A house fire in late April claimed the lives of four pets and left one man burned. The fire broke out about eight miles outside of Wrangell on April 27th, tearing through a two-unit home. Bruce Levine was burned on his face and hands trying to save his dogs, who didn’t survive. His downstairs neighbors escaped with their dogs, but lost their two cats. KSTK’s Colette Czarnecki spoke with Levine at the trailer where he’s been staying since the fire. 

Every time something knocks me down, I get back up stronger. 

I have a lust for life. I didn’t come up here till I was 46 to live up here. That’s when my life really began. Alaska changed me as a person.

The community here is amazing, completely amazing. I have a place to stay as long as I need to, people to take care of me and will come over in just a whim. I can’t do much with my hands right now.

I am a paraprofessional at the high school, and unfortunately, I can’t return to that this school year because of the injuries to my hands, but I do definitely plan on going back in August. 

A lot of people have asked me if I’m gonna move. Why would I move out of this community? I feel such love. This is home.

I’m Bruce Levine and the two pups that I lost were Gabby, who was three quarters Rottweiler, one quarter German Shepherd, and Bubba, that was Mastiff, pit bull and Rottweiler. They helped me through my wife’s passing. I was never alone. 

I had a great day (before the fire). I had a wonderful day, and I left work at 3:30 p.m. and when I pulled up at 3:45 p.m., I wondered why all the cars were out in front of my house. And then I looked up and I saw my house was on fire.

I saw Tim and Shei, and I saw their three dogs, which they were running around the property scared. 

I then went back up and attempted to go up the stairs. And the fireman said, ‘No, you can’t do that.’ And I said, ‘Well, let’s go around the side.’

I knew there was no way to get up the stairway around the side. I did that so they would so they would not see me go up the stairway. I saw a window opportunity where there was a space that the fire was not burning, and I ran through it up onto the top deck, busted down a partition I had on the back deck, and shouldered the back door hard enough to knock it off its hinges, hoping that they would be back there and I could save them.

And when I did that, the smoke actually sucked into the house, not out, and I heard a lot of stuff. Called their names a few times. And then realized what I was hearing was crashing and banging of stuff falling off the shelves, and I knew, because of the consistency of the smoke, they had not survived.

So then I decided it was time for me to get off the deck. And there was no way for me to get off the deck other than to have them put ladders up so I could get down. 

Anyone that knows me knows what my dogs mean to me, and if I had not tried to save them, I could not live with myself ever. 

I was in that house for 19 years. We bought that house the year that we were married in 2007. 

Holly and I were married on the front deck. We had all my friends from California up here, her family from Los Angeles and from Texas and whatnot.

There were lots of parties that we had. She’s also a retired opera singer, so I brought a little culture into Wrangell.

Unfortunately, I had put together a box for clothes to go to the theater. And those were her performance clothes. Those were gowns, sequin dresses, stuff like that. Those all got lost in the fire.

But the things I remember most are the feeling of family, the feeling of happiness.

I don’t have any family up here other than Holly, but I do, because this whole island is my family. I feel closer to them than I do to my own family and especially now, they’ve taken such good care of me. I could never give back what they’ve already given me.

For the first couple days, I was still in shock and denial. I kept thinking that I had to feed the dogs.

My burns are mostly to my hands, mostly the right hand, because I put my right hand up towards my face.

I didn’t get burned by the flames, I got burned by the heat, and my face is pretty badly burned, which it’ll heal.

I got to the hospital, they took extremely good care of me. For the first couple of days, both eyes were pretty much swollen shut. I couldn’t see much.

On Wednesday, I woke up and I could see and I knew that, okay, now I can get out. I’m not one to stay in the hospital. The pain level is tolerable.  

They were more concerned with inhalation of smoke, which I didn’t have any.

These pads that I have here are pre-set with an antiseptic that will keep my skin moist so that it doesn’t start to crack and peel. Right now it gives the underlying skin a chance to grow, to come up.

I really feel like I need to see my granddaughter and my daughter. They live in Reno, so I never get to see them.  I’ll probably be gone for a few weeks or so once all insurance and everything else gets straightened out.

I want to thank everybody out there that has helped and the fire department 100%. Sorry I had to run up the stairs guys, but I had to. No question about it. Anybody that knows me knows how I feel about my dogs. The rest of the community, the support I’m feeling now is just immense. I love all you guys. You’re my family now.

