The Skagway News - Nov. 12, 2021

Rapuzzi House

Redistricting

A legend leaves

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THE SKAGWAY NEWS.

Giving it back PAGE 6

Final maps PAGE 5

November 12, 2021

Remembering Carl Mulvihill PAGE 8

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

$1.50

Bricker in as new tourism director

By Melinda Munson Long-time resident Jaime Bricker is set to be Skagway’s official ambassador.

She was approved as tourism director at the Nov. 4 assembly meeting.

Skagway Traditional Council president and school board member, Bricker has worked at White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad for nearly fifteen years. She left a previous job and started at WP&YR in accounts payable to have less responsibility and more time being a mom. She’s leaving the railroad as director of public relations.

Bricker has a degree in human resource management with a recent certification in cultural heritage tourism.

“There are so many ideas floating around in my head, I can’t wait to share with the board,” she said.

Bricker admits her salary with the borough will be “a little bit” less than her current employment. She thinks the opportunity for growth and the “notion of being able to do the things I love as my job” make up for any financial losses.

“I feel like the job is so well suited for me,” she said.

Bricker brings her “knowledge of the way the port has run historically” along with an energy for “dealing with a whole new port” when the borough takes its harbor operations back from WP&YR in March of 2023.

Bricker is looking forward to working with Cody Jennings, former tourism director and Skagway’s first port director.

“We work very well together,” Bricker said. (The see page 3 - tourism director

Photo by Melinda Munson

Formline artist Beau Dennis helps Harlan Cochran assemble a totem pole on Oct. 27 as part of Skagway Kids 360. The event was one of a series of children’s workshops that also included horseback riding and robotics. See more photos on page 7.

Unemployment program set as some businesses are hiring

By Melinda Munson Skagway residents who currently qualify for unemployment or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, timed out of unemployment as of Sept. 1, or who “are not working due to COVID-19 related closures or illnesses” could be eligible for the municipality’s Unemployment Assistance Program.

Passed unanimously Nov. 4, Resolution 21-32R outlines how the borough’s unemployment program works.

Funding for the program was approved in August, when Ordinance 21-11 also passed unanimously.

Funded by the $2 million donation from Norwegian Cruise Lines, $450,000 was set aside for local unemployment benefits, with a focus on seasonal workers. Originally promoted by Assemblymember Reba Hylton, the final program was amended to include seasonal small

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business owners. Resolution 21-32-R was proposed by both Hylton and Assemblymember Deb Potter.

“I worked as a seasonal employee in this town for 16 years before taking a yearround job. I’m proud to help a sector of our community that suffered some substantial financial hardship directly related to the lack of cruise ships,” Hylton said. “Thank you Norwegian Cruise Line for your very generous gift.”

To receive funding, applicants must apply each month.

Up to $112,500 will be dis-

tributed January through April of 2022. The qualifying month is the month before check distribution.

Individuals who are not working because of COVID-19 factors, but are not on unemployment will receive no more than $1,680 per month. No disbursement will exceed $2,400 a month.

The total funding for each month “will be split equally among qualified applicants.”

Recipients must pick up their checks each month in person. They are required to provide proof of unem-

ployment assistance or proof from an employer of inability to work due to COVID-19 factors. Applicants become ineligible if they turn down a job offer during the applicable month.

Borough Manager Brad Ryan said the municiplaity estimates there will be around 100 qualified applicants based on previous labor statistics.

The unemployment program rolls out as Skagway businesses announce job openings. Skagway Brew-

By Melinda Munson The Municipality of Skagway has waterfront property to sell. This isn’t the beginning of a bad joke, but a chance for Skagway residents to own land in Dyea that is close to a road, power, mountains and ocean.

Lot 10A, Block A, Tai-

ya Inlet Subdivision #2 is 3.44 acres and appraised at $160,000. Lot 11A, Block A, Taiya Inlet Subdivision #2 is 2.43 acres and valued at $155,000. Both are located at 2.75 Dyea Road.

Interested buyers must be residents of Skagway, over 18 and “current on all pay-

ments or debts owed to the Municipality.”

