There’s one seat on Wrangell’s Port Commission on the municipal ballot this year. And incumbent Port Commissioner Gary Morrison is running for re-election, unopposed. 

KSTK sat down with Morrison to hear about why he’s seeking another term and what he sees coming down the pike for Wrangell’s ports and harbors. 

Wrangell’s local election is scheduled for October 3.

FULL TRANSCRIPT BELOW (lightly edited for clarity and reading flow):

GARY MORRISON: [I’m] Gary Morrison. We’ve lived here in Wrangell for about 14 years. I’m a retiree. I worked 38 years for the U.S. Forest Service, most of that in Alaska, a good share of that in Juneau and Sitka. After retiring from the Forest Service, I was the state parks director in Anchorage, did that for a couple of years, and then retired here in Wrangell. So all I do is have fun.

KSTK (Sage Smiley): And how about your previous government experience? Have you been on the Port Commission before?

MORRISON: Yeah, I started on the Port Commission here in 2016. And been on it ever since. This will be my fourth time running. These last two times, one of the main reasons I’ve run is I waited till the last day to register and nobody else did. So I thought, ‘Well, somebody needs to be on the Port Commission.’ So I would go ahead and do it again for another three years.

KSTK: That speaks a little bit to my next question. But if you could elaborate, that would be great: What makes you want to be on the Port Commission – what makes you want to run for reelection?

MORRISON: Well, I’m a boater, and I’m very interested in our harbors and the facilities that we have for everyone. And I want to keep the cost down. And I want to keep the maintenance and service up. And there are a number of items going on with the harbors that I’d like to help follow through and see them get done. One is: currently, we’re looking at getting security cameras installed at all of the harbors and in the boatyard. And I think that’s going to be very important. And that’s coming up soon, and I want to do anything I can to help that follow through. And then another big one is when Heritage Harbor was built, for some reason, they did not install any anodes or anything to prevent corrosion of the pilings, and they’re now starting to corrode and we’ve got to get something on them or their life is going to be real short. So we need to get a contract out to put zincs on all of the pilings. And that’s going to be very expensive, probably going to cost over a million dollars to do that. Those are two things that are really important to the harbor. And then there’s some things I’d like to see get done as well that we either don’t have the money for or haven’t had the opportunity yet to deal with. And one is the idea of having a second boat ramp at Heritage Harbor, so that two boats can be getting in or out at the same time. There’s often times when it’s a crowd down there with boats trying to get in or out or some going each way. And it’d be nice if we had a second one. Obviously, there’s no money for that. So we have to keep watching for where there might be a grant that could help us do that. And at the same time the boat launch down at Shoemaker is in real need of repair. The lower part of that is very rough to get in; the space between the concrete slabs is getting big and the ramp doesn’t go out far enough on a low tide for you to launch your boat without going off the end of it and then damaging your trailer when you try to get back out. So that’s really important, too. So there’s those kinds of things that I think I’d like to see follow-up on. And actually on the commission itself, we’ve talked about it, and I guess we’ve talked around it, and that is figuring out some way that all the boats in the harbor would have some sort of insurance so that if one of them sinks and there’s clean up and there’s issues, that it doesn’t fall back on the city. And that has happened. It’s happened in a big way in some other towns in Ketchikan and Juneau. And it’d be nice if we could figure out a way to get everyone insured so that the taxpayers here in Wrangell don’t have to foot the bill if someone’s boat sinks. So I think those are important things.

KSTK: Absolutely. So this might tie in a little bit to all of those issues that you’ve talked about. But what do you see as the biggest issue – or maybe couple of issues – facing Wrangell’s port and harbors in the coming years? What’s coming down the pike that might really have a significant impact on the community relating to the port and harbors?

