Sentinel looks back on 2013

The Chief Shakes House rededication was easily the biggest event of 2013 in Wrangell. However, the year was filled with events and news stories big and small. On the first edition of 2014, the Sentinel pauses to recollect the stories throughout the year.

January

An electrical fire damaged the fish tank at the Nolan Center, causing it to be removed.

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off of Craig Jan. 4, rattling windows and nerves in town. The quake caused no major damage in town, but interrupted internet, cable television, and cell phone service for GCI customers.

The borough assembly voted to purchase a 300-ton boat lift from Italian manufacturer Ascom S.p.A, angering Sturgeon Bay, Wis.-based manufacturer Marine Travelift and retail dealer Kendrick Equipment, Ltd., of British Columbia, Canada. Kendrick appealed the decision, but was ultimately rejected.

The Wrangell Cooperative Association scrambled to find housing for the Chief Shakes House rededication held later in the year.

An assault sent a 17-year-old student to the hospital after a party involving alcohol.

Don McConachie resigned as mayor, citing health concerns. Former vice-mayor Bill Privett chaired two assembly meetings in his place in January and early February.

February

The Thomas Bay Power Authority commission elected John Jensen of Petersburg president in its organizational meeting in the first week of February.

Renovations continued on the Shakes Island house ahead of the rededication.

The borough assembly appointed Mayor David Jack mayor Feb. 12 to replace Vice-Mayor Bill Privett. The borough assembly later appointed Ernie Christian to fill Assembly Seat B, vacated by Jack when he assumed mayoral responsibilities.

First District Judge Kevin Miller dismissed an appeal of a privileging rejection filed by Greg Salard. The rejection cleared the way for the Wrangell Medical Center board to reconsider Salard's privileging. Later in the month, Salard received two years unrestricted privileging from the WMC board.

Wrangellites Ray and Rusty Hayes were involved in the design of the "War Command" mobile game.

March

The Southeast Alaska Power Agency met twice in Wrangell for the first of two times March 5, and the borough initiated a study to examine the possibility of eliminating seven positions from the Thomas Bay Power Authority.

A motion to form an energy committee failed by a tie vote March 12, and the Port commission discussed long-term boat storage and possible renovations to Shoemaker Harbor. The issue of long-term storage would resurface throughout the year.

Wrangellites learned in March that Essential Air Service provided by Alaska Airlines would continue through 2015.

Later that month, the borough approved the creation of an energy committee to look into the possibility of divestiture from SEAPA. The Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors also looked into the possibility of by-law changes.

April

Carvers completed construction of two house posts, part of final phase of renovation of the Chief Shakes Tribal House. Local citizens paraded the posts down Front Street and installed them in the house.

Dustin Johnson and Bruce Jamieson returned from a trip to Africa, where they climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

Bill Privett resigned his Vice Mayor position April 9 after his grandson was rejected for a position with Castle Mountain Entertainment. At the same meeting, the assembly announced Amber Al-Haddad would replace Kim Covalt at the Parks & Recreation department.

The TBPA Commission offered the position of General Manager to Mick Nicholls, an issue which would resurface again later.

The Alaska Marine Highway celebrated 50 years of service in January, and the Sentinel reviewed five decades of service in a series of April articles.

The Wrangell Chamber of Commerce relocated to offices at the Stikine Inn.

The borough assembly appointed Christie Jamieson to the assembly to fill the vacancy left by outgoing Vice Mayor Bill Privett.

Members of the Shtax'Heen Kwaan canoe group blessed a canoe which would eventually lead a flotilla of canoes into town for the Shakes House rededication ceremonies.

May

Locals participated in an XTRATUF Challenge obstacle course to raise funds for Dawn Mathis.

The TBPA commission voted 5-2 to relieve interim general manager Paul Southland of his duties, and replace him with Nicholls.

Petersburg officials voted to withhold their portion of the expenses for the TBPA known as "non-net billable."

SEAPA officials said they would move ahead with raising the dam at Ketchikan's Swan Lake facility, despite a lack of funding from the state legislature.