The land will be disposed of by lottery. Residents may purchase a non-refundable ticket, at a cost of $100 from city hall until 5 p.m., Dec. 3. The lottery will be held at 5:30 p.m Dec. 6 in assembly

see page 3 - Unemployment

Muni to sell two oceanfront properties

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Opinion

The Skagway News.

Skagway’s First Newspaper

Christened in 1897, buried alive in 1904 and resurrected in 1978, The Skagway News is currently celebrating 44 years of reporting in Skagway and Dyea, Alaska, recording our Centennial years and beyond.

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NOV. 24, 2021 Please email sales@skagwaynews.com All ads and classifieds

by Thursday, Nov. 18 COPY, LETTERS, CALENDAR DEADLINE: Please email editor@skagwaynews.com All news copy, letters and calendar events

by Thursday, Nov. 18 Vol. XLIV, No.18 (913) Nov. 12, 2021

Published on the second and fourth Friday of the month

Phone: (907) 983-2354 www.skagwaynews.com editor@skagwaynews.com sales@skagwaynews.com Publishers Melinda Munson Gretchen Wehmhoff Managing Editor Melinda Munson Production Editor/Sales Gretchen Wehmhoff Editor Emeritus

William J. “Jeff” Brady

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A letter to the Assembly

While COVID has been on the forefront of priorities for the municipality, we believe there is a long-term visitor industry issue that has received no attention. While we have had few tourists, if the forecast is accurate and even if not, the soon to return pressure to the waters will not be sustainable. Canadians, cruise visitors and locals are all hungry for the opportunity to catch salmon.

While recently charter fishing has been almost absent, so have been the salmon. The situation and decline in king salmon have created a void. Chinook salmon are and will continue to be a negative opportunity for Skagway and the visitor industry.

With the recent creation of the assis-

Yukon River Quest opens registration WHITEHORSE, YUKON, CANADA

Registration opens in November for 22nd Yukon River Quest.

New staggered race registration by class commences Nov. 1, 8 and 15 for the return of the ‘Race to the Midnight Sun’ on June 22-25, 2022.

Registrations will be accepted beginning Nov. 1, 8 and 15 for the 22nd Yukon River Quest (YRQ), which will be held June 22 to June 25, 2022.

The event was canceled in 2020 due to COVID and again in 2021 due to flooding, but will go forward next summer.

Nov. 12, 2021

tant manager, we believe some time should be utilized to create and pursue a silver salmon hatchery program.

The reasons for a healthy and increased coho salmon run are many. First, they are a native species to the Taiya and Skagway rivers. Secondly, they are not politically targeted or regulated. Third, they are a quality fish for all (commercial and sport), in fresh and saltwater.

Also, a hatchery program should benefit many tourism visitors and excursions, while getting support from many businesses and organizations. Additionally, a healthy stock would create subsistence and extra business opportunities.

An adequately sized facility, sited in the right location, could be run on a

THE SKAGWAY NEWS

budget of sales tax, tours and grants.

Grant help could potentially be provided by the Skagway Traditional Council, Skagway Development Corporation, Alaska Department of Fish & Game and the commercial fishing industry.

As the cruise industry grows, they will continue to look for additional tours.

Support for this project will benefit visitors, business and locals alike.

Please consider this request for the community’s positive development.

This letter is written on behalf of the currently dormant hatchery committee, who would be happy to get back to work.

Sincerely, John Tronrud

We can be more careful about bears for a few weeks After seeing multiple incidences of trash being strewn around in our alleys and streets this morning, I felt compelled to go in and chat with Police Chief Reddick.

We both agree that we don’t have a “bear problem,” we have a people problem. It’s already in code (8.04.035 Bear Attraction Nuisance) that residents will be fined $100 for an offense. No one wants that. But we also don’t want bears to be put in a position to be defensive or become aggressive. People, DO NOT PUT YOUR TRASH OUT UNTIL TRASH DAY. Citations will be issued.

JJ and I also chatted about how in the future the MOS might be able to help residents dispose of their trash earlier in the week. I know I don’t like having to keep mine in my arctic entry, but for now, it’s what I have to do.

Please help spread the word, and please help your neighbors. I cropped the photos because there’s no need to point fingers. I lived in Haines for 10 years and learned the hard way myself about what it takes to live peacefully with bears. It’s a very short period of the year that this is an issue. Let’s do our part, Skagway.

