The Port Commission is working on an ordinance and fines that would reduce public access to the Marine Service Center yard. Signage, approved at its meeting last week, will eventually go up at its three entrance points after the summer. The commission will also be taking on boatyard lease rates in coming meetings, once the state assessor has had time to examine sites at the beginning of February.
Things are coming together for a planned memorial dedicated to Wrangell's seafaring community.
The Port Commission last week named two more people to the steering committee tasked with fundraising and contracting for the Mariners Memorial's construction. Fishermen Brennon Eagle and Gig Decker will be joining commission members John Yeager and John Martin on the committee. A fifth position is still vacant, and interested applicants are invited to submit a letter to the city clerk's office.
The effort to build a memorial began in 2012, when Eagle sat on the commission as its chair. The plan was to put up a site memorializing those lost at sea, to overlook the then-recently-completed Heritage Harbor. Corvus Design was contracted to draw up designs, which after several rounds of public input were finalized at the end of 2015.
The committee will need to raise at least $330,000 for the project, which is the estimated cost for the memorial. The Port Commission wanted to wait until the 2016 fishing season had wound down and the pace of activities had slowed before putting its special committee together.
"It's nice to get that moving," Martin commented.
The four will coordinate a time to begin meeting, starting later this month.
In other port business, harbormaster Greg Meissner reported the Harbor Department has been primarily focused on deicing and checking on water valves around Wrangell facilities, as activity at the boatyard has slowed. Meissner explained the slow-down is usual for the December-February months.
"There is literally nothing going on at the harbor in January, it's just that cold," he said. "I think it'll take off in the spring like it always does."
With the colder temperatures, keeping the various taps on but unfrozen has been a priority. Water has been shut off to the Shoemaker Bay public bathroom and the door locked. The ground has swelled around the structure, making the door unopenable. Once the weather thaws, Meissner said a crew would work to clear a pathway.
State match funding for the Shoemaker Bay Harbor facility replacement was included in Gov. Bill Walker's draft budget, announced last month. The $11.1 million project needs $5,000,000 of that to come from state sources, through the Department of Transportation's Harbor Facility Grant Program.
In the previous fiscal year Wrangell's proposal was number two on the ranked list, but was passed over due to lack of funding in the budget. Now number one, the full amount needs to be available in the budget line item for the project to receive its funding, the rest of which is to come from a combination of Harbor Department reserves and city bonding. Though included in the governor's budget, the amount will need to make it into House and Senate versions, as well as the reconciliation process producing a final budget.
"If they take any of that, we will be left out in the cold again," Meissner said. He has contacted the city's lobbyist in Juneau and legislative representation to reiterate that concern. "Our job now is to fight and lobby to make sure not one penny is pulled out of there."
In a best case scenario, Meissner hoped funding could be secured, contracts put out, and boats in motion by the year's end.
Meissner is drawing up signage for The Marine Service Center's three entrances, informing the public that only authorized persons are permitted on the premises. Last year the Port Commission decided to restrict access to the yard, by a combination of pedestrians, tour buses and private traffic. The latter was of particular concern, with the yard being used as a cut-through to Case Avenue. Vehicles would drive at unsafe speeds through the lot, on at least one occasion causing an accident.
An ordinance will be drawn up to reflect the wording on the new signs, which will find their way up on the surrounding fences by next fall.
"I think it's a step in the right direction, to put up signage," said commissioner Walter Moorhead.
Tour groups will still have limited access through the summer, but a map with selected routes will be posted to the entrances on a temporary basis. The two outfits were contacted by letter after Christmas, Meissner said.
Commissioners also gave their assent to a request to purchase tideland property by Brett Woodbury, deeming it not to interfere with access to the nearby ferry terminal. The request was also approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission, and both opinions will be weighed by the Assembly when the item reaches its desk.
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