Long-running plans for the Chief Shakes House rededication came to fruition May 2-4. More than 1,000 people descended on the area to participate in the first rededication in more than 70 years. Both the Stikine Inn and Diamond C were booked to capacity, requiring the Alaska Marine Highway's Taku to serve as a hotel ship. Visitors brought dollars and hungry stomachs with them, boosting the local economy.

The borough assembly started the budgeting process this year, amid the placement of a ballot referendum to reduce local sales tax rates from 7 to 5.5 percent.

The Wrangell Medical Center began a transition from written records to electronic records, and the school board eliminated paper records in favor of iPads and electronic documents.

Wrangell High School graduated 31 seniors May 17.

Former Wrangell Medical Center CEO Noel Rea, fired June 20, 2012 by a recalled Wrangell Medical Center board of directors, returned $250,000. Another part of a settlement between Rea and the borough assembly provided for the destruction of an iPad and laptop by an information technology consultant.

The borough approved the 2013 budget May 28, leaving the property tax rate unchanged for another year, and including a list of cuts then-finance director Jeff Jabusch told borough members would be necessary if a referendum reducing the sales tax from 7 to 5.5 percent were passed in October.

June

A June 4 Pacific Wings Beaver plane crash killed Thomas L. Rising of Santa Fe, N.M. during a tour of LeConte Glacier. The investigation of the crash continues.

Alaska Island Community Services opened a $4-million clinic to the public June 5. The clinic would go into full operation later in the year, providing double the number of patient examination rooms over the clinic's previous location inside Wrangell Medical Center.

A jury trial for felony assault for Steve Marshall started June 4 in Wrangell's First District Court. The jury convicted Marshall June 8 after 12 hours deliberation.

Former TBPA general manager Southland retained legal counsel to obtain severance pay following his early removal of the position by the TBPA commission.

Borough Manager Tim Rooney accepted a position as city manager in Mustang, Okla., starting a five-month search for a replacement. The assembly accepted Rooney's resignation June 25.

The borough planning and zoning commission approved an access road and wood storage area at the former site of the Wrangell Institute.

A June 20 ATV crash near Lab Bay killed Paulette James of Port Protection.

A Wrangell jury convicted Doug Ely, 33 of three sexual abuse counts.

July

Fourth of July festivities kicked off with a golf tournament sponsored by Ottesen's.

A fire burned the second story of a house at 6 Mile Zimovia Highway July 2.

Ticket buyers selected Darian Meissner Fourth of July Queen, and raised a record $57,183 for the borough Chamber of Commerce.

A Bearfeast statue was defaced with purple paint, requiring an emergency touch-up.

The 2013 All-Stars Tournament brought players from several Southeast towns to Wrangell. Sitka eventually won the Little League tournament by a 5-1 six-inning victory over Juneau.

The borough assembly unanimously approved a logging road plan for the Wrangell Institute property.

Former Wrangell Medical Center CEO Rea was named the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium's hospital interim CEO in Sitka.

A fire destroyed the Allen mill at 13 Mile Zimovia Highway July 30.

Bearfest started July 31.

August

The US Forest Service cited Marilyn Mork for using Middle Ridge without authorization. Forest Service officials later dismissed the citation after intervention by retired Governor and U.S. Sen. Frank Murkowski and current Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Officials also dismissed an accompanying $375 fine.

Finance director Jabusch took over the position of interim borough manager Aug. 6 following a late-July appointment.

Marshall, convicted of assault in June, received 15 years for his conviction.

Apollo Medi Trans medevac insurance coverage lapsed between February and September.

Forest service officials cancelled a floating dock project for Banana Point in August over a disagreement on the use of federal grant funds.

The borough assembly sought grant funding for water treatment plant improvements. The improvements would later appear atop the capital budget request list.

Lurine McGee, who greeted cruise ships at the Wrangell waterfront for 60 years, greeted her last ship Aug. 7.

