The aging slips at Shoemaker Harbor may soon be a thing of the past after the Wrangell Port Commission voted to make its replacement a priority project.
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 would urge you to do some temporary repairs (at Shoemaker) as soon as you can because you know that the end down there is breaking up,” Roppel said. “As you get close to gillnetting season, the gillnet float is in there. A lot of people use that.”
Commission president Brennon Eagle said the group toured both facilities before coming to the conclusion that Shoemaker needed the most help.
“We did go and look at these harbors,” Eagle said. “We made a conscious choice that Shoemaker was the one most in need of replacement. It just seemed like Inner Harbor would benefit from additional maintenance.”
According to Harbormaster Greg Meissner, a renovation of Shoemaker could cost as much as $9.75 million and would add slips that could accommodate vessels up to 70 feet in length. The project would also replace older floats and would see the new additions built to the same quality as Heritage Harbor.
The design portion of the planned Mariner’s Memorial is at a standstill until at least the next meeting of the commission, as Meissner has not received the initial drawings or cost estimates.
“We’re working with a company called Corvus Design out of Juneau,” Meissner said. “We’re looking for a concrete and steel building, and we’re looking at something custom. We are just waiting to get a drawing back that shows what we are looking for.”
In Meissner’s report to the commissioners he informed them of a shorter work week ahead as one of the piers at The Marine Service Center undergoes a facelift.
“The Travelift pier, this project has been awarded to Pool Engineering,” he stated. “We have not had the preconstruction meeting as of yet so we do not have a construction schedule … We will be going to a 4-day work week when things start … we may very well work longer days also.”
The commission also approved three high-bid leases at the MSC – lot 5 to Jim Pritchett, lot 6 to Josh Young, and lot 7 to Don Sorric.
In other harbor news, Bobbie Robbins has been hired as the new Administrative Assistant for the department. She takes the place of longtime city employee LaDonna Botsford, who retired earlier this year.
The next meeting of the commission will be Thursday, June 6 at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
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