The dock at Roosevelt Harbor on Zarembo Island, about 15 miles southwest of Wrangell, was severely damaged in a storm last winter and will be out of service until next year.
Initially, the U.S. Forest Service said it hoped to have the dock fixed by deer season this year, which opened Aug. 1, but the contract still hasn’t been awarded. The cost of the repair project isn’t publicly available until the agency awards the contract.
For hunters heading to Zarembo, the rustic boat launch at Roosevelt is still usable for landing crafts to potentially move vehicles on and off the island. The St. John’s dock on the northwest side of the island is available for boats to tie up at, although that’s a much longer ride from Wrangell.
“We all know obviously that … Roosevelt dock is a main access point for the folks here in Wrangell. And Zarembo Island is a really, really important subsistence hunting ground for our local population,” Wrangell District Ranger Clint Kolarich said.
“The contracting process is just about concluded as far as an award being made. But it hasn’t quite concluded.”
Ketchikan-based Forest Service civil engineer David Licon said, “There was a massive damage that was done to the dock last (winter). … We found out that the price to replace the gangway was going to be just about the same amount as it would be to repair it.” He further explained, “It’s a brand new dock system that’s going to serve the public really well for the next five to 10 years. And that’s really our goal.”
Licon said “we’re shooting to have that gangway here on site by the spring. … We will do a lot of the work around the gangway by the finish of this year and the gangway, once it’s barged up, we’re going to take it right out there and get it anchored up and reconnected to have that dock ready to go.”
Reader Comments(0)