September will bring Southeast Conference to town

Hotel reservations and empty tables at local eateries may be a little hard to come by this fall.

About 250 officials and leaders from all over Southeast will descend on Wrangell Sept. 16 to 18 as the annual membership meeting of the Southeast Conference comes to town. The Conference’s mid-session meeting was held March 12, 13, and 14 in Juneau.

Wrangell’s role as host borough comes after a report issued by the 2013 session, which highlighted Wrangell’s success with the so-called blue economy, a combination of fisheries and marine services. The conference may also represent an invaluable opportunity to promote the addition of the 300-ton boat lift to the Marine Services Center, officials have said.

Shelley Wright, Executive Director for Southeast Conference, touted the meeting’s ability to boost the economies of towns where it is held. Various boroughs typically invite the conference to town, and in the event of multiple invitations, members vote to determine which inviting community will host.

Wrangell is thus making good on an invitation issued under former borough Manager Tim Rooney, Wright said.

“We go wherever we’re invited,” she said.

Wrangell may also serve as a model for how to make the blue economy work, Wright said.

“The blue economy is very exciting right now, and there’s lots of communities trying to expand their horizons,” she said. “People are looking to Wrangell to see how did you do it, what did you do right, what lessons can be learned from that.”

In particular, hotel and restaurant owners will benefit, though exact numbers aren’t available, Wright said.

In order to make sure guests are accommodated, Trident Seafoods has offered the borough the use of the bunkhouse for emergency overflow, said Carol Rushmore, the borough’s economic development officer and a Southeast conference board member.

“This is an excellent opportunity to showcase our community and the things we’ve been doing the last couple years,” she said.

The Marine Service Center, Chief Shakes House, Heritage Harbor and the Front Street revitalization have all happened since the last Southeast Conference in Wrangell, which was about 2005, Wright said.