By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Situated in overgrown vegetation on the shore of Japonski Island, an observation bunker built in the World War II era is under discussion – it is situated on the site of the city’s planned seaplane base.
The concrete bunker would need to be removed for the new infrastructure construction project, says the draft Environmental Assessment published recently by DOWL LLC consultants. The document is available at dowl.com/outreach.
“Development of the new seaplane base would require demolition of this building,” the document reads.
Located on the northern end of the island overlooking Sitka Channel, the observation post was a small part of a tremendous wartime effort undertaken by the U.S. government before and during World War II.
Fortifications include bunkers, observation posts, and artillery emplacements that were built from Japonski Island to Kruzof Island.
A WW II-era concrete observation post on Japonski Island is pictured Monday afternoon. The structure, located near the high tide elevation, is in an area that the city is considering for development of a float plane dock and servicing area. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
The DOWL assessment noted that the Sitka Naval Operating Base entered service in 1937 and grew to encompass a defensive network on eight Sitka area islands before its closure in 1944. The United States entered the war on Dec. 8, 1941.
Much of the local fortification system achieved National Historic Landmark status in 1986 as the Sitka Naval Operating Base and U.S. Army Coastal Defenses. The DOWL assessment states that the observation post now in consideration was identified as an issue in the city’s seaplane project, but that it is not within the landmark boundary.
DOWL Chief Risk Officer Maryellen Tuttle told the Sentinel via email that “the adjacent National Historic Landmark boundary stops near the south end of the site. The structure on the site is not listed as part of that NHL and is outside the boundaries of the current NHL. The structure on the site is not currently on the National Historic Register. We are awaiting a determination as to: 1) whether it is eligible, 2) whether it should be considered part of the NHL.”
Former Sitka mayor and local World War II historian Matt Hunter told the Sentinel he hopes the bunker is preserved.
“It would be really nice to retain it. It’s one of two (on the island) that are remaining and it’s in good shape,” Hunter said.
He said he understands the need for a seaplane base, but hopes that a way will be found to preserve the bunker in question.
“A lot of the (wartime) stuff has been demolished through home building... I fully recognize the necessity of a new seaplane base and if it had to go, there’s no way to keep it to have a new seaplane base, I would accept that,” Hunter said. “Although if it is possible to retain the thing and keep it, that would be my preference.”
The current process involves determining the eligibility of the bunker in the National Register of Historic Properties.
“Consultations with the National Park Service and the Alaska Office of History and Archaeology are underway regarding this building’s eligibility to be lsted on the National Register of Historic Properties,” the DOWL assessment reads.
It goes on to say:
“A preliminary Determination of Eligibility has been completed and recommends that the building is significant... based on its association with significant events (WWII), and furthermore recommends it as a contributing feature to the Sitka Naval Operating Base and U.S. Army Coastal Defenses NHL.
While the bunker was not included in the 1986 designation of the NHL, DOWL’s assessment noted that there is precedent for including similarly located structures in a nearby historic landmark.
“Although the 1986 and drafted update of the NHL nomination do not include this or any other similar buildings, there is precedent for inclusion of the base-end station/observation station as a contributing feature to the NHL,” the EA says.
It continues:
“Other State and National Historic Landmarks (such as the Aleutian Islands World War II National Historic Area and Fort Rousseau Causeway State Historical Park), and state recreation areas (such as Caines Head State Recreation Area in Seward) have undertaken preservation and/or interpretive measures.”
This bunker is one of two intact examples of its type on Japonski, Alice, and Charcoal Islands, the report says.
Depending on the results of a Historical Preservation Act Section 106 analysis, mitigation measures may be needed.
“As part of the Section 106 consultation process, the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) will determine if the observation post is a historic property eligible for the National Historic Register. If it is eligible, and it is adversely affected by the project, then there will be a discussion of and eventual determination of what is the appropriate mitigation,” Tuttle wrote.
Local archaeologist and historic preservation consultant Anne Pollnow told the Sentinel that demolition of the observation post at the seaplane base might be mitigated by preserving a similar bunker on Alice Island.
“Its destruction can be approved for the needs of infrastructure today. This destruction can be mitigated, one option being to ensure preservation through a conservation easement, a tax deductible opportunity, of the bunker on Alice Island,” Pollnow wrote in a text.
However, she stressed the importance of not chipping away historical heritage.
“When we keep destroying features here and there... piece by piece, soon there’s nothing left and we lose very important visual representations of our history,” she added.
Pollnow acknowledged a need for modern infrastructure as well.
“When we destroy little features like this, one by one when a feature gets destroyed, we say, ‘It’s just one little feature.’ But that’s what we say with every little project that comes along, and soon enough it’s all gone… (But) we do need to progress too, and we do need a seaplane base that works for the modern times,” Pollnow said.
As part of the Section 106 consultation process, the local Historic Preservation Commission will discuss the bunker, as well as possible mitigations, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10 on Zoom and in Harrigan Centennial Hall. A Zoom meeting is scheduled for 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 17 about the Sitka Seaplane Base Environmental Assessment. The public is encouraged to participate. Zoom links are available at the city website.