Assemblymember Reba Hylton

Photo by Lee Thompson

Trash from bags carried to the east of the railroad tracks near 14th.

Photo by Reba Hylton

Motion of reconsideration denied for cabin injunction; muni asks state supreme court to review case

By Melinda Munson As promised, the Municipality of Skagway filed a motion of reconsideration for the Sept. 7 injunction placed on the Dyea host cabin. That motion was denied Oct. 27, meaning the dry cabin remains unusable.

Kathy and Fred Hosford, Dyea residents and owners of the Chilkoot Trail Outpost, filed a lawsuit against the municipality in June, protesting a kit cabin that was erected in the Dyea Camp-

ground without permits.

The injunctions reads: “The Hosfords assert that (1) Skagway constructed its Dyea Cabin illegally by failing to obtain a conditional use permit or building permit as required under Title 15 and 19 of the SMC (Skagway Municipal Code) and that (2) Skagway illegally rented the cabin out without first obtaining a conditional use permit, in direct violation of the DFMP (Dyea Flats management Plan).”

According to the injunction, “Skagway does nothing to argue that it complied with the provisions of Title 15 and 19 of the SMC. Instead, it claims that those provisions simply do not apply. According to Skagway, only Title 16 of the SMC … applies to the area in which the Dyea Cabin sits.”

The Hosfords’ attorney, Stacey Stone, said the municipality has asked the Alaska State Supreme Court to review the litigation. While

the court decides if it will accept the case, both parties have agreed to take no further action. Stone estimates this latest step in the process can take three to six months.

The injunction addresses permitting only and not unfair competition.

The municipality declined to comment for this story.

THE SKAGWAY NEWS

Nov. 12, 2021

Property sale for residents chambers. Buyers must be present to win.

“I think it’s an exceptional opportunity,” said Assemblymember Orion Hanson. “...I really want to see it’s sold to people who live and work here year round.”

Ordinance 21-14, which authorizes the sale of the land, passed Nov. 4. In its first reading, the legislation required buyers to be residents of Alaska. That was changed to “registered voters” of Skagway after an amendment proposed by Hanson. Following an attorney review and more dis-

cussion, the final language landed on “residents of the Skagway Borough.”

This was good news for resident Ray Tsang, who until now, described himself as transient.

“I do not get involved with local politics,” he told the assembly. “...Skagway, I find out, is my place, and I plan on (the) long term. But I’m not going to register to vote.

So where does that put me?”

All money raised from the land lottery will be placed in the J.M. Frey Land Fund Reserve, as outlined in Chapter 4.12 of Skagway Municipal

Tourism director two are sister-in-laws.)

Bricker expects to work with the community to develop a marketing plan, to increase tourism during the shoulder season and to incorporate more Native Alaskan culture into the fabric of Skagway.

“I hope to make Skagway very proud in this new position,” she said.

Mayor Andrew Cremata, Assemblymember Sam Bass, Borough Manager Brad Ryan and Skagway Visitor and Convention Bu-

from front page

Code.

Lottery winners may provide their own funding or enter an agreement with the municipality at seven percent down on a 12-year

note at four percent interest.

There is a 10% discount for buyers who pay the entire cost up front.

For questions or to schedule a viewing, contact the

borough clerk’s office at 907-983-2297 or email s.burnham@skagway.org.

Visit skagway.org and click on the land sales tab for more information.

from front page

reau Chair Beth Smith were on the hiring committee.

According to Ryan, five applications were reviewed and two applicants were interviewed.

“The hiring committee unanimously recommended Photo by Melinda Munson that Jaime Bricker be ap- Looking towards Nahku Bay from a section of Dyea Road between mile markers two and three. pointed to the tourism director position. All of the applicants were exemplary, but Ms. Bricker stood out and I Subscribe to get believe she will be an asset to the municipality and comThe Skagway News munity,” he said.

Unemployment ing Company is looking for a part-time dishwasher and cooking staff. Duff’s Backcountry Outfitters recently advertised for full-time sales clerks. The positions pay between $14 to $15 per hour.

Assemblymember Deb Potter addressed the hiring issue during assembly discussion at the Nov. 4 meeting.

