In addition to residents, their visiting families and friends filling the town for the Fourth of July celebration, more than 4,000 cruise ship and tour boat passengers could be in Wrangell, spread over four days July 2-5.

Borough officials are working to get the town ready.

Plans include keeping cruise ships away from the City Dock on July 3-4, directing them to anchor up and lighter their passengers to shore at Heritage Harbor; directing tour operators to pick up and drop off their customers at the ferry terminal parking lot rather than downtown to help ease pedestrian and vehicle congestion along Front Street; and setting up additional public restrooms.

Multiple borough and community officials have met to coordinate plans for the Fourth, “focused on logistics, cruise ship coordination, public safety, sanitation and event support to ensure a successful and enjoyable holiday for all,” Economic Development Director Kate Thomas reported to the Wrangell Convention and Visitor Bureau board meeting on June 17.

The coordination session included representatives from the economic development, public works, police, fire, port and harbors, and parks and recreation departments, along with the Nolan Center and the chamber of commerce.

In addition to the existing public restrooms at the Nolan Center, behind the Elks Lodge and on Front Street near the freight staging area, the borough plans to install temporary porta-potties (two) at the cul-de-sac in front of the City Dock and one along Outer Drive, Thomas said.

“Restrooms will be restocked and cleaned multiple times daily,” according to her report. “The Nolan Center will provide additional public restroom access and will be staffed for visitor services during posted hours.”

And to handle all the trash, “10 additional dumpsters will be deployed downtown, with three scheduled pickups spanning July 3–5.”

In addition, “fire and EMS teams are preparing for higher-than-average call volumes and will be positioned for fast response.”

Peak cruise ship days will be July 3 and 4, when the 1,848-berth Westerdam is scheduled to call on Wrangell on July 3, followed by the 1,250-berth Riviera on July 4.

“All ships on July 3 and 4 will anchor offshore and lighter passengers into Heritage Harbor,” Thomas reported to the visitor board. “Passengers will disembark via the north ramp, with dock security and visitor maps in place.”

Borough staff will be stationed at the top of the dock to provide visitor information and assist with logistics.

Several smaller ships also are on the schedule: the 40-berth Alaskan Dream on July 3; 170-berth American Constellation for an overnight stay July 3-4; 170-berth American Constitution, also for an overnight stay, July 4-5; 49-berth Baranof Dream on July 5; 60-berth National Geographic Sea Bird on July 5; and 650-berth Villa Vie Odyssey on July 5.

A fireworks safety buffer will be established to prohibit vessels from anchoring within 500 feet of City Dock on the evening of July 3.

Setup for the July 3 fireworks show will begin at 11:30 a.m. that day, at which time the City Dock will be closed to the public until the show is over that evening.

“Public Works will clear the dock of debris immediately following the event to ensure readiness for July 4 activities and July 5 cruise operations,” Thomas reported.

There will be one more cruise ship in port on July 6 — the 450-berth Seabourn Quest — before the community gets a break of several days.