Sorted by date Results 651 - 675 of 1325
The Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau met last Tuesday afternoon, June 9, to workshop various marketing plans. The CVB was looking to put together a list of various ways they could promote Wrangell and its local businesses, to draw in tourists to present to the borough assembly in the near future. Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore said that, as many communities were struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they could potentially use CARES Act funding to cover the costs of som...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly began several days of budget workshops last Monday, June 1. The meeting opened with an overview of the borough's general fund for FY 2021, and then went into specific department budgets. Points of interest in the meeting included the budgets for the fire department, police department, and the public safety building. The general fund is facing a deficit this upcoming year. Total revenues and transfers for the general fund for FY 2021 are estimated at about $5.32 mill...
In a special meeting last Thursday evening, May 28, the borough assembly approved the purchase of a new ambulance. This purchase, according to Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen, is to strengthen a potential weak spot in the city's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "It became glaringly apparent, recently, that a huge gap in our local medical capacity is an ambulance," she said. "You heard Captain Sprehe speak tonight, now that we have to consider every individual a screen positive because so many...
Prior to their budget workshop on Tuesday evening the Wrangell Borough Assembly held an emergency meeting to pass an ordinance establishing quarantine requirements for out of state travelers. Emergency Ordinance No. 978, according to the agenda packet for the meeting, requires that travelers from outside of Alaska, or outside of the United States, quarantine for two weeks when they come to Wrangell. However, this quarantine can be bypassed if the traveler in question has proof of a negative...
On Wednesday, May 27, members of the Wrangell Unified Command met via videoconference to consolidate pandemic information and response from respective local organizations. Wrangell Medical Center (WMC) leadership commented on expansion of testing for select community organizations, while the City and Borough of Wrangell (CBW) Manager announced new cleaning supply stock and the potential purchase of an ambulance with CARES Act funding. Representatives from Emergency Medical Services (EMS),...
The Wrangell Borough assembly metTuesday evening, May 26, to host a workshop on the drawing-near Fourth of July. This was an initial discussion to talk about how Wrangell's famous Independence Day celebration might look this year, with the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing. "This is obviously a fairly important topic to Wrangell, our community is known for our fantastic Fourth of July, we all look forward to it every year," Mayor Steve Prysunka said. Prysunka and Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly, between their weekly COVID-19 update and a budget workshop last Thursday, met to discuss the possibility of small cruise ships visiting town this summer. Cruise season has been a topic of some concern amongst the community. Many ships have delayed or cancelled their planned stops in Wrangell in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A smaller cruise season means fewer tourists and will have a negative impact on Wrangell's economy. On the other hand, there are concerns...
As the COVID-19 pandemic has gone on, people have turned to technology to help stay in touch from a safe distance. The schools have been hosting lessons online, the borough assembly has been meeting via Zoom, and this coming Saturday the public is invited to see the winners of the virtual "Wrangell's Got Talent" show. The talent show has been put together by Wrangell's parks and recreation department. Lucy Robinson, with the department, said it was an idea they had to stay engaged with the...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met this week to begin their workshopping of Wrangell's budget for FY 2021. This first round of workshops looked at various city departments that are funded through the Enterprise Funds which includes the harbor, light and power, sanitation, wastewater, and water departments. There were two workshops over the past week, on May 19 and May 21. According to the meeting's agenda packet for May 19, there were several things for the assembly to keep in mind when looking...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met Tuesday evening, May 26, for their regularly scheduled meeting. In the meeting, the assembly accepted the resignation of one of their members, Drew Larrabee. Larrabee turned in his resignation at the meeting, effective at the end of the evening, and will leave open an unexpired term on the borough assembly that lasts until this October. In his letter, he wrote that he regrets leaving his position in the middle of the budget season. However, he and his family...
The Reopen Wrangell Task Force hosted a roundtable discussion for local businesses last Friday afternoon, May 15, in regards to state mandates and how businesses will need to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meeting, members of the task force gave brief presentations on state health mandates and safety mitigation plans. "I've been working with the local Emergency Operations Center for the last couple of months," said Jamie Roberts. "One of the duties I've been tasked with is staying...
The Wrangell Economic Development Committee met Tuesday afternoon, May 19, to workshop several financial assistance ideas they will be bringing before the borough assembly in the near future. With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, and the city expecting to receive money via the CARES Act to help with economic recovery, the committee has spent the past few meetings workshopping ways to assist people and businesses around the community. The committee had an extensive list of categories of financial a...
Wrangell's Unified Command participated in their weekly conference call on Wednesday, May 6, to provide organizational updates on COVID-19 developments and changes in respective protocols. The City and Borough of Wrangell (CBW) mayor and manager were joined by Wrangell Medical Center (WMC) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) leadership, as well as Tribal and Public Health representatives, to discuss Borough Assembly allocations, testing initiatives, and available community resources. Borough...
