The borough assembly has unanimously approved a $3.12 million dollar contract to rehab and repair the water-damaged Public Safety Building.

The contract was awarded to Juneau-based Dawson Construction. The work will cover structural repairs and an optional upgrade to replace all of the building’s sectional overhead doors.

The project focuses on correcting critical deficiencies in the 39-year-old, wood building’s exterior shell. Capital Projects Director Amber Al-Haddad said the project includes converting three tiers of flat roofs into a sloped metal roof system.

The contractor also will replace windows, doors and old siding with more durable metal materials.

“Because the exact extent of water intrusion remains unknown, we anticipate discovering rot within the exterior wall framing and sheathing,” she said.

The work is funded by a federal grant and a bond issue approved by voters in 2024.

Al-Haddad said the contractor plans to start with the siding work this summer, then continue through the winter months.

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Southeast would go a week without mainline ferry service at the end of November as the Alaska Marine Highway System transitions between ships for its winter schedule.

But seven days without the weekly northbound and southbound return voyage between Bellingham, Washington, and Southeast is painless when compared to much longer service gaps in Prince William Sound and Southwest Alaska under the draft fall and winter schedule.

Cordova and Valdez would be left without any ferry service October 1st through March 5th while the Aurora is in the shop for its annual winter maintenance and to replace rusted steel.

Kodiak, Homer and other towns on the Gulf of Alaska would go without service for almost four months — January 15th through May 1st — as the Tustumena heads into the shipyard for winter work.

The state ferry system has always used the winter months, when ridership is lower, to pull ships out of service for annual maintenance, but a lack of crew and fewer ships in operating condition have led to longer gaps in fall, winter and spring service.

The Marine Highway System released its draft fall and winter schedule for public comment last week. The schedule covers sailings from October 1st to April 30th.

Under the draft schedule, the Bellingham-to-Southeast run would stop in Wrangell northbound every Sunday, with a return southbound stop every Wednesday — that’s been the schedule for years.

There would be a week of no service when the Columbia heads to the shipyard at the end of November. It would take a week for the Kennicott to be staffed and readied to pick up the mainline route, according to a spokesman for the Marine Highway System.

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The borough is assuming all costs for a Freedom Rock memorial to honor veterans, relying on an 8-year-old community promotion fund to help cover much of the expense.

The assembly agreed to pull the remaining balance of $19,000 from the Marian Glenz Fund, which was established in 2018 after Glenz bequeathed $50,000 to the borough to promote Wrangell.

Glenz, who died in 2017, helped out at the museum and served for a decade on the town’s visitor bureau. The $50,000 was “to be used to promote Wrangell,” according to her will, as reported in the Sentinel in 2018.

Borough Manager Mason Villarma and assembly members agreed in budget deliberations last month that using the remaining money for the Freedom Rock memorial would be a good use of the funds.

Total expenses will exceed the $19,000 and will include commissioning the painting of the boulder, the artist’s travel, supplies, pouring concrete at City Park and building a protective structure over the rock.

A 6-foot-tall by 5-foot-wide boulder has been selected at the state rock pit by the airport.

The borough plans to host the artist from July 20 to Aug. 3 to paint the rock.

The idea to set up a Freedom Rock in Wrangell came from resident Jenn Miller-Yancey, who discovered the artwork while traveling by RV with her husband, Eric Yancey, in Iowa in 2025. 

The Freedom Rock tradition began in 1999 in Iowa, when artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II painted a large boulder as a thank-you message to veterans. He has since painted similar rock murals in 10 other states. 

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The borough expects to pay $110,000 this year in credit card fees when residential and commercial customers use their card to pay utility bills — and the assembly believes it’s time the borough stopped eating the cost.

The assembly has directed staff to come back with proposals for how the borough could tack on a fee for credit card payments or come up with another method to transfer the cost to bill payers.

An estimated 65% to 70% of utility customers pay their monthly bills by credit card, Finance Director Rob Marshall told the assembly at their meeting June 29.

The cost to the borough is unfair to the 30% who don’t pay by credit card, Mayor Patty Gilbert said at the meeting.

Assembly Member David Powell questioned why the borough should take a $110,000 hit to its budget.

“Will you note our concerns and bring back some solutions,” the mayor asked the borough manager and finance director.

Staff is working toward presenting a proposal at the assembly’s July 28 meeting, Borough Manager Mason Villarma said last week.

The borough already charges a fee of 2.25% for payment by credit card on property tax, sales tax and transient tax on overnight accommodations. About one-quarter of those taxpayers use a credit card, Marshall said.

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After three recent fentanyl overdoses in Petersburg, Wrangell Police Chief Gene Meek is warning residents about the lethal drug’s arrival in the region and urging vigilance in identifying suspicious substances.

He declined to comment on the specific nature of the Petersburg cases but said the fentanyl was laced into other narcotics. Because of this, he said, it is highly likely the victims had no idea they were consuming the deadly synthetic opioid.

Fentanyl is a manufactured drug normally used to treat severe pain. According to information provided by the chief, it is roughly 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.

“Everyone should be wary of unusual substances either in powder or pill form,” Meek said. “In many locations in the Lower 48, fentanyl has been appearing as unusually colored or unusually shaped pills.”

He said the threat is no longer confined to traditional opioids. Fentanyl is increasingly mixed into a wide variety of illicit drugs, including cocaine and methamphetamine.

Recognizing a fentanyl overdose quickly can mean the difference between life and death, he said. In response to the threat, first responders are equipping themselves with emergency treatments, and looking for ways to expand access across the community.

“All emergency personnel are aware of the effects of fentanyl,” Meek said. 

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Jack Carney pleaded guilty on July 2 to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct – challenge to fight.