“I think the question has been asked, and fairly so, doesn’t unemployment deter people from seeking fulltime work? And yes, there are quite a few skilled and unskilled year-round positions available right now in Skagway.

I think another question that we could be asking at the same time is do we want to help summer seasonal people, who consider Skagway their home, stay here all winter paying rent, shopping at stores, eating at restaurants and so on. Do we want them to spend their summer savings here in Skagway or

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some other town during the winter?

I think a lot of us have learned, or relearned this past summer, just how critical seasonal labor is to our summer success. The intent of this unemployment assistance program is not to deter anyone from seeking work, so, please don’t do that, but to make sure that everybody is still here in the spring,” Potter said.

Natasha Kraus worked for the National Park Service until her employment ended with the summer season.

Since then, she has applied for several jobs and substitute teaches at the school whenever she can.

“I don’t know how much others are making on unemployment, but my weekly amount is dismal and I cannot survive on it,” Kraus said.

In January, Skagway had the state’s highest unemployment rate at over 14%.

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Page 4

Editor’s column

By Gretchen Wehmhoff My Dad was a storyteller. He had plenty of fodder growing up in the orchards and mountains of Washington State. As children, we would learn the stories word for word, and loved watching guests listen to his tales – all true. (We verified several with our grandmother who usually broke into laughter as she recalled the events.)

Growing up in Anchorage, It wasn’t uncommon for our friends to come over and spend more time with our parents than with us. Dad was that interesting.

In addition to growing up on a farm, smoke jumping into forest fires as a teen and getting in trouble in the most entertaining ways, Dad had a repertoire of tales from WWII. He and some buddies were skiing on Mt. Rainier when Japanese forces bombed Pearl Harbor. Within a few days, as did millions of young Americans, he enlisted in the army.

Dad brought special skills to the Dept. of Defense. He was a practiced smoke jumper and a football player. The football skills found him a spot on the Army team that played the Green Bay Packers and Washington Football Team in war bond games to help finance the war. The two teams were his favorites while watching football in later years.

Dad was in jump school training after that. When his regiment was called to enter the Netherlands via a night jump, only 59 of the 60 men in the group were able to go. These days, when the military jump with their equipment, the heavy cargo is released before they land.

In the early years of army paratroopers, everything was attached to the soldier.

Weight was a strict number. Dad didn’t deploy with his brothers -- he was five pounds overweight.

Unbeknownst to the

Nov. 12, 2021

To my father, a WWII veteran, on Veterans Day. planes dropping the paratroopers at night, the target field had been flooded after the enemy had blown up a dike. With no way to release their cargo, 59 young men drowned. It would be years before Dad could even consider dropping below that required weight.

He later deployed to the European Theater as a medic in the 14th Armored Division, 84th Medical Battalion where he spent most of four years.

As his children, we knew about the war. He talked about his army friends and kept up with most of them. It wasn’t until we were in our teens that he began to tell the stories with us in the room.

Like the time he and another soldier were on a messenger mission and came upon two soldiers who cautioned them to be careful-there was a liquor warehouse ahead with enemy troops camped inside. I guess Dad and his passenger had selective hearing, because they immediately stashed his jeep in the woods and entered the warehouse.

In the rear of the building they could see the flickering light from a fire and hear the low conversations of the German soldiers. In front of them they saw tall rows of wooden crates. Climbing to the top of the piles, the young men started removing the lids. Inside the boxes was a 19-year-old young man’s dream -- whiskey, vodka and more vodka. They quickly pulled their jacket waist bands tight and started stuffing bottles everywhere they could. When they jumped from one row to another, the bottles banged together and the conversation around the fire stopped. Dad and his buddy froze low on the top of the stacks as a soldier came through below them, checking out the noise. Eventually, the soldier returned to the fire and two young Americans, slipped out of the building with a story to tell.

Dad had stories that were most likely serious at the time, but his way of telling them could leave you shaking your head.

In another mission, his patrol assisted in a battle over a German airfield. An enemy plane’s engine was running

nearby and Dad was ordered “shut down that plane, private.”

He and another soldier got into the plane. All the labels were in German. He had flown as a passenger in a few crop dusters back home, so it shouldn’t be that hard to find the switch.

