President of Wrangell Cooperative Association Richard Oliver stands atop one of the outdoor stairways behind the apartments at Wood Street and Zimovia Highway on Tuesday. A week into work already, in four or five months the WCA will have a fully renovated office building at the site.
Wrangell Cooperative Association began work on renovating new office space last week.
Workers began knocking down walls and pulling up old materials from a multiplex apartment at the corner of Wood Street and Zimovia Highway last Tuesday. Sale of the two-acre lot had been finalized in December 2016, and architects have since designed what will be about 2,500 square feet of office space for the Wrangell tribe.
President Richard Oliver of the WCA Council explained offices will be provided for the tribe's various departments, including its administrative wing, the Tribal Transportation Program (TTP) and Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (IGAP). Office space will also be available for a two-year Administration for Native Americans grant program.
"Hopefully by the time that grant is over it'll be self-sustaining," Oliver explained.
As the project moves ahead a cost estimate remains uncertain, with primary funding for construction coming through the TTP. Since the project's inception in 2010 it has been the product of many hands, with office staff, council members and consultants contributing to the effort.
The building will be able to accommodate seven offices in all, with a council conference hall and visitor reception area. Once complete the building will be WCA's first centralized office, and one it will own for itself. While it holds property for its Cultural Center and the Chief Shakes Island clan house, with its office space the federally-recognized tribe has had to rent different spaces.
Program offices will still pay rent to the tribe, both for maintenance and future expansion. The next phase for the property will be expanding storage for the TTP office, which is engaged each year in road construction and surfacing projects.
"Their plan is to have a storage facility or any equipment they own," said Oliver. TPP staff is currently navigating the wetlands permitting process for that next step.
The office renovation is expected done in four or five months' time. That timetable will depend on the variety of projects that will be necessary, which already includes roof and subfloor replacement.
"The more we tear into it, the more we find," Oliver added. "By the time we're done, it's going to be a healthy place to work and more efficient."
The building will be unrecognizable from the current apartments, and once the decking and old siding are taken off the structure will eventually be given a distinctive look. Corner caps of Fiberesin Stonewood paneling will feature formline designs reflective of the Tlingit and Haida peoples, with further landscaping around the property giving it an attractive appearance.
Another of the benefits of its location will be an availability of parking, and once renovated the building will offer ramp access for visitors with mobility issues.
"You couldn't ask for a better location," said Oliver. "I've been waiting for this for a long time."
Once finished, he imagines WCA will have a grand opening, with a blessing of the building.
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