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Mikki Angerman has been working with Wrangell Public Schools for the past 15 years. And the last three, she’s been working as the middle school Special Education teacher, which she discovered is a passion of hers once she started. But recently, she made a difficult decision with her family to leave Wrangell. She sat down with KSTK’s Colette Czarnecki to talk about her journey as an educator in Wrangell, and why she’s made the decision to relocate to the Lower 48.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.

I ended up falling in love with Special Ed, and I felt like this is where I was meant to be all along. This is my third year. In order to stay in Special Ed, I had to go back and get my masters so I could actually continue to teach Special Ed in middle school and high school. And so I did. I had a good support system.

My husband Aaron always supported me as a teacher and in the classroom by doing things from putting up my bulletin board decorations to baking something for the kids the next day, or even just understanding why I’m coming home late or having to do schoolwork late.

What made you fall in love with teaching Special Ed?

It’s really gratifying. A lot of the students that I work with are battling things on a daily basis. They have challenges that maybe a lot of people don’t see on the outside, and to be able to almost teach to the whole child is rewarding, I’m a sucker for an underdog, and to see them win, or grow, or for them to see themselves win and grow, those smaller moments just seem so much bigger when you’re in Special Ed.

Will you share a memorable moment?

Oh, gosh, there’s so many.

My relationships with my students, not even like teaching them the math, or the reading or the whatever.

I have several students I’m pretty close to.

I try not to get a little emotional when I think about it, but it’s just gaining those relationships. And there was one student who, through elementary school, they had a lot of challenges with emotions and controlling their emotions and behaviorally, and it felt like they were kind of an outcast, or they weren’t part of the group. And transitioning up to middle school. (Middle school is hard enough. I don’t know if any adult would pay to go back to middle school. Middle school’s hard.)  And then working with that student, working through how to deal with their emotions, how to approach situations in a healthier way made it to where I’ve now seen that student is active in athletics. That student is part of every sport that’s offered. They’ve gained friends. Last month, that student was…I don’t want to say too much in a small town, but they were honored for the growth and progress that they have made, and they’re just on a track that’s successful and healthy.

Where are you going?

Our family is relocating to Washington, so Seattle area.

My husband is still going to be working with Tlingit and Haida and we still have family here. We wanted to be close enough to family, and so it’s kind of in the middle. We can see our older kids on the other side of the state, and then we can still come up here. It’s easy enough to visit family, and for Aaron to be able to get back and forth to his job that he still holds. 

I’ll be with Seattle Public Schools. I just have to figure out which specific school I’m going to be teaching at. But it was a difficult decision for sure.

Wrangell’s our home. We have a house here and a family here. We didn’t want to really leave.

So this came with tears. But we have to do kind of what we have to do.

Alaska in general, you know education’s going in a direction that’s not great, and our schools are shrinking and shrinking and shrinking, and so we wanted to try to not only be closer to our older kids, but also try to provide our youngest with more opportunities educationally, and arts and music and all those sorts of things. 

What are your hopes with this move and this transition?

My husband and I say we’re up for an adventure. We’ve been here for 15 years, and we’ve done the things, and I’ve been on the committees. I think we’re at the point in our lives where we are ready for a new adventure. Seattle is going to be our new adventure. So that’s kind of exciting, something different, something new. And I’m always, ‘Hey, I’m a teacher, I’m a lifelong learner.’ I’m sure I’m going to be learning some new things. I love Seattle. The culture there, it’s very welcoming, and so many different people and things, and I’m very excited to kind of be a part of that. 

Do you have any closing statements you want to say about Wrangell Public Schools?

I have obviously a soft spot, and I always will for Wrangell Public Schools. I want to see Wangell Public Schools grow and I would hope to see like more people get involved, join the school boards, join the committees.

But it takes everyone to stand up, be a voice, be involved. Don’t shut your doors. Don’t walk away. I think if enough people do that, it could be great.

The kids here…it’s gonna be hard to leave.

I try to be their advocate. I work in an area where sometimes I’m the only advocate, I care about them, and I hope that everything that I’ve shared and done with them carries with them after I’m gone. I’ll be checking in. I tell them I’m gonna be back in the summers. I’m only a plane ride away. I will always be an advocate for these kids and their families. If they ever need anything, I would 100% be there. 

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Alaska’s school funding formula creates an unusual dynamic for local governments. The money a borough contributes to its school district can actually reduce what the state gives.

Because of this uncomfortable catch, Wrangell’s borough assembly is weighing whether to give its school district an additional $150,000.