The 40-year-old long-time teacher and high school wrestling coach was set to go to trial next week for the misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree assault, but changed his plea to guilty of the lesser charge. The case is now closed.

At his change of plea hearing, Superior Court Judge Amanda Browning sentenced Carney to three days in jail, which were suspended, and 12 months of probation. Plus, a $100 jail surcharge, which was suspended, and a $100 police training surcharge.

He’ll pay restitution. The state has 90 days to file the amount with the court.

The sentencing follows an incident at Raymie’s bar on March 15. Police say Carney approached the victim, who was talking with Carney’s wife, and pushed him, causing him to hit the wall and fall to the floor. The victim later received medical care for a sprained wrist.

Carney completed an anger management course at the end of May. He is prohibited from contacting the victim during his probation.

Carney has been teaching in Wrangell for 14 years. He’s been with Wrangell’s wrestling program for over a decade, becoming head coach four years ago. He was named Alaska Assistant Coach of the Year in 2020, an award given by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

The school district did not return a request for comment on Monday.

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Boomchain Loucks has been named as the 2025-2026 Gatorade Alaska Boys Track and Field Player of the Year, becoming the first athlete from Wrangell to capture the honor.

The national program recognizes high school athletes in 12 sports across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Established in 1985, the award is based on athletic achievement, academic performance and character demonstrated through community service and leadership.

Wrangell cross-country assistant coach Laura Davies led the extensive nomination process for Boomchain. The achievement is more noteworthy because Wrangell does not have a school-funded track and field program, requiring Loucks to rely heavily on self-discipline and seasonal cross-country training.

“I think the cool thing is that it speaks to Boomchain’s drive when it’s a sport that requires you to show up and push yourself every single day and put in all that work,” Davies said.

Loucks’ historic high school career culminated during the final weekend of May at the state track and field championships in Anchorage. He swept three distance events: The 3,200-meter, 1,600-meter  and 800-meter.

“My freshman year I made goals in health class to be a state champ and get Gatorade cross-country athlete of the year,” Loucks said. “Unfortunately, I did not receive it for cross country in any of those four years. So, to get it for track means so much because it was my last chance to receive those honors.”

“Being from such a small school and beating all the big schools was pretty nice,” he said. “Wrangell’s had some very great athletes throughout the years, so to be the first one to get this means a lot.”

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Leilani Combs will move next month from Ballard, Washington, to Wrangell to start work as a reporter. The Sentinel and KSTK have agreed to share the news reports — and the costs — of the new position on the Sentinel staff.

Combs will report on the community, with her work appearing in the Sentinel and on the air at the radio station.

She worked last year as a reporter for the Honolulu Civil Beat in Hawaii, after graduating with a master’s degree in 2025 from Columbia Journalism School in New York City.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in marine biology at the University of Washington in 2023.

“As both the Sentinel and KSTK are struggling financially, it just makes sense to share a reporter to better serve the community,” said Larry Persily, who has owned the newspaper since January 2021.

“Bringing on Combs to the Sentinel staff in this shared role will improve what both news operations can provide for Wrangell readers and listeners and online viewers.”

KSTK General Manager Cindy Sweat said she is pleased to join in a news partnership with the Sentinel. The collaboration will help ease the financial challenges both organizations have been facing, “while ensuring that Wrangell residents continue to receive quality local reporting and community information.”

The radio has been without a reporter since Colette Czarnecki left in May.

Combs expects to arrive in Wrangell in early August with her dog, her bike and an eagerness for the outdoors.

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The borough’s Permanent Fund savings account earned about $3 million on its investments over the past 12 months, growing from $11.5 million a year ago to an estimated fiscal-year close of more than $14.5 million on July 1.

That’s on top of the $2 million the account earned over the two previous years.

“The last three or four years have been really, really good,” Borough Manager Mason Villarma told the assembly at a budget workshop.

Wrangell residents voted in 1997 to create the savings account, setting aside a portion of one-time money the community received from Congress, designated to help Southeast Alaska communities recover and rebuild after the loss of the timber industry.

The savings account started with $5 million, which has been invested in stocks and bonds over the past 30 years.

During the 2010s, the assembly withdrew $250,000 a year from the fund’s earnings to help with the budget for public services. But there were no withdrawals between fiscal years 2021 and 2026, allowing the fund to grow even larger.

The assembly agreed with the manager’s recommendation to withdraw $425,000 from earnings this year to help cover debt payments on the new water treatment plant that went into service in 2025 and to replace some of the borough’s oldest vehicles in its maintenance and capital projects fleets.

Municipal code allows the assembly to withdraw each year up to a “maximum sustainable distribution rate,” calculated as the long term expected return of the fund less inflation and expenses. That’s $425,000 for this year.

Anything more than the sustainable draw would require a vote of the public.

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The Wrangell school district has applied for a major state grant that would pay for the headsets and software for a new virtual learning program to help students train for healthcare careers. 

The district is in the running for a Rural Health Transformation Program grant at $600,000.

The initiative is titled “Grow Our Own: VR-Enabled K-12 Healthcare Certification Pipeline for Rural Alaska.”

Schools Superintendent Joshua Garrett, who submitted the grant proposal with school board approval, said the technology would give students a new opportunity.

The Alaska Department of Health last month selected health clinics, hospitals, tribes, local governments, school districts and other entities to apply for a share of the $272 million in federal funding Alaska received this year through the Rural Health Transformation Program.

Congress created the nationwide $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program last year.

After sifting through nearly 1,800 proposals, Alaska state officials narrowed down the potential projects to a list of just over 400 that will undergo further consideration this month. Wrangell made that first cut.

The Wrangell proposal program is primarily designed to assist students who want to become certified nursing assistants or pursue other high-demand healthcare careers.

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