The Public Safety Building at the start of Zimovia Highway is in critical need of repair, with seepage and leaks from the roof and siding causing a whole bevy of problems. On Monday the Alaska Court System announced it would be closing its offices there for the foreseeable future, until air quality issues related to a decayed wall are resolved.
Until further notice is given, the clerical offices and courtroom at the Wrangell Public Safety Building have been closed down temporarily.
The closure began Monday morning, with the Alaska Court System citing air quality concerns for staff using the premises. The space is rented from the city, which maintains the entire facility and surrounding property.
"We've got some water issues that need to be addressed," explained Neil Nesheim, area court administrator for the First District Court.
He said ACS was also arranging to have a contractor on site "as soon as possible," and the court offices' reopening date would depend on their impression.
"The court system wants to make sure everything is done properly," he said.
The building itself has been experiencing issues with its roof and siding for a long time, with spot repairs made over the years but a larger-scale replacement topping the borough's list of capital improvement projects for this year. Its window fixtures and siding were identified as needing replacement at least 13 years ago.
Most recently, in August one judicial officer's office had to be vacated after a combination of water damage and a carpenter ant infestation were discovered to be affecting its outer wall. City staff opened up the
drywall, revealing mold and wood rot which would need to be fixed. The office was
cordoned off, and a specialist contractor brought in to inspect the damage. Public Works has since scheduled repairs to take place over the weekend, coordinating with ACS as recently as last Friday.
Public Works director Amber Al-Haddad explained the interior work would be a permanent fix, as the framing
issues can be addressed from the outside at a later date. She had expected a short closure of court offices this week while workers replaced affected materials.
The troubled structure houses Wrangell's fire and police departments, its Department of Motor Vehicles office, courthouse and local jail, and is critical to emergency and disaster response coordination for the area. As such it has become a top priority among city projects.
At its last estimate in October, city staff's revised estimation placed rehabilitation of the Public Safety Building at $549,633. To help pay for the project, the city would put the building forward as a candidate for Community Development Block Grant funding, a competitive program sourcing $2.4 million of Housing and Urban Development funding each year into Alaskan communities.
Use of the funds is tightly regimented, with a number of criteria having to be met to be eligible for the program. CDBG funds may not be used for improvements to either the courthouse or police department, as those services fall beyond the scope of the program. The Volunteer Fire Department facilities would be covered as a separate item costing $294,273, with a minimum match on the part of the city estimated at $137,408.
The rest of the facility needing repair would cost under $255,000, to be covered by the city. Whether or not the city will be able to offset total costs with CDBG funds may not be known until the spring.
During the interim, court business will be handled elsewhere, with scheduling depending on availability in
Petersburg and Ketchikan. With the Wrangell office closed,
case-related questions can be taken by either the Petersburg Court at 772-3824 or the Ketchikan Court at 225-3195. Questions related to administration can be taken by Nesheim at 463-4753.
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