His partner decided to push one. Pretty soon the plane was on the move and two bewildered American soldiers in a distinctly German plane were up in the air. While figuring out how to land, they first had to get past the two ends of the airfield. U.S. troops had hold of one end and the German troops were fighting to keep the other end. When the plane flew over the German side, the amateur pilots removed their helmets. When they flew near the U.S. side, they put the helmets back on and waved frantically.

Eventually they landed the plane. A week later a memo came down from the top European command stating that flying enemy planes was prohibited. I’m sure it was a coincidence.

Starting in the 90s, I invited Dad to speak to my Adventure Literature students every Pearl Harbor Day It was here that he shared details of things I hadn’t heard -- many horrific.

He talked about keeping a sharp blade upright on the front of his Jeep that he drove for the front line medical officer, The Major. The blade was to cut through wires strung across roads meant to decapitate drivers.

Dad called the medical officer The Major. We learned later that The Major’s family heard regular stories about Wimpy.

As he drove the major close to enemy lines and through battles, he ditched his medic helmet, learning quickly that the red cross on white was a target.

He was shot in the leg, healed, and went back. He was captured twice, escaped twice, the second time bringing prisoners with him.

He assisted with the wounded on the field, driving them to medical care.

Not all the soldiers survived.

He told us about driving across a field to retrieve more wounded and passing

a friendly tank. He asked the occupant if he wanted a ride out of there. The soldier declined saying he felt safer in the tank. On the way back Dad’s heart dropped. The tank had taken a direct hit.

Dad was a universal blood donor. At one point he gave a direct transfusion to a wounded soldier. He caught hell for it, but the major affirmed it was a lifesaving move.

My students were in awe of his stories and his willingness to answer their questions. They removed their hats for him when they came in the room. Teachers dropped by to listen and asked if their classes could join us.

I will always remember the multiple students who, unprompted, walked up to Dad after class and thanked him.

I realized that most of these students were just a year away if not the same age he was when he enlisted. The parallels were striking as they recognized the choices Dad’s generation had in comparison to their own.

By the time Dad was twenty, he had helped deliver two babies in war-torn French villages. He had been in a building-to-building battle trying to get plasma to the wounded in the Battle of Hatten and Rittershoffen.

All stories told to a room of teenagers.

My dear 95-year-old friend Sarah who was married to another WWII soldier

THE SKAGWAY NEWS once said to me, “I can’t get over how all of these young men saw such horrible things in that war, yet came back to be such good people.”

Every veteran of every war comes back some day, in some way. My grandfather, Dad’s father, fought in WWI. In the world wars, surviving soldiers returned home on ships, waiting weeks for their name to be called to board -- perhaps allowing for time to debrief or contemplate the past four years.

Now soldiers can be home within 48 hours, switching instantly from one world to another.

After the war ended and his division liberated the Dachau concentration camp, Dad made it back across the Atlantic Ocean and boarded a train for the West Coast.

Soldiers were being relocated to the South Pacific. His train was halfway across the country when the war ended and he headed home to Washington.

In earlier columns I’ve talked about Dad being a devoted father who met his love in college while taking advantage of the GI Bill.

I’ve shared my pride in him being Santa’s best stand-in and my co-conspirator in adventures.

This month I wanted to share how proud I am of him and all veterans.

I wanted to share how my dad helped save the world.

Wehmhoff family collection

George Wehmhoff (my dad) with his Jeep (circa 1945).

THE SKAGWAY NEWS

Nov. 12, 2021

Page 5

Redistricting board sets final map, senate pairings, election cycles

By Gretchen Wehmhoff After extending public testimony and hours of public meetings, the Alaska Redistricting Board has settled on their final map.

On Nov. 9 the board determined senate pairings, determined which districts would have truncated terms due to changes in the “core constituency” and adopted an election cycle for senate seats.

As of deadline, the board planned to meet Nov. 10 to adopt the Final Proclamation of Redistricting and sign the Final Proclamation.

Skagway is in the new district 3-B. The map can be viewed, and comments can be submitted, on the Alaska Redistricting Board website at: www.akredistrict.org/maps.

