2018: A year in review, Part 1

The past year has been a busy one for the community of Wrangell, and also one full of changes. Elections have come and gone, the school district saw a new superintendent and two new principals, a high school swimming and diving team was organized, and a new reporter came to town. A new organization was formed, BRAVE, to help bring people together to enhance life in the community for Wrangell’s younger population. Other organizations like the Senior Center and Nolan Center saw new faces, as well.

There were lots of physical changes to Wrangell. Renovations to Evergreen Street began in June of 2018 and were completed in October. The road was paved, retaining walls were added, and a brand new sidewalk was built to Petroglyph Beach. Upgrades to Shoemaker Bay Harbor began this past summer and are expected to wrap up this coming summer. The renovations are meant to allow for larger boats to dock, and to replace equipment that had outlived its intended usage.

One of the biggest changes to Wrangell are the plans for a new hospital. The Southeast Alaska Health Consortium agreed to build a brand new hospital in Wrangell, next to the AICS clinic. The new facility will cost around $30 million to build and will encompass about 44,500 square feet. SEARHC also took over management of the current hospital, the Wrangell Medical Center, while the new facility is being constructed. Years of planning and deal making for the new hospital culminated last December, with a Christmas party celebrating “the future of healthcare.” The new hospital will be complete by 2021.

The new year is a good time for everyone, both as individuals and as a city, to look back on all that has changed. The Wrangell Sentinel has compiled some of its best stories from 2018.

January

1/4/18- A group of Wrangell firefighters raising money for cancer research will have grown this year, with nine to take part in the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb in Seattle March 11. Participating firefighters make a 69-story climb at the Columbia Center, which is the second-tallest skyscraper west of the Mississippi River. Participants compete for time as they make their climb in full firefighting gear, including air tanks. Six Wrangell firefighters made the trip for last year’s event, and several have been taking part since 2013. Returning climbers include Chris Hatton, Jordan Buness, Adam and Dorianne Sprehe, Dustin Johnson and Walter Moorhead, while first-time participants will be Scott McAuliffe, Clay Hammer and Steve Prysunka. Team Wrangell will also have assistance changing out its bottles, with Shawna Buness to accompany the team.

1/11/18- Before the 30th Alaska Legislature meets for its second regular session next Tuesday, Sen. Bert Stedman (R-Sitka) stopped in Wrangell to meet with constituents. The purpose of the senator’s visits is to receive input, prioritize issues and share his assessment of the upcoming session. When legislators get together in Juneau next week, the primary focus of the session will be addressing the state’s finances. Looking ahead, they will consider operating and capital budget drafts put forward by Gov. Bill Walker’s office last month, which the Legislative Finance Division is currently reviewing for analysis. Once it completes its report, Stedman said legislators will have a better idea of what affects the budget will have.

1/18/18- Radio station KSTK will be transferring ownership of its licenses and facility to CoastAlaska, a regional nonprofit corporation managing radio and television stations in Juneau, Ketchikan, Petersburg and Sitka. Faced with cuts to public grant funding the station hopes the acquisition will allow it to maintain a local presence in Wrangell.

1/25/18- After two months of suspended activity, Alaska Court System has worked out an arrangement with the City of Wrangell so that its staff can resume local legal services. The courtroom and adjoining offices are housed on the second floor of the Public Safety Building, which houses Wrangell’s police and fire services, Department of Motor Vehicles and the emergency responder switchboard. Water seepage problems over the years have been a continued problem with the facility, and replacement of the building’s roof and siding has this year made it the top priority of the city’s list of capital projects. After discovery of an ant infestation and extensive rot in one of the court office’s walls last September, its tenant officer was relocated elsewhere and the room sealed off by maintenance staff. A consultant inspected the building later that month, issuing a report with recommendations for the city to follow up on. It pointed out a number of problems with the building’s seals and materials, which had together allowed for a number of leaks to undermine the facility’s integrity.

