Daily Sitka Sentinel

Filter Plant Decision On Assembly Agenda

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Assembly at tonight’s regular meeting will discuss the hospital merger; committing up to $18 million for a water filtration plant; and a contract with the union representing local firefighters.
    The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at Harrigan Centennial Hall and is open to the public.
    Also up for discussion are the approval of liquor license renewals for both Salty Sal’s at 321B Lincoln Street and Cascade Convenience Center; a license to manufacture marijuana concentrate for AKO Farms at 1210 Beardslee Way; improvements to the customer service counter at City Hall; a new commercial marine trade permit; and a request for $8,000 in matching funds for the Senior Center van.
    In addition to the special report on the hospital merger, an executive session on that issue will be held at the end of the meeting.
    The Assembly also will decide on a list of backups for when Administrator Keith Brady is out of town, and discuss whether to send a representative to the Seatrade Cruise Global event in Miami Beach, Florida.
    Assembly member Kevin Mosher said he has his eye on a few items in particular, including the water filtration plant and the firefighters contract.
    “The biggest thing is the secondary water supply,” Mosher said. “I’m still not 100 percent sure (how I’ll vote).”
    The Assembly had a work session last week to go over the secondary water supply with the city public works department. The plant would be funded by revenue from existing water rates and a low interest loan from the state. The project was included in the 2019 city budget.
    “It’s a big deal,” said Mosher. “I’ve done a lot of research. I feel people voted me in to learn everything I can so I can make an educated decision on some of these things. I’ll be voting based on the work I’ve done.”
    The city has a waiver from filtering its water supply from Blue Lake, but filtering will be required if the city uses a proposed secondary source, Sawmill Creek below the Blue Lake dam, in the event the Blue Lake penstock is shut down. The new filter plant would also be available for all of the city’s drinking water in the event the city loses its “filtration avoidance waiver,” which could happen if water from Blue Lake ever exceeds the number of turbidity events allowed.
    Without the filtration plant and the backup water supply, the city would have to issue a boil water notice when the Blue Lake penstock is shut down for required inspection or maintenance.
    Richard Wein said he’s concerned about the $18 million cost and the debt the city would be taking on with the project.
     “I just feel it is ill-conceived and ill-presented,” he said. “I’m still of that mindset, and they haven’t convinced me otherwise,” he said.
    Mosher said he’s also interested in a good discussion on the union contract for the employees at the fire hall, including the 2 percent annual raises built into the contract. The collective bargaining agreement covers eight employees at the fire hall.
    “I don’t like that there’s a 2 percent guaranteed wage increase every year,” he said. “I’m looking at the statistics – city employees are great people and they work really hard – but when you look at the Department of Labor statistics, civilian employees make less than government employees. It’s hard to justify a guaranteed 2 percent increase when I know many people in town do not get that.”
    Wein said he’s generally in favor of the contract, with the exception of one of the sections that indemnifies employees for alleged misconduct. He said another section is needed, that the city should seek reimbursement from the employee if he or she is found to be at fault.
    Wein said another item he’s interested in for tonight’s meeting is the discussion on the hospital.
    “I’m disappointed these negotiations with SEARHC are not held in public because there is no big strategy in the negotiations that the people of Sitka cannot hear,” he said.
    Wein said he will vote against going into executive session.