The Wrangell Borough Assembly will take up a plethora of agenda items at its meeting Tuesday night, including funds for port and harbor repairs and rezoning a parcel on Wrangell Island.
The Borough will accept a $22,500 grant from the Clean Vessel Act Grant. This will help install and maintain a pumpout station at Shoemaker Harbor. It will ensure convenient waste disposal and reinforce environmental preservation in the area.
Additionally, it will support a federal grant application outlining comprehensive data collection since the recent landslides occurred. The program will help ensure public safety at landslide-prone areas within the Borough.
Public comment on rezoning
Assembly members will hear public comment in regards to rezoning a parcel at Wrangell Island West subdivision. The request is to rezone from Rural Residential to Rural Remote Unit, which would prevent development on that parcel. The Planning and Zoning Commission denied the petition at their December meeting.
Because this is the only property that proposed the rezoning in the area, the Commission is concerned about spot zoning.
Spot zoning has a history of controversy. It often times raises community concerns in regards to an area’s plans and consistency with a certain region.
The commission found that the rezoning request does not benefit the community, only the property owner.
Harbor rates, funds and dumpster offenses
The Assembly will also take up dumpster use at Wrangell’s ports and harbors, and discuss a proposed marine vessel insurance and moorage surcharge ordinance that the Port Commission presented last month.
In the past, the city has pulled out household trash, including bulky items like refrigerators and a disassembled into pieces Volkswagen bug. In response to violating the ordinance, the Assembly will talk about approving a $150 fine for each offense.
Another harbor issue the Assembly will discuss is the proposed marine vessel insurance and moorage surcharge ordinance that the Port Commission presented in January.
The Commission wants to add a new subsection to require marine vessel insurance or boaters would have to pay a moorage surcharge.
The non-refundable surcharge would start at $5 per vessel foot per month.
These funds will be used for the unrecoverable costs linked to vessel salvage and disposal in the Borough harbor facilities.
Questions that the Assembly will address will include the insurance coverage limit and if there should be a minimum vessel size for the ordinance to take effect. If they disagree on the insurance proposal, the Assembly will proceed by discussing increased rates.
Equally important, the big agenda item on the list is approval of federal funding for projects along Wrangell’s waterfront.
The Assembly is set to move forward with the application process for the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant.
The federal funds would support the Wrangell Harbor Basin Revitalization & Transportation Resiliency Project. It will incorporate the reconstruction of three harbor facilities and provide transportation access. Markedly, money would also help improve safety at Inner Harbor, Reliance Harbor and Standard Oil Float facilities.
Given that the grant encompasses $25 million, the Borough must come up with an additional $5 million since the projects exceed the grant’s funding. It says it would pursue revenue bonds through the Alaska Municipal Bond Bank Authority. The Borough’s Port and Harbor fund will accommodate the debt.
The RAISE grant announcement will be announced in August 2024.
The Wrangell Borough Assembly will hold its regular meeting on Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. in the Borough Assembly Chambers at Wrangell City Hall.
You can listen to the live broadcast of the Wrangell Borough Assembly meeting on KSTK fm 101.7, or stream online at KSTK.org.
