The assembly has directed borough staff to get two estimates for possibly resolving the longstanding deliberations over repairs to the rot-damaged Public Safety Building and the future of the former hospital building.
One estimate would be for a two-year project to repair and renovate the 34-year-old Public Safety Building, restoring it for full use by the police and fire departments, state court system, federal customs and other agencies.
The other estimate from an engineering firm would cover remodeling the vacant Wrangell Medical Center as the new Public Safety Building, and adding a fire hall adjacent to the structure.
The assembly decided at its Aug. 24 meeting to seek estimates for only the two options, from among five alternatives presented to the borough.
Mayor Steve Prysunka said he is worried Wrangell could lose its courthouse altogether if it does not provide adequate facilities.
“We have a major tenant in the building,” he said. “Before we make any decisions on anything, we need to determine … if that would be appropriate for the anchor tenant that’s in that building, which is the court system.”
The mayor added, “I am extremely fearful that we’ll lose the court system if we don’t do a good job of this. That has implications for all kinds of things.”
Assemblymember Terry Courson said that, in general, he is in favor of whatever is the cheapest option. However, he said he needed some more time to think about the available options.
At one time, the assembly considered replacing the Public Safety Building with a new structure, rather than repairing all of the rot and water damage and other problems at the structure. But a rough estimate of $30 million for new construction turned the discussion to a repair and rebuild, not new construction.
Repairs and renovations to the building have been estimated at roughly less than half the cost of building new.
With a repair project, the borough would need to find facilities for temporary relocation of staff during the work. The borough has discussed using the former hospital building as temporary quarters, or perhaps even relocating the Public Safety Building tenants there permanently.
Capital Facilities Director Amber Al-Haddad presented the assembly Aug. 24 with five possible options to consider.
Those five options were:
• A single work contract for a two-year project to renovate the Public Safety Building.
• Multiple contracts for the work, spread out over 10 years.
• Build a new Public Safety Building with a jail as a standalone structure, and demolishing the former hospital.
• Build a new Public Safety Building with a fire hall as a standalone structure, and demolishing the former hospital.
• Renovate the former hospital to serve as a new home for the Public Safety Building tenants, and constructing a new fire hall adjacent to the former hospital.
Whichever option the borough may select, Al-Haddad said actual construction work likely could not start until 2023. After deciding on which option to move ahead, the borough would need to contract for design and engineering work, decide on financing, and put the project out to bid.
Assemblymember David Powell said the borough has been spinning its wheels on this project for quite some time, spending more money to get updated cost estimates without actually making any forward progress.
After further discussion by the assembly, Prysunka said the general consensus he was hearing among the assembly was the need to cut down the multiple alternatives to an “either-or” choice. Mainly, he said, members want to get updated cost estimates for renovating the Public Safety Building over two years, or for turning the former hospital into new quarters for public safety agencies.
The original hospital building was constructed in 1967, with remodeling and additions in 1974, 1988 and 1994. The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium had been leasing the building from the borough until earlier this year, when SEARHC opened its new medical center and returned the old hospital to the city.
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