The Skagway News - Dec. 10, 2021

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Garden City plans

Eric Moseley

Crush the resolutions

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THE SKAGWAY NEWS.

Funds dedicated to fixes PAGE 3

Helen B. Clark Award PAGE 8

December 10, 2021

Sk a g w ay, A l a s k a

Extended ferry repairs take a bite out of sailing schedule

By Melinda Munson It was a week of panic for any Skagwegian with winter travel plans. The Matanuska, scheduled to return to service in early December, now has an “anticipated date of return” of Jan. 23 due to corroded steel. The updated ferry schedule has reduced sailings with a gap in service from Jan. 9-23. “The ferry is detrimental to my health,” said business owner Billi Clem. Clem, a breast cancer survivor, needs to get to Juneau for a mammogram, OBGYN checkups and dental work associated with chemotherapy side effects. Everytime a ferry is canceled, Clem has to reschedule her appointments. “I have had numerous delays with my check-ups. It has become urgent,” she said. Clem has spent much of her time reaching out to legislators, asking for improved ferry service. “There’s only so many calls I can make to Murkowski’s office. I don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere,” she said. “We don’t have access to our highway system.” Some residents are considering leaving Skagway because of that lack of access. According to Mayor Andrew Cremata, four families with children are contemplating moving due to unreliable ferry service. Kendra Guilliams and her husband, Jesse, don’t have any plans to relocate, but years of restricted ferry service have them questioning the future. “It makes it easier for us to talk about the possibility of see page 8 - Ferry repairs

Tips for the New Year PAGE 5

$1.50

Photo by Melinda Munson

Acting Fire Chief, Emily Rauscher, energizes Justin Munson with her chief’s helmet at the Public Safety Building open house on Dec. 3. See more pictures on page 8.

Listing ferry spooks passengers, raises concerns By Melinda Munson A crowded ferry bound for Skagway turned back 2.5 hours into the journey on Nov. 19. The LeConte returned to Juneau with its 190 passengers, offloaded several pieces of heavy machinery and a few cars, then headed north again. The reason given for the delay was “freezing spray conditions,” according to a Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT) press release. Not everyone who was part of the first leg of the journey was present for the re-do. Passengers Karla and Duff Ray opted to disembark in Juneau and fly home to Skagway. Karla said from the moment the ferry left the dock in Juneau, they noticed “this thing’s loaded heavy on the left.” When the crew announced the ferry was overloaded and needed to return to port, the

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Rays didn’t feel safe continuing on the Alaska Marine Highway vessel. The DOT posted a press release on its Facebook page explaining why the LeConte turned around. “Lynn Canal had high winds and low temperatures today, perfect conditions for icing on a ship. We’re particularly cautious about weight gain from freezing spray, especially higher up on the vessel and on the hull. As ice builds up on surfaces, the ship becomes sluggish to respond, and the captain notices changes to its handling. The weight of the ice raises the center of gravity, and at that point, the ship can be prone to rolling over very easily. The sea state has very little to do with a ship rolling over in that type of situation.” The uncaptioned photo that accompanied the press release showed the LeCon-

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te with thick ice covering its bow. Sam Dapcevich, spokesperson for DOT, confirmed the image shown was not taken Nov. 19. According to the National Weather Service, the high temperature that day was 31 degrees with a low of 20. The ferry left the Juneau dock for the first time at 7 a.m. Passengers who spoke to The Skagway News reported seeing minimal or no ice throughout the trip, although they did see small amounts of snow. Skagway Mayor Andrew Cremata was traveling on the ferry with his wife, Brittney. They were making their fourth attempt to return home, the first three on unsuccessful flights due to poor weather. Cremata noticed the ferry was “listing hard to port” upon departure. Cremata didn’t feel the weather on Nov. 19 was par-

ticularly challenging. “The weather wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t that rough, It wasn’t that cold,” he said. Skagway resident Juliene Price was on the LeConte with her infant daughter. She was surprised during the loading procedure. “As the car deck was loading in Auke Bay, I saw a few large machinery loaded on … The moment they were loaded the whole boat listed starboard big time, then portside, and stayed that way. I was sitting in the middle of the room up front, and when you looked out the window the horizon on the left had a lot more water under it than the horizon on the right. The boat was off balance big time. I found myself leaning to the right in my chair, as if that would help off-set the balance,” she said. Price then described what happened when the LeConte see page 8 - listing ferry

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