Wrangell’s aging Public Safety Building is in line for additional repairs after Congress approved $2.43 million in an appropriations bill passed Nov. 12 and signed by the president.

The federal money will be added to $3 million approved by Wrangell voters last year to repair the worst of the rot-damaged wood building, particularly the roof and exterior siding.

The federal money was included in a rural development package. Borough Manager Mason Villarma said Wrangell has been pursuing the funding for several budget cycles and finally cleared a major hurdle with last week’s vote.

Villarma said Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Nick Begich submitted the borough’s request in Congress, which helped move it forward. He credited Murkowski in particular for consistently backing Wrangell’s infrastructure needs.

The 37-year-old Public Safety Building houses several key agencies under one roof, including the police and fire departments, jail, emergency dispatch and the Division of Motor Vehicles. The structure has long-needed significant rehabilitation from water damage and replacement of alarm and ventilation systems, he said.

“It’s really the hub for a lot of essential public services,” he said, noting that the federal money will allow the borough to tackle long-delayed work on the building.

The funding approval marks a big step in a larger effort that has been underway for several years.

In October of last year, Wrangell voters agreed by a roughly 3-to-1 margin to let the borough borrow $3 million to begin repairs on the 34,500-square-foot facility, which also includes state court offices and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Villarma said local officials always expected to combine that borrowed money with federal assistance.

Villarma said the $2.43 million allocation confirms that the strategy of pairing local and federal dollars is working and moves the community much closer to fully addressing the building’s needs. He said he anticipates much of the work being done at the building next summer.