Wrangell is applying for a $5 million state grant to add to a $25 million federal grant it already has received for rebuilding the downtown harbor, with the additional money directed to fully cover the cost of replacing the decades-old Inner Harbor floats.
The overall plan is intended to rebuild the Inner Harbor, Reliance and Standard Oil floats, add new pilings, fire suppression systems and parking.
Assembly members voted unanimously last week to approve the state grant application, which was due by today (Wednesday, Aug. 19).
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities municipal harbor facility grant program allows for a maximum request of $5 million. It requires a local match to qualify, and the borough would use the federal grant as the match.
The updated estimate for the Inner Harbor project is nearly $15 million. This includes design, permitting and construction, including land facilities and improvements to parking, according to information presented to the assembly.
The harbor floats were built in the late 1950s, according to a condition report prepared for the borough in 1996. The Inner Harbor is the largest of the four float systems in the downtown harbor, but its old design limits its usefulness.
“The harbor has an antiquated layout, originally designed to serve 1930-1960 vessels, typically around 17 feet. Today’s commercial fishing fleet averages 36 feet,” Amber Al-Haddad, the borough’s capital projects director, explained in her report for the assembly meeting.
The rest of the $25 million federal grant would go to the other areas of the downtown harbor rebuild.
