Parks Director Kate Thomas points to the large sheet of paper where her brainstorming group wrote their ideas for the future of the borough-owned former sawmill property at 6-Mile. The community met and discussed ideas for the property at a public forum last Thursday. Thomas' group was named "Bear Grease," after the popular hunting podcast.
Participants in the 6-Mile mill property community forum shared their hopes for the site with borough officials last Thursday. Attendees weren't afraid to dream big as they crafted the headlines they'd like to see in the Sentinel 20 years from now:
"Industrial complex a success - largest haul-out facility in Alaska."
"Wrangell shows steady economic growth while maintaining small-town charm."
"No more milling around - Wrangell's industrial diversification takes off."
"Wrangell industrial complex celebrates the graduating class of 2042 and $50 million in marine service revenue."
The forum provided a space for residents to engage with municipal officials and offer perspectives on a piece of property that is "not only ... going to drive what happens out at 6-Mile, it could drive what happens downtown as well," said Borough Manager Jeff Good.
Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore presented an overview of the parcel to attendees. The former sawmill was an "economic driver for this community," she said, and the borough's goal is to "create that same driver right now."
The site comprises almost 40 acres six miles out of town. It has direct access to Zimovia Highway, stable fill for future development and has been cleaned to Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation standards. However, development will require a significant investment since the waterfront bulkhead is failing; there are three sunken vessels onsite; sewer and water lines terminate a quarter mile from the property; and it is not connected to the power grid.
The borough purchased the property from its private owner this summer for $2.5 million. While it considers what to do with the site longer term, Channel Construction is operating a scrap metal recycling business there on a three-month lease.
After Good and Rushmore outlined the borough's goals and familiarized attendees with the site parameters, Chris Mertl of Juneau-based Corvus Design moderated the remainder of the forum. Mertl has worked on Wrangell projects in the past, including the Mariners' Memorial and Mt. Dewey trail expansion. He divided the roughly 30 participants into five discussion groups, each with an ample supply of sticky notes and Sharpies, plus a large sheet of paper to organize their ideas.
"We're visioning tonight," he told the groups. "We're here to listen to you and get your input on what you'd like to have happen at the mill site. We really want to have community conversation."
He prompted each group to identify things they'd like to see at the site, along with the enhancements that would be necessary for their preferred uses. "Is it temporary seasonal housing? Is it a water slide?" he asked.
The groups' ideas included a scrap recycling yard, mariculture, a plasma burner to incinerate hazardous waste, a centralized waste facility, expanded marine services, a shipyard for large vessels, a Coast Guard station and a vocational school where students could perform specialty fabrication, like constructing tiny houses. Some groups also posited the site as an alternative location for the downtown barge ramp.
Suggested site enhancements included a larger highway easement, food trucks, a new travel lift, utilities and cell service.
Last week's forum won't be community members' only opportunity to provide input on uses for the property. The borough will continue to engage Wrangell residents, though officials are still discussing what form this engagement will take. Notes from the forum will be compiled and delivered to the borough assembly in the coming weeks.
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