Wrangell's Economic Development Committee met last Wednesday, May 6, to hold a brainstorming session on how to best meet the needs of the community through the COVID-19 pandemic. There are several groups trying to help the community and share information, Economic Development Director Carol Rushmore said, such as the Convention and Visitor Bureau, the Reopen Wrangell Task Force, and the Emergency Operations Command. In Rushmore's mind, she said, the biggest problem facing Wrangell is the lack...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met Tuesday evening, May 12, to adopt some amendments to the FY 2020 budget. The city recently received both its Secure Rural Schools funding, as well as a grant for COVID-19 mitigation efforts. The SRS money came in on April 28, according to the meeting's agenda packet, in the amount of $883,646.51. The SRS is a federal program that assists municipalities that have federal lands that cannot be taxed, allowing them to recoup some of the funding that is "lost" by hav...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly held a special meeting Monday evening, May 4, to discuss three agenda items related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Mike Dunleavy and the Department of Health and Social Services recently announced four metrics by which they would determine if restrictions need to be eased or rolled back, to protect public health. According to the meeting's agenda packet, the four metrics are: Epidemiology, tracking disease trends and forecasts; Testing, tracking overall...
Last week's borough assembly meeting, on April 28, only had a few items on the agenda. The majority of the meeting was spent receiving comments on the COVID-19 situation from the public and some assembly members. Joan Sargent, of Island of Faith Lutheran Church, led the invocation for the meeting. Afterwards, she also shared her comments on the pandemic and the community's response to it. She wanted to share with the public that the Irene Ingle Public Library, which has been serving as a hub to...
PETERSBURG – Southeast Alaska Power Agency is still in the process of trying to replace a damaged submarine cable that provides Petersburg with power, as complications increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bob Lynn, chairman of the SEAPA board, told the Petersburg Borough Assembly at their meeting on Monday that there are concerns over whether the project can be completed this year. The damaged cable is one of four submarine cables that connects the terminals between Woronofski and Vank islands...
With Health Mandate 16, part of Governor Mike Dunleavy's plan to reopen Alaska's economy safely during the COVID-19 pandemic, communities across the state are considering what the near future may look like. Revenues have fallen for the city and businesses have had to get creative to stay open. While there is optimism to be found amongst some business owners, uncertainties loom for the economy in general. Alan Cummings, of All In Charters and Grand View B&B, said that they are looking at a rough...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly held a special meeting Thursday, April 16, to consider their local contribution to the Wrangell School District's budget. According to the meeting's agenda packet, the city can provide the district anywhere between $583,830 and about $1.6 million. The district's current budget for FY 2021, which was adopted on March 19, has revenues set at about $5.68 million and expenditures at about $6.08 million. The school district was requesting the same contribution as the...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met remotely last Tuesday, April 14, to hold one of their regularly scheduled meetings. It was a light agenda, as far as items requiring an assembly vote, but there was much discussion. After opening the meeting, the assembly heard from two Wrangell residents who wanted to see the local economy start to reopen. Wrangell residents Dale Parkinson and Mike Lockabey both thanked the city staff and the wider public for doing their parts to keep the community safe during...
On Wednesday, April 15, representatives from the City and Borough of Wrangell (CBW), Wrangell Medical Center (WMC), the Alaska Division of Public Health, the Alaska Island Community Services (AICS) Clinic, and Wrangell's emergency operations center participated in their weekly teleconference to advance community planning for COVID-19 response. The teleconference was preceded by a Tuesday, April 14, COVID-19 report by WMC Medical Director Dr. Lynn Prysunka to the CBW Assembly as part of their...
Wow the folks are getting it done! I have been so impressed with the Coronavirus response here in Southern Southeast Alaska. At every level - from each individual to businesses to local governments - we have worked together diligently to flatten the curve, and it is working. I want to give a huge thank you first and foremost to our medical staff and essential services providers. You are keeping our world turning (even if it is turning a little slower these days). I can’t fully understand the sacrifices you have made for our communities, but I...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly convened electronically on last Monday, April 6, to consider a new emergency ordinance in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The final vote on Ordinance No. 977 was delayed, however, to let city officials gather further information. The proposed ordinance would have mandated a two-week self quarantine for any intrastate travelers coming to Wrangell, allowed for modified quarantine plans for critical workforce, and required that travel safety and modified qua...
The Wrangell Planning and Zoning Commission met remotely last Thursday evening, April 9, to give final plat approval of various land surveys for a proposed land swap between Alaska Mental Health and the Forest Service. Preliminary plats were approved back in 2018, according to the meeting's agenda packet. The land surveys, No. 2018-9, 10, and 11, were all approved by the commission. Survey 2018-10, however, was approved with some conditions. The City and Borough of Wrangell gets to record an...