Winter concert
Clay creativity
Helen B. Clark
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THE SKAGWAY NEWS.
Photos Page 4-5
Making luminaries Page 8
December 8, 2023
Logan receives award Page 2
Sk a g w ay, A l a s k a
2024 AHMS schedule open for comments By Gretchen Wehmhoff The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) announced on Dec. 5 that the 2024 Alaska Marine Highway System (AHMS) summer schedule is open for public comment. DOT&PF is directing people to use one of several links to submit written testimony on what the department refers to as playbooks for each region. Schedule patterns are based on FY24 funding levels, according to the DOT&PF press release. The summer schedule is May 1 through Sept. 30, 2024. The North Lynn Canal (NCL) service area playbook comments site can be found at https://dot.alaska. gov/chartingthecourse/sap/ nlc.shtml. The NCL link lists past requested community events and links to data and DOT&PF’s Charting the Course details. Comments should be submitted by Dec. 18, 2023. Correspondence can also be faxed to 907-228-6873 or emailed to dot.ahms.comments@alaska.gov. The agency is also requesting information about special events, suggesting organizers and communities provide the event details, including dates, auction and the needed arrival and departure times. Documentation and graphs regarding the changes are available at: https://dot.alaska.gov/amhs/doc/summer_ considerations_2024.pdf In addition to written commentary, AHMS has two (see page 3-Teleconference)
Photo by Gretchen Wehmhoff
Emerlee Jared plays the piano at the Christmas Concert and Sing Along at First Presbyterian Church Dec. 5 as part of the Skagway Yuletide festival.
Assembly adds Capt. Funtastic, passes 2024 budget By Gretchen Wehmhoff The future of Garden City RV Park is back in committee. The Skagway Assembly, at the Dec. 7 meeting, voted to postpone action on resolution 23-30 R until Feb.1. During discussion, the preferences to move forward with the resolution or send it back to committee were mixed. Assemblymember Orion Hanson questioned the additional return to the committee. “To my recollection, civic affairs has talked about this garden city issue five, six, fifteen times. I mean, I’m a little perplexed as to how many more times it needs to go to civic affairs,” said Hanson. The motion to postpone passed 4 - 2. The request, made by assemblymember Alex Weddell, will go back to the Civic Affairs committee to
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address language and details in a Civic Affairs meeting prior to the Feb. 1 assembly meeting. During citizens present, Michael Yee urged the assembly to take action on creating a position with the municipality in charge of Skagway’s quality of life. The position, originally dubbed Capt. Funtastic by Yee, would be dedicated tending the ice rink, planning activities in outdoor spaces such as snow carving, snow athletics, family fun events and to keep hiking trails open. Yee suggests the person in this position could also work with the Log Cabin Society to keep ski trails open. “Right now we have so many young families and young children, all you had to do was go to the school’s winter music concert the other night to see how many young children are here. Ex-
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posing them to these outdoor activities gives them the opportunity to discover a world of healthy fun living at an early age and setting them up for an active healthy lifestyle,” said Yee. It was this presentation that supported Assmblymember Deb Potters’ amendment to the fiscal year 2024 budget. Potter’s amendment included $170,280 under salaries and benefits in the rec center
budget to add the position of an outdoor recreation specialist and a second seasonal worker. With Potter’s amendment and another by Hanson to add $20,000 for helicopters and supplies under recreational cabin construction, the borough budget was approved unanimously. More details will be in the next issue.
Photo by Gretchen Wehmhoff
Second and third graders do the Reindeer Boogie at the Skagway School Winter Concert Dec. 5. See more pictures on page 5
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