Shoemaker renovations 95 percent complete

Renovations to Shoemaker Harbor are about 95 percent complete, according to Wrangell Capital Facilities Director Amber Al-Haddad. The project was originally planned to be finished in June, but renovations faced delays in getting floats built and shipped to Wrangell. Work has been ongoing despite delays, and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Electrical and water work has been finished, Al-Haddad said, and they have begun moving boats back into the harbor.

"All of the main floats are in, and the majority of the finger floats are in," she said.

Some additional floats still need to be brought in, she said, and there is also some extra work to do on the gangway float to strengthen it. She also said that they plan to build a small three-sided shelter near the gangway where people can get out of the rain, store PFDs, and check a bulletin board.

There are also some plans to extend the contract to get some renovations to the parking lot and boarding floats, Al-Haddad said, but these may have to be put on hold due to unexpected costs. The state Department of Transportation collects a fee, referred to as an ICAP fee, on grants they give to projects such as the harbor renovations. When the project first began last fall, Al-Haddad said, the fee was only 1 percent. This would have been about $60,000, she said. However, back in March the fee was increased to about 2.4 percent. However, she said that they recently heard the ICAP fee may jump up to 10 percent. This would be almost $500,000 the borough would have to pay. Al-Haddad said that they sent a letter asking to clarify if this increased fee would apply to them, since the job is so close to completion. Currently, they have not received a response. Al-Haddad said that either way, there is a sizable amount of contingency money set aside that would help cover this increased fee. It may put the extra renovations on hold, though.

Al-Haddad said that full completion of Shoemaker can be expected by the end of the month, at the latest.