The City and Borough of Wrangell arranged an agreement with American Cruise Lines. This marks the latest chapter in a long-running local conversation about how cruise tourism fits into the community’s waterfront and economy.
Over the past year, borough officials have been negotiating with the company on a potential partnership. Those talks culminated earlier this month, when the Wrangell borough assembly gave unanimous approval to a long-term, 40-year lease of local tidelands.
As part of the agreement, American Cruise Lines would cover the cost of building a floating dock tailored to its small-ship fleet — a scale of cruise tourism more typical for Wrangell than the megaships seen elsewhere.
Public access to dock when not in use
The dock would remain accessible to the public during times when cruise ships are not calling in Wrangell, including the off-season.
In return, the borough would fund upland improvements, including filling in a portion of the waterfront to provide access to the dock. Borough officials estimate that work will cost about $2.5 million.
Assembly members authorized up to $4 million in revenue bonds to cover the project, with repayment coming from ports and harbors revenue rather than local tax dollars.
“This project is sort of our flagship project in Alaska”
During a Jan. 7 presentation, American Cruise Lines President Charlie Robertson said the Wrangell agreement is one of the company’s most significant projects in Alaska.
“This project is sort of our flagship project in Alaska, and is the first one that’s getting near the finish line here in terms of solidifying the agreement, but we hope can serve as a model in other communities around Alaska too,” he said.
The lease sets an initial base rent of $50,000 per year, with a minimum of 40 cruise ship dockings annually. Revenue generated from third-party use of the dock would be split evenly between the borough and American Cruise Lines. The company would be responsible for major maintenance and capital repairs, while the borough would handle day-to-day operations.
Public input
Not everyone felt the decision moved forward with enough public input.
Wrangell resident James Freeman told the assembly that a planned town hall meeting on waterfront development was canceled due to winter weather last month. He said that left some residents unable to weigh in before the vote.
“I know we had talked about a number of people that remembered we were going to go through a town hall meeting, none of that happened,” he said.
The borough said construction should begin as early as this year, with the goal of completing the project by May 2027.
