The borough has scheduled a public forum for 5:30 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Nolan Center to discuss a $2.5 million question: What would the community like to see done with the 6-Mile sawmill property which the borough purchased this summer?
Sell the 39 acres, lease it in whole or in part, put public money into the development or let private dollars carry the cost of whatever may happen at the site are among the options.
Tourism, industry, fisheries, storage — maybe some future use no one has ever really considered.
Whatever may happen, next week’s public forum is the community’s opportunity to learn more about the property, hear ideas from neighbors and share their opinions with public officials. Nothing fancy, just an open-agenda town hall to discuss the future of the borough’s $2.5 million investment.
When the borough purchased the lots from the owner of the former sawmill at the site, the intent was to keep the property intact, rather see it sold off piece by piece. The assembly feared that such a piecemeal sale could reduce the chances of a substantial investment by a private developer. The idea was to buy the entire property to preserve the options for a future use that could bring jobs and economic development to town.
Now the assembly wants to hear from the community on possible next steps.
Development at the former mill site will not be easy, or cheap. A 2016 report by a structural engineering firm out of Bellingham, Washington, noted a lot of problems with the aging steel bulkhead at the property. The report said the bulkhead is “severely corroded and has failed over a significant portion of its length … the bulkhead will need to be completely replaced if a vertical face at the waterline is needed for future functions.”
The conditions report doesn’t mean it’s hopeless for turning the property to a new and productive use. It just means someone will need to spend substantial money. The borough’s hope is that private dollars will take on the job. But first, Wrangell needs to decide the best path toward attracting a private developer or maybe a partner with the municipality.
The property is “one of the last existing deepwater industrial sites available for development options in Southeast Alaska,” according to the borough. That alone is an attraction.
The forum is an effort to learn “what the community would like to see out there,” borough Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore said when she announced the meeting last month. It would be good to see a full room at the Nolan Center next week, with people learning and sharing ideas respectfully between neighbors who all want the best for the community.
— Wrangell Sentinel
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