$4.6 million is definitely better than zero.
The state’s proposed capital budget would set aside more than $1.6 million for Wrangell-based projects, up from nothing in Gov. Sean Parnell’s proposed capital budget announced Dec. 12. An additional almost $3 million in proposed infrastructure “reallocations” will also be headed to Wrangell, with some slight modifications to allow the use of the funds to be more flexible.
The capital funds include: $615,000 for a Wrangell connection to the upper reservoir, which will allow the Department of Public Works to dredge one reservoir while drawing water supplies from the other; $600,000 for floats at Shoemaker Bay; $150,000 for a water treatment plant study, with the eventual aim of enlarging clean water capacity for the town; $100,000 to implement a development plan for the former Wrangell Institute Property; $90,000 for a plan to development the Silver Bay Logging mill site (though the city doesn’t own that property); and $50,000 to aid in construction of the Wrangell Cooperative Association’s downtown Carving Facility.
Additional sums were provided in the form of re-allocations. Allocations, often provided in the form of one-time use-or-lose funds, frequently leave a significant amount remaining after their use, which typically reverts to the state.
The largest of these is $2.75 million left over in the boat lift purchase fund after the purchase of a 300-ton boat lift. That money will return to The Marine Service Center, with a slight addition in some flexibility of use to allow those funds to be used to continue paving work at The Marine Service Center, according to State Rep. Peggy Wilson.
This funding reallocation required some additional legislative wrangling since funds had specifically been allocated for the purchase of a 300-ton boat lift. A simple reallocation would have required the remaining funds to be used to purchase a boat lift, but legislative approval to repurpose the money allows for a slightly broader use of the money to include paving.
“We added ‘and paving’ so they could use the money to pave some more of the area down there,” Wilson said.
An additional $271,000 was set aside for Cassiar and Weber street sewer and water main improvements, and $43,400 was set aside for Bennett Street water main improvements, Wilson said.
The combination of capital fund additions and reallocations brings the total amount of state infrastructure funding for Wrangell to $4,664,400.
The projects are selected from two sources. The borough assembly approves a list of dozens of prioritized items. Additionally, a database called CAPSIS is a source of potential projects for funding.
“I tried to go down the list and get the priorities,” Wilson said. “I really would have liked to have given more to the boat haul-out area.”
The budget now heads to Parnell for a signature.
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