Carving shed begins to take shape in downtown

With the Chief Shakes Tribal House project completed earlier this month, and the rededication ceremony written in the history books, the main objective of the Wrangell Cooperative Associated has shifted to their next major building effort – a carving shed for traditional Tlingit woodwork.

The shed, which is currently under construction on Front Street at the corner of Lynch Street, will be about 3,600 square feet in size and will have a training room, a carving room, as well as totem storage and office and bathroom spaces in the 41- by 92-foot building.

With a price tag of approximately one million dollars, the shed has received funding from grants issued by the Rasmuson Foundation, the Murdock Trust, the State of Alaska, and Microsoft founder Paul Allen.

Todd White, the owner and operator of White Construction, acts as the project manager for the WCA and was the contractor hired to rebuild the Shakes House. His crew is now framing the shed after pouring a solid concrete slab on which the building will rise from.

White said the work completed so far has gone well and believes the recent stretch of good weather had a lot to do with him and his crew staying on schedule.

“The concrete and foundation work went really well,” White said. “The planning was on time and then we just had to wait for some decent weather, which was key versus trying to force it in bad weather. I was really happy with the pour. It went down really well, pouring 120 yards of concrete in three days. The way we did it went really well.”

White added that framing began last week and will continue for the foreseeable future.

“There are two 16-foot structures on the front and back of the building and they have different roof lines, so we’re going to frame the front of the building up and then go back and build the box at the back of the building,” White added. “Then we’ll tie the two sections together. We’ll be doing the additional framing over the next three weeks and then the trusses will be coming in early to mid-June.”

After the arrival of trusses, White and his crew of Richard Oliver, Jim Holder and Tyver Gillen will put the roof on the structure – while White and the WCA work to finalize funding for the project.

“Right now, we don’t have complete funding on the project, but we are trying to get it framed up, get a roof on it, and get the windows and doors on it, as well as hopefully some siding,” White said. “We had a good week when the funders were here during Rededication. They were really impressed with our rebuild on the Tribal House, so we hope that goes a long way with them on keeping the project going financially.”

If funding for the completion of the project is forthcoming, White estimates it could be completed by Thanksgiving.

White also complimented his two-man work crew of Holder and Gillen. The pair has been working under him and Oliver since the early days of the Chief Shakes Tribal House and will continue to work for the WCA on the shed.

Seeing the younger construction professionals grow under his tutelage has been something White said he appreciates, as he grows older in the business.

“We’re not going to last forever, Richard and I, so I want to pass on some of the things that we know to the younger generation,” White added. “That way, Wrangell can keep going. It was passed on to me, so now I can pass it on too. Some people don’t like to tell or pass on professions they know, but I like to share our experience, strength and hope. Getting up and showing up, which these guys have done, is half the battle.”