State officials honored Stikine Middle School with a five-star educational rating Aug. 16. The middle school was the only traditionally-structured middle school (grades six, seven, and eight) to earn the Department of Education & Early Development's highest rating.

September

A rare joint meeting of the Petersburg and Wrangell borough assemblies created a firestorm of public comment over the future of the TBPA. SEAPA CEO Trey Acteson presented a plan for SEAPA to take over the TBPA at the Sept. 10 meeting. A separate regular meeting of the Wrangell Borough Assembly led to a rejection of a resolution which would have asked SEAPA to pick up the non-net billable cost by a 4-2 vote. The Wrangell mayor later instructed the borough manager to seek legal advice related to the Long-Term Power Sales Agreement later in the month.

Debate picked up in September ahead of a scheduled Oct. 1 vote on a referendum reducing the municipal sales tax rate to 5.5 percent from a state-highest 7 percent.

Vandals damaged two shelters in the Tongass National Forest sometime between Sept. 2 and Sept. 11.

October

Voters rejected the sales-tax-lowering initiative by an overwhelming margin Oct. 1. They also elected Mayor Jack to a position to which he had been appointed, and re-selected Maxlyn J. Wiederspohn to the assembly.

The Wolves cross country team won the Region V Championships, and qualified as a team for State.

Later in the month, the Wolves wrestlers would place third at the season's lone home meet.

The Wrangell Medical Center board elected Terri Henson to the presidency Oct. 16, replacing Woody Wilson.

SEAPA held a second meeting in Wrangell, during which the future of the TBPA was briefly discussed.

The borough had received 15 applications for the position of borough manager, and narrowed those candidates to four publicly named finalists for the position.

A 15-day government shutdown furloughed 26 of 28 forest service employees, and resulted in the cancellation of a timber sale and layoffs for companies providing contract work to the government in Southeast.

November

Samson Tug and Barge moved in to replace Northland Services which was purchased by Lyndon transport.

Wrangell Medical Center changed from a physical therapy contractor to an in-house physical therapy department mid-month. As part of the transition, the former offices of the AICS clinic

underwent renovation and refurbishment into a therapy gym, which officially opened in December. The change was part of an ongoing push to move more services in-house instead of using contractors.

The borough assembly selected interim manager Jabusch as the permanent borough manager Nov. 12.

Parents of a local child with a severe food allergy questioned the actions of school officials after removing their student from the school over concerns about his safety.

Forest officials said they were facing a 30 percent reduction in the recreation budget for the Wrangell Unit of the Tongass National Forest, and said the cuts were so severe they could adversely affect landmark tourist attractions in the area. Officials pledged to evaluate alternative ways to maintain cabins and other facilities funded by the recreation budget.

The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium's Traditional Foods Project hosted a unity dinner Nov. 26.

Robert Rinehart, convicted of two counts of assault in September, received a sentence of one year and 70 days for his crimes.

Local emergency responders staged a mass casualty active shooter drill at the Nolan Center Nov. 21.

December

The borough assembly approved Dec. 3 a draft resolution that could move operations at the Tyee Lake Hydroelectric Facility to SEAPA management. The assembly unanimously approved a refined version of the draft resolution at its regular Dec. 10 meeting. The resolution instructed manager Jabusch to negotiate with officials from Petersburg and SEAPA over the terms of a potential takeover, which would need to be approved by officials from both boroughs.

Five Wolves wrestlers qualified for the state tournament.

Shoppers, business owners, and officials celebrated the Chamber of Commerce's annual Midnight Madness.

School superintendent Rich Rhodes resigned his post effective June 30, 2014, saying he wanted to relocate to northern California, where he worked prior to taking on responsibilities as both superintendent and Evergreen Elementary School principal.

The Wrangell Medical Center Board of Directors voted unanimously to renew the contract of CEO Marla Sanger.

The TBPA Commission voted to renew its travel and liability insurance for one year, despite concerns over the future of the commission given pending negotiations between Wrangell, Petersburg and SEAPA.