MORRISON: Well, I don’t see any problems in the near future. It’s just a matter of us making sure that the rates are such that we can continue to do the job that the harbor people are doing now, which is a very good job. And make sure that that can continue and adjust our rates to make that happen without overcharging people but having enough to where we can get along, and making sure that the rates in the boatyard are such that we can maintain the lifts in the various equipment that is down there so that we can continue to provide that excellent service one of the best and Alaska. So we want to see that continue.

KSTK: What is the function of the Port Commission within this broader system of borough government? How does that support the running of Wrangell, basically?

MORRISON: Well, a number of things that come up in Wrangell have to be addressed at the Port Commission. For example, if someone wants to lease tidelands that the city owns, that goes through the Port Commission for our recommendation. If someone wants to buy tidelands that the city owns, that comes through us to get our position on it before it goes to the assembly. I guess those are the main things that happen that the Port Commission is involved in. We set the rates for the slips in the harbors, we set the rates for licensing boat trailers and set the rates for the people that are in the boatyard with their boats getting repaired. So those are some of the main things that we deal with on a regular basis. And then everything we try to do is to support the Harbormaster, and the people that work there and their work.

KSTK: Is there something you’re most proud of in your time on the Port Commission so far that the Port Commission has been able to accomplish or see through or work on?

MORRISON: Well, I guess, yeah, the most important one, the time that I’ve been on there is the redevelopment of the Shoemaker Harbor that has happened since I’ve been on the commission. And then there have been improvements to the boatyard, a new bigger lift, and being able to handle bigger boats and additional improvements in the boatyard that helps the economy of Wrangell.

KSTK: What makes you a good candidate for the Port Commission?

MORRISON: I’ve got time (laughs).

KSTK: So is that why someone should vote for you: because you’ve got time?

MORRISON: Well, I don’t know why someone should vote for me other than they’d have to write someone in. There’s no one else on the ballot. And I think I’m doing a service to the community and I just want to continue to do that. 

KSTK: Is there anything else you’d want to add? 

MORRISON: There’s little things that we could do to improve our harbors here. And I’m always open to suggestions that people have that I can take to the Port Commission and take to the Harbormaster to try to improve things. Maybe a good little example might be the safety ladders that are in all of the harbors. I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed but most of them have got a lot of stuff growing on the bottom of them. And they really aren’t that safe to use as a safety feature to get out of the water. And over time, it would be nice to be able to take those out one at a time and clean them and put bottom paint on them, so they might not grow some of the things that are grown on him now and they would be safer as a safety feature. And it’s just those little things that need to be done in the harbor all the time that like to assist the Harbormaster in accomplishing.

KSTK: Totally. Thanks for your time today, and letting people get to know you as a candidate for Port Commission. Really appreciate it. 

MORRISON: Thank you. 

Get in touch with KSTK at news@kstk.org or (907) 874-2345.

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Wrangell hasn’t held a king salmon derby since 2017. But this year, the borough’s Chamber of Commerce is bringing back the historic competition for its 66th running.

“I’ve heard that a lot of people are excited about it,” says Stephanie Cook, the Chamber’s outgoing director, “So we’re hoping for a good turnout. I know it’s been a while since we’ve had a king salmon derby, and I know people have loved it in the past. It’s obviously not going to be to the scale it was before, because we’re just starting out again and it’ll definitely be smaller. But we’re looking forward to it and hopeful that we have a great derby.”

Patrick Fowler is the Alaska Department of Fish and Game area manager for sport fishing around Petersburg and Wrangell. He explains that communities across Southeast have had to cancel king derbies or switch the focus to silvers. 

“Wild king salmon stocks are basically doing terrible,” Fowler explains. “We’ve implemented a suite of management actions in both commercial and sport fisheries to eliminate or reduce our harvest of Southeast Alaska wild stocks. Beginning in — it was, I think, 2017 off the top of my head — we started taking pretty restrictive action across Southeast, but especially in the Wrangell area.”

Things haven’t improved in the years since. Ketchikan’s king salmon derby organizers elected to back off of derby plans this year over continued concerns about wild chinook stocks in Southeast.