Testimony can also be sent via email to: testimony@ akredistrict.org

Plane bound for Skagway crashes on take-off

By Gretchen Wehmhoff An Alaska Seaplanes plane headed for Skagway crashed the morning of Friday, Oct. 22 during an attempted takeoff from the Juneau Airport.

The Cessna 208 B Grand Caravan carried five passengers and the pilot on flight 501 to Skagway. Everyone on board was able to exit the aircraft and there were no reports of severe injuries. All involved were examined by Capitol Fire and Rescue.

Andy Kline, Alaska Seaplanes marketing manager, said the plane, which took off at 8:43 a.m., had difficulty gaining altitude and when it touched again, one wheel was not on the runway, causing the plane to spin around in the direction it had come from.

Seaplanes canceled all flights for the day, but resumed their schedule the next day.

Flights to Skagway are weather dependent, according to Kline, who referenced a storm predicted for the area that weekend.

The Juneau airport runway was closed temporarily, disrupting other flights into and out of the airport, including Alaska Airlines confirmed

an Alaska Airlines spokesperson.

The 208B is one of four Grand Caravans in the fleet.

It has a larger under area for mail and cargo.

Friday afternoon the plane was back in the Seaplanes hanger and the airline was cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Alaska regional agents.

“The plane is in one piece, but it is severely damaged,” said Kline.

Kline said that working with NTSB to ascertain the cause of the mishap means looking at everything, including weighing any offloaded cargo. A slow process.

Kline said that there was mail on the plane that was headed to Skagway and there was a chance that some mail was impacted or possibly damaged.

The Skagway post office referred media requests to the marketing manager in Anchorage for comment.

On the day of the crashKline said flights to Skagway, and hopefully mail delivery, would resume Saturday, “weather permitting.”

“It’s our job to get the mail delivered. We have it in our possession,” he said.

With the event “we are reminded that we are such a linchpin to these communities. Our priority is our passengers and getting mail and cargo delivered,” said Kline.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS for Skagway’s 35th annual

HELEN B. CLARK COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER AWARD ••• Nominations accepted till Nov. 29 ••• Please drop off your nomination letter at Skaguay News Depot & Books, mail it to PO Box 498, or e-mail it to skagbooksak@icloud.com Please keep nomination letter to 500 words; no petitions or mutlple form letter nominations please. Anyone who has been nominated in the past five years will be considered for the award, along with new nominees.

For more information, email Jeff or text 907-973-2354

PAST WINNERS

Helen Clark, Darlene Hoover, Connie Conard, Elma McMillen, Bea Lingle, Anna True, Boyd Worley, Jaime Gagnier, Buckwheat Donahue, Jean Worley, Alan See, Mike O’Daniel, Bob Dill, Su Rappleye, John L. O’Daniel, Tina Cyr, Lynn Herbig, Barbara Brodersen, Don & Betty Hather, Lorene & Alvin Gordon, Blaine Mero, Jackie Schaefer, Katherine Moseley, Duff & Karla Ray, Cindy O’Daniel, Linda Calver, Ginny Cochran, Kathleen O’Daniel, Linda Bigham, Wayne Greenstreet, Tim Salter, JoAnn Arnold, Wendy Anderson, and Jan & John Tronrud.

Award anounced in the Dec. 10 issue & presented that day.

– SPONSORED BY SKAGWAY BOOK CO. & THE SKAGWAY NEWS –

Nov. 12, 2021

Page 6

The Rapuzzi House file photo.

THE SKAGWAY NEWS

The Rapuzzi house today.

Muni giving Rapuzzi House back to Rasmuson Foundation

By Melinda Munson In 2008, the Rasmuson Foundation gifted the Municipality of Skagway and the National Park Service Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park more than 30,000 “artifacts and other historical objects and documents” known as the Rapuzzi collection. As part of the endowment, the municipality also received the Rapuzzi House. On Oct. 21, the assembly decided to give it back.

The home, gifted by Phyllis Brown, heir to George and Edna Rapuzzi, has white peeling paint, has lacked utilities or maintenance since 1990 and is in need of stabilization.