For the next fiscal year in 2027, Wrangell Public Schools has a base funding target of $4,116,973. If the borough pays over the allowable maximum of $1.9 million, the state contributes less to meet that target and the state will fine the borough. Essentially, it’s a balancing act, and the borough ends up filling in for the state. 

While some school districts in Alaska are facing teacher cuts and school consolidations, Wrangell is not in immediate crisis. But at an April 27 joint work session, the borough assembly and school board still faced a difficult question: how much should the borough contribute for the coming fiscal year? 

Chief Financial Officer Kristy Andrew said the borough can give up to $949,000 above its required maximum contribution without triggering a reduction in state funding. Beyond that threshold, the state’s share shrinks. 

“It’s the required local effort that the state offsets — any additional allowable contribution from the city is truly extra, and that’s really what helps us,” she said. “So you could give us up to $949,000 in additional revenue without any penalties from the state.” 

Compared to a year ago, the finances are looking up. Last year, Andrew projected the district would end this fiscal year with just under $54,000 in reserves. The turnaround is largely thanks to a $700 per-student funding increase from the state last year, called the Base Student Allocation. Alaska lawmakers overrode Governor Mike Dunleavy’s veto to make it happen. Enrollment gains and careful spending also helped, she said. 

One less intensive student means less state funding

Next fiscal year, the district is projecting 258 students enrolled, with six receiving intensive special education services — one fewer than this year. That reduction means $86,580 less state funding coming in. 

“Everybody remember…the adopted budget had a fund balance at the end of this year of $53,907,” Wrangell Public Schools’ Superintendent Joshua Garrett said. “Right now, we’re expecting our June 30 fund balance to be over a million dollars. That’s good. That’s really good news. That’s outstanding.”

Garrett said that a $1 million cushion helps manage risk, but it still doesn’t allow the district to plan proactively or invest in its future. He pointed out that districts across Alaska are budgeting without knowing what the BSA will be, sometimes until months after the fiscal year has already started. 

“How am I supposed to plan as a superintendent?”

On top of that uncertainty, the district is projecting a $563,508 budget deficit for next year. But the district is hoping for a one-time state funding increase of between $200,000 and $350,000, plus an additional $150,000 from the borough. 

“How am I supposed to plan as a superintendent? Because that’s a huge difference,” Garrett said. “One is, ‘Hey, we’ve got a three and a half year runway,’ or ‘We’ve got plenty, and now we can really do some things in this district.’ I don’t know any business that can run off of a $500,000 deficit year after year after year.” 

Garrett said the district is already stretched thin — staffed below minimum levels, with no room left to cut. The district cut a media literacy librarian position that they posted posted earlier this year. 

School district asks for maximum local contribution

The district is also absorbing a 2.5% increase in health insurance premiums, a 10% increase in property and liability insurance and an additional $10,000 for bussing costs the state will not cover. 

Garrett said, “We still need the state to figure out a long term solution for adequate, actually beyond adequate. How about excellent funding for schools in Alaska?” 

The minimum contribution the City and Borough of Wrangell is required to make is $956,810. The district is asking for the maximum: $1,905,988. They submitted that request May 1st, and the borough has until the end of the month to respond. 

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A house fire erupted near Wrangell Monday afternoon, approximately 8.2 miles south of town on Zimovia Highway.

Tuesday morning, one lane of the highway was intermittently open while fire crews put out hot spots and cleaned up the area.

Fire Chief Jordan Buness said U.S. Forest Service personnel spotted the fire while driving by and alerted the two downstairs tenants. They escaped with their dogs.

Resident stranded on second story deck

He said when the upstairs resident, Bruce Levine, returned home the fire was already underway.

“When he pulled up to the house… he tried to go up onto his second story porch to try to locate his dogs,” Buness said. “When he opened the door, the fire rolled out of the door and blocked his escape path downstairs.”

Buness said Levine was stranded on the second story deck due to a blocked stairwell. Fire crews deployed two ladders for rescue with the help of the local Forest Service law enforcement officer and a couple bystanders.

He said, “There was two dogs that were confirmed to still be upstairs… and two cats downstairs that did not appear to make it out of the fire.”

Buness said the department had 23 personnel on scene, with three engines, two ambulances, a rescue rig, tanker and squad van. They were dispatched at 3:37 p.m. and the first fire engine arrived on scene 12 minutes later with five crew members.

“Off the hydrant system, you start having to…shuttle water.”

He said the cause of the fire is unknown and still under investigation.

He said the fire department preemptively contacted Public Works for additional support with the Public Works water tanker.

“When you get off of the hydrant system, you start having to do what we call shuttle water,” Buness said.

