Governor Sean Parnell tours the Wrangell Marine Service Center during his June 5 visit to the borough. From left: Borough Manager Tim Rooney, Gov. Parnell, Rep. Peggy Wilson and Borough Public Works Superintendent Carl Johnson.
The development of the timber and salmon fishing industries were the main topics discussed during Gov. Sean Parnell’s visit to Wrangell on June 5.
In a meeting with Mayor Jeremy Maxand, Borough Manager Tim Rooney, and Jim Collier and Chris Guggenbickler, the governor was brought up to date – and asked for his assistance – on the possible creation of a value-added timber mill and salmon hatchery in the borough.
According to Maxand, the governor was receptive to those ideas.
“I wanted to give an opportunity for local residents and businesses to talk with the governor about issues they care about,” Maxand said. “Those issues were timber and fish. The group also discussed job creation and how to make the pie bigger in terms of value-added timber products and how to have more fish available for harvest.”
Maxand also said the governor was open to helping the borough develop the timber and hatchery industry concepts.
“The governor was very open to helping in any way he could,” Maxand added. “He signaled his support for the fishing and timber industries and was interested in what, specifically, he could do to help.”
Guggenbickler, a commercial fisherman in Wrangell, said he inquired of the governor about the possibility of developing new salmon hatcheries in the borough.
“I discussed hatchery opportunities in the Wrangell area with the governor,” Guggenbickler said. “We’re trying to get the state on board with putting some more fish out there for everyone.”
Guggenbickler also shared with the governor information he had on the loss of salmon fry in Southeast waters.
“I brought the governor up to speed on the fact that predators, including more and more whales, are eating the wild fry. So, by building a hatchery here, we would have the ability to put more hatchery salmon out there to mitigate that loss.”
While sea otters are a well-known predator of salmon, the Killer whale population has exploded in recent years – and led to an increase in predation of the fish.
Colier, the owner and operator of a small mill operation near 12-mile Zimovia Highway, also met with the governor about ways a value-added timber operation might stimulate job creation in the community.
“I tried to explain to him that a lot of families left town when the Buehler mill went away, and that too little was done too late to get a mill back online here,” Colier said.
Colier also added that a $2 million earmark secured by Representative Don Young, through an economic development program for Southeast, failed to bring any jobs to the borough.
“Rep. Young managed to get $2 million for here, but it went into other mills in the state,” he said. “The forest service did a study in 2006 and that money created 15 jobs elsewhere, so I asked the governor to help us with what would it take to get us back up and running – and that is a value-added mill.”
After the meeting Parnell and Rep. Peggy Wilson toured The Marine Service Center and Front Street’s renovation project with Rooney and other city officials – and he spoke about what he sees happening in downtown.
“This visit was about revisiting Wrangell to see what kind of progress we have made economically,” Parnell said. “I have to tell you, I am excited to see the activity and construction work going on. The possibilities for Wrangell are blooming and I didn’t see this three years ago when I became governor and visited here.”
Parnell went on to say, quite simply, how he felt about the work going on in Wrangell.
“I’m just ecstatic to see the economic development in the area,” he added.
The borough has received more than $12 million in funding for capital projects approved by Parnell for the 2012 fiscal year.
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