Nolan Center takes on new facility manager

Jennie Ridgeway said she fell in love with Wrangell when she came to town while visiting her daughter, who moved to the area. She came up here from Knoxville, Tennessee, where she had lived since 1992. Now, as one of Wrangell's newest residents, she has found work at the Nolan Center as its new facility manager.

The facility manager is a new position for the Nolan Center, Ridgeway said. She was hired on Aug. 30 and had her first day of work Sept. 15. As facility manager, she will work closely with Director Cyni Crary with the daily operations of the Nolan Center, and serve as her backup to keep everything running smoothly.

"[The job] is to help the director oversee the overall facility, which includes the gift shop, the museum, the civic center, and the welcome center," Ridgeway said. "And to learn all facets of those within the building, to be able to continue functioning for all events."

Besides assisting with day-to-day operations of the Nolan Center, Ridgeway said she will also be helping with future projects to improve the facility. One upcoming project she mentioned was the creation of a "business center" for professional events or for tourists or Wrangell residents to have a place to get work done.

"There is a lot that goes on here on a day-to-day basis, and it is really too much for one person to do," she said.

Ridgeway said that she is excited to be in Wrangell and that her love for the area has only grown. Coming from Tennessee, she said that the time zone change was tricky to get used to, but otherwise she was settling in well. She added that she is looking forward to getting to know more people around town

"The people here have been really open and welcoming, and that's huge. The community, overall, is just an awesome community. I feel honored to become a part of it," Ridgeway said. "I just want to become a member of the community and look towards having an open door policy."