That’s not to say that ADF&G did — or even can — force communities not to run king derbies. Both Ketchikan and Wrangell run what are called “unsanctioned derbies,” where the sport-caught fish aren’t allowed to be sold. Wrangell’s king salmon derby, and any other unsanctioned derby, just have to operate under the area’s current sportfishing regulations.

Fowler says that most of the districts in the Wrangell area open to retention of kings on June 15.

“Essentially,” Fowler says, “What Wrangell did this year is they just chose to host the derby outside of the historic timing there, during the times that we are going to allow some retention of king salmon in some of the area, not the entire area. And, you know, essentially the amount of the magnitude of harvests that we anticipate from the Wrangell derby is a low enough level that we don’t need to change the sport fishing regulations because of that harvest.”

The June 15 opening doesn’t include District 8, the waters closest to the mouth of the Stikine River, and a portion of the Eastern Passage, which won’t allow sport king fishing until mid-July. 

Wrangell’s 2021 king salmon derby is scheduled to run from June 15 – June 30. That’s a bit shorter than the king derbies of the past. Wrangell used to host the longest salmon derby in Southeast, running for more than a month through May and early June during the height of the king salmon run. 

Tickets cost $25 and are available for purchase at many local businesses — Sentry, Ottesen’s, the Totem Bar, and Angerman’s — as well as the Chamber office. Weigh-ins will take place at the top of the Reliance Harbor ramp from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the derby. And Wrangell’s Chamber of Commerce says derby booklets are on the way. 

The first place fish will take home $3,000 this year, with $2,000 and $1,000 for the second and third place salmon, respectively.

 More information can be found at wrangellfishderby.com.

Get in touch with KSTK at news@kstk.org or (907) 874-2345.

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As summer fishing seasons gear up and get started, Wrangell community groups gathered at the Wrangell Mariners’ Memorial to wish safety to anyone on the water, and remember those who have lost their lives at sea.

A handful of boats bobbed outside the breakwater of Wrangell’s Heritage Harbor on Sunday afternoon, listening by VHF broadcast to the town’s 2021 “Blessing of the Fleet.” To the delight of attendees on foot, the morning’s cloud cover broke just before the start of the ceremony. 

“The blessing of the fleet is a tradition that began centuries ago in Mediterranean fishing communities,” began Island of Faith Pastor Sue Bahleda, who delivered remarks representing the Wrangell Ministerial Association. Her blessing concluded: “We bless these crafts and their crews, in their work, in their play, in their days, and their nights. Be safe, be strong, be fruitful, this day and every day.”

While fleet blessings have been a storied tradition of coastal communities for generations, Wrangell hasn’t had a solid, annual “Blessing of the Fleet” tradition. But the Wrangell Ministerial Association and Wrangell Mariners’ Memorial Committee aim to revitalize the event, at a more permanent space for reflection on lives lost at sea — the Wrangell Mariners’ Memorial. 

Committee chair Jenn Miller-Yancey says the memorial is in the final stages of construction. 

“As you can see, we have fresh concrete poured,” Miller-Yancey announced at the start of the service. “Thank you everyone for being really careful around that. The concrete truck was only available this weekend.”

Wrangell’s Mariners’ Memorial is an idea that’s been in the works for decades, but was formally brought to the city’s port commission in 2012. Five years later and after many discussions, a group of Wrangellites formed the Wrangell Mariners’ Memorial Committee and got the group nonprofit status. 

After deciding on a design, the group broke ground on the Mariners’ Memorial in late 2018. Over the last year, the site has really taken shape, with the construction of a hexagonal lighthouse pavilion with an 800-pound compass rose in its center and sweeping, boat-shaped iron walls which will hold the names of Wrangell mariners who have passed on. 