February

2/1/18- A community development grant obtained by Wrangell Cooperative Association last fall will be putting $600,000 back into local homes. The funds come from Housing and Urban Development, through its Community Development Block Grant program. The federal program provides resources to communities for addressing a wide range of unique development needs. The goal of the Wrangell project will be to increase energy efficiency for around 20 residences, specifically for Native homeowners.

2/8/18- The Borough Assembly revisited its policy on nepotism during Tuesday evening’s regular meeting, at the behest of a resident who had lost his new position because of it. Max Dalton took the lectern to make his case. He had last month begun work as a part-time custodian with the Parks Department. During the hiring process he had been one of several candidates for the post, and after interviews had been selected as the top candidate. Dalton is the son-in-law of Mayor David Jack, he explained, and is related by marriage to another city employee. Dalton added he had disclosed this on his application form at the start, and it had not appeared to be a problem. This had been an oversight, as after working his first shift on January 22 he was told by his supervisor he would no longer be able to continue working with the department. The position remains unfilled pending a decision by the Assembly.

2/15/18- The Southeast Alaska Power Agency governing board last week approved moving forward with a remote inspection of the tunnels underlying the Tyee Lake hydroelectric plant.

2/22/18- City staff from several departments were surprised to learn of one late resident’s generosity. At its meeting in early December, the Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau discussed news that Marian Glenz had bequeathed a considerable donation to CVB. Details at the time had yet to be worked out, but at the Borough Assembly’s February 6 meeting, City Manager Lisa Von Bargen confirmed the contribution totaled $50,000. The sum was “to be used to promote Wrangell,” according to her will.

March

3/1/18- The City and Borough of Wrangell issued a conservation advisory to water utility users, as increased wintertime demand outpaces replenishment of the town’s reservoirs. A water watch was declared, the first of three stages in the emergency response plan the CBW Assembly had adopted last April. During a critical water shortage in the summer of 2016 the city had lacked a clear strategy for responding to such crises across departments.

3/8/18- The Environmental Protection Agency announced last Friday that it has reached an agreement with Trident Seafoods Corporation and the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve violations of the Clean Water Act for discharges of fish waste at two seafood processing facilities in Wrangell and in Sand Point, in the Aleutians. Under the agreement, Trident will remove nearly three-and-a-half acres of waste from the seafloor near its Sand Point plant, and limit the amount of seafood waste discharged from its Wrangell plant.

3/15/18- City Hall jumped a notch on its alert level Tuesday, declaring a Stage III water shortage watch. The third stage is the most severe in Wrangell’s water shortage management plan. The city was previously on a Stage I alert due to dwindling supplies of raw water in the treatment plant’s two reservoirs. Under Stage III emergency measures now in effect, all outdoor use of water is prohibited. Water service at Wrangell’s harbor facilities and the boatyard are discontinued, and the public pool shut down until the situation improves. Any water customer found to have a leaky or damaged water line, water system component, or plumbing fixture will have their water service disconnected until such repairs are made.

3/22/18- Heading to State for the first time in over a decade, the Wrangell Lady Wolves finished their season fourth among Alaska’s 2A schools last weekend. After fighting for second place the previous weekend during Region V, the high school girls joined Alaska’s best at the 1A/2A Basketball State Championships, held jointly at Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines and Wells Fargo Sports centers. Among 2A teams, Wrangell earned the Sportsmanship Award for its players’ conduct. The team also was given the All-Academic Award, with its girls’ collective grade-point average - a solid 3.88. Decker and Easterly were further named to the All-Tournament Team.

3/29/18- Safety was the watchword of last week’s meeting of the Public School Board, with parents and staff alike weighing in on security at Wrangell’s public schools. The crux of their concern was an incident involving a high school student on February 12, in which the student was recorded by peers during class discussing the setting off of fireworks or explosives at the school, with the intention of getting expelled. Faculty and the school administration had been alerted to the conversation by concerned students afterward. Superintendent Patrick Mayer reported the Wrangell Police Department had been notified immediately, and the matter investigated.