FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]
By SHIRLEY SNEVE
Indian Country Today
A major renovation at an Alaska museum to attract tourist [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
A presentation about a jump in the number of inmate deaths in [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Tribal and environmental advocates calling for a crackdown o [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]
Big Rigs Sought
For April 13
The 3 to 5 Preschool’s spring fundraiser and Big Rig event is happening [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The city’s reassessment of taxable real estate, alo [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Sitka High’s Lady Wolves bounced back from an openi [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
Competing in the state 3A basketball tournament in Anc [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing in a competitive division City League volleyball game Monday evening [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
A bill that passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Gus Schumacher, the Anchorage Olympic cross-country skier, a [ ... ]
By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
Alaska’s rural schools are on track to access faster interne [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska, [ ... ]
Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]
Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m. [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The 2024 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery got under [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly will start the annual process of determi [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Competing in the 3A state championship title basketball game Saturday, the M [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Sitkans to City on Seaplane Base: ‘Hurry Up’
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
and GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writers
The city is on track for a new seaplane base by 2024, but potential users of the facility asked Wednesday that the city speed up the process.
“It needs to be done now,” said Kevin Mulligan, Baranof Island’s sole commercial seaplane pilot, at a stakeholder meeting for float plane pilots and owners.
Engineering and environmental planning consultants on the seaplane project held two meetings and an open house at Harrigan Centennial Hall to take comments from stakeholders and the public about possible environmental concerns and design features they wanted to see in the new facility.
But the general sentiment at both meetings was that it’s an urgent need right now. The city has targeted a tract of state-owned land on the north end of Japonski Island as the site for the new floatplane base.
Sitka has already lost aviation-based business to Juneau because of the inadequacy of Sitka’s 65-year-old seaplane float off Katlian Street, Chamber of Commerce director Rachel Roy said after the meeting.
Ken Nichols, an aviation engineer with DOWL, points to a map of a proposed Japonski Island seaplane dock during a meeting with stakeholders at Harrigan Centennial Hall Wednesday. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
“There’s a sense of urgency this is needed,” said Tom Middendorf, a senior aviation planner for DOWL, the consulting firm that has been hired by the city. “And sooner rather than later.”
“It’s become a disaster why Sitka doesn’t have this facility by now,” Mulligan told the consultants.
The city is currently in the planning and environmental assessment phase, and some who spoke at Wednesday’s meetings expressed frustration about the length of time the environmental stage will take.
Kelli Cropper, the city’s project manager on the new facility, said that before planning can begin, an environmental assessment is needed, since the National Environmental Protection Act requires projects using federal funding to be assessed for environmental impacts.
“We’re going to go as fast as we possibly can with the process that we have to go through, and the funding cycles with the FAA,” Cropper said. “We can’t do it without the FAA grants... Hopefully we’re done by the end of 2023, but that one’s tight.”
A commenter said that the process could be shortened if the city contributes financing or obtains grants in addition to the federal funding that the project depends on.
But obtaining more money would be difficult and unlikely, Cropper said.
Sitka municipal engineer Cliff Richter said, “We can’t do it without the federal funding, and because of that, it adds a lot of red tape.”
Commenting at the stakeholder meeting, Assembly member Richard Wein said, “It’s kind of a head scratch as to the environmental assessment, where we have seafood processors dumping mid-channel fish entrails.”
The city is hoping that the FAA will cover 93.75 percent of the $16 million project. The general plan calls for a 14-plane dock, with a drive-down ramp, access to fuel, and uplands amenities including a small terminal building and parking.
Speakers also said the facilities should be designed to aid in the transport of people with disabilities and patients coming and going from the SEARHC Mt. Edgecumbe hospital. An airplane haulout and room for expansion were other needs mentioned.
Among the 27 potential environmental issues in the project are conflicts with marine mammals and birds, the herring fishery, and noise and air quality, engineers told the Sentinel after the meeting.
About a dozen people attended the afternoon stakeholder meeting, including pilots, city staff and members of the Coast Guard. The public meeting later in the day drew a turnout of more than 30, including pilots and representatives of such organizations as SEARHC, Mt. Edgecumbe High School, the Chamber of Commerce and Visit Sitka, the U.S. Forest Service, harbor users, small plane service workers, city staff and the general public.
Complete details on the seaplane base project can be found at the City of Sitka website.
Login Form
20 YEARS AGO
March 2004
Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1974
Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....