Some of the first names to grace the memorial will be those of Helen and Sig Decker. The 19- and 21-year old Wrangell sister and brother died along with two of their fishing crewmates in a tragic car crash on Mitkof Island last year. Some of the funds raised in the siblings’ memory were donated to help complete construction of the Mariners’ Memorial. 

To wrap up this year’s fleet blessing, Wrangell middle-schooler Madelyn Davies read the poem “If you’ve Ever Lived On an Island” by J. Earnhart. 

Here are the last two stanzas:

“If ever you’ve heard the seagulls
the waves, a foghorn, the winds;
Then you’ve heard the song of the island
and the peaceful message it sends.

Indeed, if you live on an island
if you’re lucky to live by the sea
You’ll never return to the mainland,
as your spirit has been set free.”

One of the assembled boats responded with a honk of thanks, as land-based well-wishers milled about, chatting and enjoying local cookies and donuts. 

The Mariners’ Memorial Committee hopes to raise up to $25,000 to complete the current phase of construction: finishing the memorial walls and starting to add memorial plaques. After that, it’ll be on to landscaping the site.    

To get more info or donate to the Wrangell Mariners’ Memorial Fund, visit wrangellmarinersmemorial.com.

Get in touch with KSTK at news@kstk.org or (907) 874-2345.

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This article has been updated to clarify that the company is doing business under the name Fathom Seafoods in Wrangell.

There’s going to be a new crab buyer in town. Both Sea Level Seafoods and a newcomer — Fathom Seafoods — are expected to purchase from commercial fishermen this summer.

President and CEO of Alaska Ice Seafoods Cody Mills says years ago, his company’s original operation sold to Trident. But now Alaska Ice Seafoods — doing business as Fathom Seafoods — is looking to move back into Southeast Alaska.

“We do a lot of live seafood,” Mills told Wrangell’s assembly on Tuesday. “That’s a big thing we do, which builds a lot of value for the fishermen because there’s usually more money left for the fishermen because you don’t have all these big processing costs.”

The company will take over the lease of a Mill Dock plot in the Wrangell Marine Service Center. Fathom Seafoods bought out the former tenant: Crab Alaska LLC. Crab Alaska, owned by Wrangellite Steve Thomassen, had the lot since 2012 and was a crab buyer too. 

Wrangell’s assembly approved the lease transfer of the city-owned property on Tuesday. It also approved a separate lease for Wrangell resident Dustin Phillips. He says he’s planning to build a 40 by 60-foot building and ice facility on a lot adjoining the new Fathom Seafoods lot. 

“We’re just excited to get to work,” Phillips said. “So with the assembly’s approval, we’ll be ready to help to support the fleet here and make things happen. Just excited to get going.”

Mills says it was Phillips — who will run the nearby icing and packing facility — that pushed the company to buy crab in Wrangell. 

“We’ve been exploring the Petersburg and Wrangell area for expanding our crab business,” Mills explained. “And we came across Dustin Phillips in that process. And we were looking pretty heavy into Petersburg at the time, and Dustin kind of kinda brought us over to Wrangell and showed us around and kind of convinced us otherwise.”

The Washington-based company says it plans to purchase, procure, pack, and ship everything from crab to various salmon species to shrimp. They’ll also offer ice and bait to Wrangell’s fleet. 

But first on the docket is Dungeness crab. Mills told Wrangell’s assembly that he actually shipped an ice house to Wrangell before the lease was even approved to try and get a head start with next month’s opener.

“The clock’s ticking on the dungey [dungeness] season,” Mills said, laughing. “And I know fishermen are kind of worried about that. So we’re going to do our best to try and get going before that. Dungey is a huge part of our business.”

The Dungeness crab commercial fishery will open June 15. Buoy tags are available at state Fish & Game offices now.

Get in touch with KSTK at news@kstk.org or (907) 874-2345.

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The City of Wrangell awarded a contract for the purchase of a marine vessel hoist to an Italian company. Now, a North American firm is protesting.