The state Department of Transportation Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting truck also came out and assisted with extra water capacity.

Interconnected smoke detectors useful for multi-family housing

He said the crews were able to disconnect a household-sized propane tank and move it away from the fire.

He said the house was approximately 2,000 square feet and had an elevated bedroom, making it effectively three stories.

“All of the first floor and third floor were involved when we arrived,” Buness said.

Other damage includes a compromised main floor and a collapsed roof, making it uninhabitable. The apartment downstairs received water damage with some fire involvement in the master bedroom.

He said having interconnected smoke detectors is important to alert all occupants in the building. It could provide people with enough time to self-rescue.

Bruce Levine shared on his Facebook page that he suffered burns on 10% of his face and hands while attempting to save his dogs. KSTK reached out to Levine but has not heard back.

A GoFundMe is set up for him. Another GoFundMe is set up for the downstairs neighbors. Their cats did not make it out of the fire.

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U.S. Forest Service personnel have been visiting Southeast Alaska communities to understand how residents want the Tongass National Forest used. The federal agency is doing a comprehensive revision of the Tongass National Forest plan, which will guide long-term management. They’re focusing on tribal, subsistence, recreation, tourism and timber aspects.

Tongass National Forest Deputy Supervisor Barb Miranda visited Wrangell April 21 and gave a brief presentation to community members.

“Down in the Lower 48, the towns and wild places are surrounded by civilization,” she said. “Here it’s the opposite — we have our communities surrounded by this wild place that provides so much for our food, for our subsistence and for our economies.”

Miranda said the plan aims to balance ecological preservation and community needs. Towards the back of the room were activities where people could write down their thoughts and take a survey.

Community members highlighted the importance of balancing commercial activities like logging and recreation with subsistence needs.

Albert Rinehart, tribal administrator for the Wrangell Cooperative Association, just finished an activity that had him identify the greatest subsistence harvest in a certain area of the Tongass.

“Subsistence is important to a lot of our smaller communities, rural communities,” he said. “If we’re gonna be doing any planning, it should be to help those habitats prosper and have our subsistence game be available.”

The current comprehensive plan for the Tongass was revised in 1997 and was last amended in 2016. The deadline for Southeast communities to comment is May 6.

The U.S. Forest Service plans to release a draft of the environmental impact statement in November with a 90-day comment period following.

Additionally, they plan to release the final draft of the statement in the summer of 2027 with a 60-day objection period. They aim to have the final plan in January of 2028.

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Wrangell’s electricity runs on hydropower, but a decades-old cost savings incentive program is still in place. The borough created the electric heat rate program in 2002 to encourage customers to transition their homes from diesel to electric heat to save money on their bills. Many residents made the switch, thinking they would stay on it for the long haul.

But the Borough now wants to terminate the program July 1, 2027. This means no new customers will be able to sign up for the program, and those already on it would lose the benefit next summer. 

Customers on the program got a separate meter just for electric heat and hot water that locks in the lowest possible rate from the start instead of working down through the tiered system to get there. Those on the program pay $0.1075/kWh.

Additionally, the Borough also wants to move all residential electric customers to a flat rate, alongside its proposal to end the program. Both proposals went before the local Borough Assembly in the form of a one-time resolution to consider at a mid-April meeting.

Borough Manager Mason Villarma said most customers would save $10.65 a month or $127 each year with the flat rate, which slightly bumps up the cost for people on the electric heat rate program. The flat rate will charge customers $0.1265/kWh.

Initially the Borough would lose revenue from flat rate

He said the Borough would lose revenue from implementing the flat rate based on current consumption rate, but he’s hopeful that will change based on future industry.

“I think that a lot of these economic development measures that we’re bringing on – Alder Top lots we just sold, some new housing is going to be built – that we’re going to be able to cover the margin later on, just through organic growth,” Villarma said.

The Borough’s proposal said after five years, the electric heat rate incentive program would fade out for individual customers, and only extended it for the past two decades because the Borough did not consistently enforce it.

“The heat rate was not something that was to be phased out”

And Villarma said the incentive is less necessary for residents now since electric heat is cheaper than diesel.

But not all Wrangellites are happy with the change. Terri Henson remembers things a little bit differently when the Borough formed the program, saying the Borough mixed up two different incentives — the heat rate incentive, and the business incentive rate for new and expanding businesses. She said the Borough’s plan would phase out the business incentive rate in five years, not the heat rate program. 

Henson told the Wrangell Borough Assembly at an April 14 meeting that she worked for the Borough’s electrical department when the heat rate incentive was developed. 

