new floating dock near the Nolan Center so that it has reserved space to tie up its ships for overnight stays.

The borough would borrow money to fill in an area in front of the Nolan Center to create more usable land and build the dock, recovering its costs by charging the company for use of the facility. Dock revenues — not tax revenues — would pay back the bonds.

American Cruise Lines has requested a 40-year lease to use the dock, said Borough Manager Mason Villarma.

The company is not asking for exclusive use of the dock, just reserved times and days, Kristin Meira, the company’s director of governmental affairs, said at last week’s meeting in Wrangell.

The company wants to be part of the town’s waterfront development, she said.

Their ships, with smaller passenger counts, are a good fit for Wrangell, Villarma said, as did several of the people who spoke at the meeting.

“This is a great opportunity for our community,” said Jillian Privett, who serves on the planning and zoning commission and the economic development board.

The company has a similar agreement with Washington state towns of Richland and Kalama for Columbia River cruises, and is talking with Petersburg about a long-term dock agreement for its Southeast Alaska itineraries.

American Cruise Lines operates a pair of 279-foot-long, 170-passenger ships in Southeast — the American Constitution and American Constellation, with a combined 30 stops in Wrangell this year — and is building a third ship for Southeast, the American Maverick. The new ship, at 100 passengers, is scheduled to enter service in 2028, Meira said.

The family-owned cruise line has its own shipyard in Maryland, she said. All of its ships are U.S.-built and U.S.-crewed.

There are no swimming pools, rock walls, casinos or laser light shows on its ships, which are designed for the regions they serve, whether Puget Sound and Alaska, or New England, Meira said.

The ships start and end their cruises in Southeast, saving time by not traveling to Seattle or Vancouver, B.C. “We’re trying to give them (passengers) more time on the ground,” and less time at sea, she explained.

Members of the borough assembly, port commission, planning and zoning commission, economic development board and convention and visitor bureau attended the public meeting Thursday, May 29, at City Hall.

If the company and borough can strike a deal, the new concrete floating dock would be built between the barge landing and the Nolan Center, with a ramp to shore and mooring dolphins for the ships.

Any proposed agreement would go to the planning and zoning commission, port commission and the economic development board before coming to the assembly for a decision, Villarma said.

“It’s time to do something” to help boost the town’s economy, said Mayor Patty Gilbert, speaking in favor of the development.

“The biggest fear I have seen in the past 25 years in the fear of change,” fisherman Mike Lockabey said of people who may be reluctant to support the plan.

Villarma said American Cruise Lines’ smaller ships and longer port calls are a better fit for Wrangell. “People come to Wrangell because they get the town for themselves,” he said of ships that carry passengers in the hundreds, not the thousands.

“We are pro mixed cruise ships,” Dawn Angerman, of Angerman’s Inc. and Stikine River Gifts & Apparel, said of the size of ships operated by American Cruise Lines.

“We are an authentic community,” not looking to change for mega ships, said Sylvia Ettefagh, of Alaska Vistas.

The company, based in Connecticut, operates a fleet of about two dozen smaller cruise ships, ranging in size from 90 to 180 passengers. In addition to Alaska, the ships cruise Puget Sound, the U.S. Southeast, New England, and the Snake, Columbia and Mississippi rivers, serving 140 ports.

“We are in a growth spurt,” Meira said, with eight ships under construction.

In addition to negotiating a long-term agreement with the cruise line, Villarma said the borough is continuing to talk with Alaska Marine Lines and Samson Tug and Barge about a new location for the barge ramp to serve the community.

The four-decade-old barge ramp on the downtown waterfront closed down this spring, due to structural and safety concerns, and the freight companies have been using temporary quarters at the old sawmill dock adjacent to the Marine Service Center.

Villarma said the borough is looking at a comprehensive waterfront plan that — with the additional fill area — could accommodate a new barge loading and offloading facility at the site of the old downtown sawmill, expanded boat storage and work area for the Marine Service Center, and the small cruise ship dock.

Negotiations, if successful with all the parties, could conclude this summer, allowing the borough to line up permits later this year for the fill and waterfront work, he said.

If all goes well, and without any delays, the borough could issue bonds by this winter to pay for the work and sign a contract for the fill by early 2026. The hope would be for the new dock to be ready for use in the 2027 cruise season.