The city announced its plans to purchase a 300-ton hoist from ASCOM S.p.A. which is based in Modena, Italy.

Wrangell Harbor Master Greg Meissner said it is important to buy the lift now.

“The bigger machine will allow us to pull the larger vessels out that, in fact, create more jobs. You pull a little 40-foot boat out, you might employ a couple people. You put a 120-foot boat on the deck, it could very well have a dozen people working on it. I mean, that’s the intent of this is to get the big projects on the ground, give them the opportunity to the work here and not have to work to Puget Sound to do the work,” said Meissner.

Wrangell’s Marine Travelift – Photo by Shady Grove Oliver/KSTK News

Initial bidding for the contract was in November. One qualified bid came from ASCOM.  The other bid, from Marine Travelift, was 30% more expensive.

Travelift is a subsidiary of Kendrick Equipment, based in Delta, British Columbia and Kent, Washington.

Bill Kendrick, president of the firm, issued the letter. He said there should have been more testing of Travelift machines with the same hoist capacities, rather than just those made by ASCOM.

“We don’t need to compare the Marine Travelift equipment. We have one. We have those answers. We know how durable they are. We know what it’s like getting parts and pieces. We have all that information.  Our intent was to go see the other manufacturer’s equipment. We wanted to talk to people who have purchased them, who have bought parts, who run them every day, who run both,” said Meissner.

City Manager Tim Rooney said that because there was no obvious performance difference between the two machines, cost was the deciding factor.

“Ultimately the responsibility comes down to getting the most out of the money that we were granted from the state and trying to save money, rather than spend more,” said Rooney.

In the protest, Kendrick stated that purchasing from a “foreign corporation offering an unproven and likely inferior product…is incomprehensible.”

Harbor Master Meissner said that while the machine is Italian-made, that doesn’t mean all of the money is going abroad.

“There’s a lot of other things we need to do other than just getting the machine here. There are things we plan on spending here. I want to have local people build the boat stands, I hope. You know, there’s no reason they can’t make them right here at home and keep that money right here,” said Meissner.

The protest is being evaluated by an attorney before the city issues its response.

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The Assembly authorized the Borough Manager to enter into a contract with Italian company ASCOM S.p.A. to purchase a 300-ton marine vessel hoist for Wrangell’s Marine Service Center.  The initial period for companies to bid for the sale ended in November.  There were two companies with qualified bids, the Italian firm and the North American company Travelift.  The bid from ASCOM S.p.A. was substantially cheaper than its competition coming in at nearly $400,000 less.  After a thorough study and hands-on testing, PND engineers and hoist operators found no significant difference between the two firms’ equipment.

The final contract is for a purchase amount of $1,315,000 which will be paid by a grant from the State of Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development.  The city received the grant for $2.75 million dollars last year.  The remaining funds will be used to make dock repairs and other improvements at the Marine Service Center.

The city received another State of Alaska grant for the Cassiar Street Roadway and Utilities Improvement Project.  The Assembly voted to approve a design contract for the second stage of the project to the company R & M Engineering-Ketchikan, the same firm who successfully completed the first phase.

Last night’s meeting was the first time the Assembly took a look at an ordinance to amend the Borough’s municipal code that deals with remote zoning in Wrangell.

There will be a public hearing on this issue on January 22^nd.

Finally, the Assembly approved three resolutions affecting city employees.  The resolutions will update employees’ job descriptions to bring them in line with federal and state laws including the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, Affirmative Action, and federal immigration law.  These changes will also guarantee protection for whistle-blowers and require compliance with drug testing.

Although the change of certain job descriptions will mean a corresponding change of job titles and pay plan, it will not affect any employee’s current pay.

On a more personal note, the Assembly bid farewell and good luck to Maria Weeg and former mayor Jeremy Maxand as they move on to new endeavors.

City Hall will be closed on January 21^st in observance of the Martin Luther King Junior holiday.

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