She said, “The heat rate was not something that was to be phased out in the future, or at any point.” 

Henson said the program was supposed to encourage people to stop using fossil fuels. In order to do that, people had to buy and install separate components for their heating systems, like meters and wiring. 

She said, “It’s expensive to set up for that kind of stuff, and so to do away with that was not the intention.”

Henson said she took advantage of the incentive program and it’s a difference of about $100 a month.

“I want you guys to realize it’s not just $20 that you’re looking at,” she said. “Increasingly, you’re looking at a substantial amount over the year.”

The assembly decided to continue considering the proposed termination in May. 

But the assembly passed the flat rate resolution. For most residents, that means a lower electricity bill. But heavy users consuming over 2,000 kWh/month could see their monthly bill go up. The flat rate change takes effect July 1.

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The commercial chum salmon troll fishery at Burnett Inlet 25 miles near Wrangell will open earlier than usual this year.  It’s opening on June 27 – usually the fishery starts in early July.

Grant Hagerman is the Region I commercial troll management biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. 

He said the fishery is opening up early for trollers to give them more opportunities. That’s as long as there’s no conflict between the trollers and fishermen who are doing the cost recovery brood stock operations at Burnett. That’s where designated fishermen generate revenue for the nonprofit that runs the hatchery the Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association. 

“I’m pretty sure this is the first time that they’ve said, ‘We’re gonna let trollers in there to start the season,'” Hagerman said. “I know they’ve not been in there fishing in June before, so even just a couple days in June is earlier than they’ve been in there before.”

Harvest waters are north of 56°04.65′ N latitude. Fish tickets should have “statistical area 106-25” recorded on them for harvesting.

The fishery will close by emergency order. 

SSRAA forecasts roughly 426,000 hatchery-produced summer chum this year and 11,600 fall chum salmon.

Summer chum roughly doubled from 2021 with 246,779, but fall chum decreased by half at 20,403 in that same time period. 

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Fred Angerman Jr. of Wrangell led the Wrangell Wolves boys basketball team to a Southeast championship title in 1975.

“My dad was a much better person than he was a basketball player,” Cody Angerman said of his father, who unexpectedly passed away last year.

The Alaska School Activities Association will induct Angerman Jr. into the state’s 2026 High School Hall of Fame for his lifetime achievement in basketball and the Southeast community.

“The whole induction thing is kind of like a side quest,” Cody said. “He would find it, I think, a little bit foolish, in a way, that this is even happening.”

Cody said his father was humble and never talked about his accolades from his basketball days in high school. But Angerman served as an official for three decades for Region V basketball. Additionally, he coached youth basketball and devoted more than 40 years to the Elks Hoop Shoot – a free throw shooting competition for kids.

“My dad’s way of being with all that is like if you’re great at something, people are just going to talk about it,” he said. “You don’t need to talk about it yourself.”

And Angerman’s modesty is likely one reason he wasn’t inducted into the Hall of Fame sooner. 

The nomination process

It wasn’t until the family’s friend, Jason Clark, heard a story about someone he knew who was inducted. That got him thinking more about Angerman and the impact he had on his life, so Clark nominated him. 

“I was just a messenger,” he said. “He’s the one that put in the body of work.”

One thing Clark did was ask people who knew Angerman to submit letters of recognition supporting his induction. Some of these people were ex coaches, ex referees, ex players and coaches from other communities. He only needed about 10, but at least 30 people were more than willing to write one – letters Clark said he never even read himself.  

“That was for the Angermans,” he said. “That was for Cody, Brad, Aaron and Sumi to read.”

Angerman’s youngest son, Brad, who lives in Las Vegas, says it was humbling to read the letters.

“These guys who I looked up to, talking about my dad as their hero,” he said. “It was emotional, and I think it was also just heartwarming.”

He said his father’s friends were the ones who talked Angerman up about how great of a player he was while Angerman just sat there, with a smirk on his face.

“It wasn’t just about what he did, it was how he did it,” Brad said. “The way he played basketball was simply for the love of the sport, he treated his teammates, his coaches, even his opponents, with respect.”

That spirit carried into everyday life too. 

Angerman left a big basketball-shaped hole in Wrangell

Angerman’s oldest son, Aaron, said his father also played a significant role working his way up as the director of the high school facilities for 32 years. 

He said, “He was the guy that kept the gym open and made sure that he’d be out(side) in between games with his reffing shirt on and snow boots, shoveling snow so that people can come to the game and not slip and fall.” 

