Borough commits to cover 10% of barge ramp project if grant covers the rest

At a special assembly meeting Sept. 20, the borough committed to match 10% of a possible $2,584,650 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for design and permitting of a new barge ramp.

The borough has not received the grant but anticipates an update on the status of its application around Sept. 30. Last week, DOT Port Infrastructure Development Program staff contacted the borough to confirm their ability to cover 10% of the project, meaning that the grant application has made it to the final stages of the selection process.

Typically, communities commit to a 20% match under the program, but rural communities like Wrangell can request to pay a smaller percentage. The borough submitted its application in May.

The federal grant would only cover design costs for the new barge ramp, not building costs, Vice Mayor Patty Gilbert explained on a phone call after the meeting. She anticipates the actual build will cost around $15 million to $18 million. When the time comes to build a new ramp, Gilbert thinks it will “probably be in the same spot.”

Though the borough will likely not decide the new ramp’s location before consulting with an engineer, Assemblymember Bob Dalrymple would consider moving it to 6-Mile. The former sawmill property has “deep water, flat ground, and is not intermixed right into the middle of downtown” he said.

Though the new location could bring “more space and more efficiency” to the barge landing, Dalrymple would like to see an engineer’s report and hear community feedback before officially supporting the move. Placing the ramp so far out the road would mean trucking goods into town for each shipment.

Assemblymember David Powell also expressed interest in moving the ramp to 6-Mile during his candidacy interview with the Sentinel two weeks ago. Moving the barge landing, he said, would allow the borough to enhance its tourism development downtown.

If the borough does not receive federal money, it will put the project on hold until more state or federal funding becomes available. The money in the municipal Harbor Reserve Fund is insufficient alone to finance the project.