He said his father left a big basketball-shaped hole in all of their lives and Wrangell is a better place because he was in it.

Angerman’s impact was about connection and care for the community

Angerman’s family said the induction has brought them closer together amid their grief. 

His wife, Sumi Angerman, said in a text message, “For me, this recognition of Fred being inducted is both an honor and a reminder of who he was.”

And she’s grateful for Jason Clark submitting Angerman’s nomination. She said it shows that his impact on his community was more than basketball — it was about connection and care that will not be forgotten.

The Alaska High School Hall of Fame induction will be held at the Special Olympics Alaska building in Anchorage on April 26 at 2 p.m.

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Wrangell’s City and Borough assembly expects to approve the transfer of 9.12-acres to Tideline Construction, LLC. on Tuesday night. 

The parcel is on public lands and tidelands at the deep water port site six miles out of town at the Old Mill property. Tideline Construction plans to expand its fabrication and recycling operations already on the site, where they will continue processing scrap metal.

The property is adjacent to other projects in the area that will include a shipyard and the location of the new freight barge ramp. 

Wrangell administration says in a summary statement that this project builds on facilitating industrial development and economic growth on the property.

Fee and rates change

Additionally, at Tuesday night’s meeting, a public hearing will take place regarding the borough-wide fee and rates schedule in the Wrangell Municipal Code. Changes in rates are for electricity, Ports and Harbors, sanitation and the Nolan Center. In terms of residential electric rates, they would transition from a declining block structure to a flat rate. 

The agenda states that the majority of residents would experience a decrease in rates. Those who consume the average amount of residential power – 900 kilowatt hours per month – could save approximately $10 monthly. Administration says if the assembly approves this, Wrangell would have the lowest residential electric rates in Southeast Alaska.

Additionally, the assembly will vote on implementing a 2.5% inflationary adjustment to moorage and port rates. This would include potable water service provided to cruise ships, outside dockage and port development fees. 

The assembly will also vote on increasing lightering fees of cruise ships from $5 to $7 and passenger wharfage rates from $7 to $9 in the 2027-28 season.

The Wrangell Borough Assembly will hold its regular meeting on April 14 at 7 p.m. in the Borough Assembly Chambers at Wrangell City Hall. 

There will be a presentation beforehand at 5:30 pm from an Alaska-based business called Structure. They’re working with the borough to advance and modernize Wrangell’s utility systems, like the power infrastructure, water and wastewater.

You can listen to the live broadcast of the Wrangell Borough Assembly meeting on KSTK-FM 101.7, or stream online at KSTK.org or on the city’s website.

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Kim Szczatko woke up in the middle of the night and rushed to her gift shop, Cooper’s Corner, in downtown Wrangell Wednesday night. About an inch of water and mud had flooded the space from back to front.

“It came from the utility room in the bathroom, because the water was coming up and rushing over the top,” she said. “So it came from there, flooded the entire storeroom area, and then came out into the storefront and then out the front door.”

A water main in Cow Alley — right behind her shop on Front Street — had broken around midnight. Public Works Director Tom Wetor said it’s one of the deteriorating asbestos water mains that make up 9% of the borough’s water system.

“It was a three to four foot section that had blown out of it,” he said. “That’s why things were flowing the way that they were there.”

Wetor said his team shut off the water immediately after being notified and returned at daylight to make repairs. By afternoon, the crew had replaced the broken asbestos section with ductile iron pipe.

Not one, not two, but three water issues

But the water main wasn’t the only issue Public Works faced that day. 

A service connection also broke just south of the Public Safety Building on Zimovia Highway. Additionally, a resident reported what appeared to be a third incident — a settled storm drain in a downtown parking lot near City Hall. Public Works dug it up and fixed it the following day.

“When it rains, it pours, to have three reports of a water main break or something like that, basically all on the same day,” Wetor said. “We were running around yesterday, just doing our best to keep up.”

Back at Cooper’s Corner, Szczatko was still assessing the damage. She’s waiting to see whether the water and mud harmed any of her wooden furniture before deciding whether to file an insurance claim.

“If you claim the insurance, then your insurance goes up,” she said. “So if it’s not a significant number, you don’t want to do that.”

She said incidents like this come with the territory of old infrastructure, but puts it in perspective compared to natural disasters, like hurricanes.

“I’m optimistic and resilient,” Szczatko said.

Public Works Director Tom Wetor said some residents have reported brown water coming from their taps. He advises running the water until it clears, and contacting Public Works if the problem persists.

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