A letter from Diane Kaplan, president of the Rasmuson Foundation, dated Sept. 20 states: “...the Rapuzzi residence deteriorated while the community continued to debate its value and use. Though the Skagway 2020 Comprehensive Plan adopted November 2020 sets a purpose for the building, we are discouraged because the plan does not include a commitment of resources. ...The Foundation is challenging the municipality to generate and adopt a financial plan to realize the stated goals for the use of the Rapuzzi House within five months of the date of this letter. By Oct. 1, 2022, the municipality will have contracted for completion of the work within two years.”

Borough Manager Brad Ryan explained that priorities have changed with the pandemic.

“...Pre COVID, we were laying plans to invest in the facility and really make it a community resource. However, this letter is asking for funds committed by October of ‘22. And we’ve suffered a lot of economic loss. And if you had been staring at my CIP list all day like I have, you’d be as nervous as I am about where we’re going to get all this money to invest in our community,” he said.

Mayor Andrew Cremata agreed, noting that it could cost $2 million to rehabilitate the home, which could not be used for housing.

“So the other option is to say, here you go, you can have it back. I prefer the latter one, that’s my personal opinion for what it’s worth, especially right now. If it was pre-pandemic, I think that, you know, we would be looking at a way to perhaps get some kind of reasonable use out of the house … but as of now, I don’t think it’s realistic...”

Local historian and author Jeff Brady wasn’t at the Oct. 21 assembly meeting. He

made sure to attend the Nov. 4 session to share his disapproval.

“I think it’s a sad statement by the assembly, basically turning your back on an important piece of Skagway history. I think you gave up too easily,” he said. “...I know it’s gonna cost a lot to restore that house.

But I also know that you, the city, better than anyone, can leverage that gift to procure restoration grants for this historic home and keep it a public property. I’d ask you to reconsider. I’d ask that you maybe work with the Rasmuson Foundation for more time … Don’t use COVID as an excuse, use it to your advantage.”

Brady offered to be part of a committee to help the borough save the Rapuzzi home.

In an Oct. 28 letter to the Rasmuson Foundation, Cremata requested that the foundation “relieve the MOS of the gift of the Rapuzzi House.”

Police & Fire Blotter Submitted by Skagway Police Department

Oct. 15 Two bears were reported near the airport runway.

A black bear was seen near 9th Avenue and Broadway.

Oct. 16 A bear and cub were spotted on the runway near 12th Avenue.

Oct. 17 Officers responded to a small rock slide on the Railroad Dock.

A bear and cub were spotted near 21st Avenue and State Street. The bears were repeatedly chased out of town by responding officers.

Oct. 19 A bear and cub were spotted on 17th Avenue and 18.5 Avenue getting into trash.

Oct. 20 A bear was spotted at 19th Avenue and State Street. The bear knocked over a fence trying to get to an apple tree.

Bears spotted near 10th Avenue and Alaska Street.

A brown bear was located near 19th Avenue and State Street going for an apple tree. The bear was repeatedly chased out of town by responding officers.

Oct. 21 EMS responded to a medical emergency on 3rd Avenue.

Edna and George Rapuzzi in 1978.

KLGO Steve Hites Collection

EMS assisted the Coast Guard with a medevac from Dahl Memorial Clinic.

A bear and cub were reported in the area of 20th Avenue and State Street.

Oct. 22 The fire department responded to a fire alarm on Main Street.

Oct. 23 Fire department personnel responded to a fire alarm on Broadway Street.

Oct. 27 A black bear was reported near Main Street and Terminal Way. Oct. 30 Bears rummaged through trash at 16th Avenue and State Street. The bears were gone when officers arrived.

Oct. 31 Officers chased a bear and cub from 19th Ave and Alaska Street out of town.

Nov. 1 Police officers responded to a burglary alarm on Alaska Street.

A bear was spotted getting into a trash can at 21.5 Ave and State Street.

THE SKAGWAY NEWS

Nov. 12, 2021

Formline with Beau

Page 7

Beau Dennis, formline artist, comments on the work of Rudy Gerlach, Gabby Fairbanks and Vivi Healy during the formline workshop.

The four-week event was sponsored by the Rasmuson Foundation and organized by the Skagway Childcare Council as part of Skagway Kids 360.

Photos by Melinda Munson

Georgia Cochran assists Kimber Jared and Ruby Cochran with their totem poles.

Gabby Fairbanks, Michelle Wilson, Harlan Cochran and others attended the formline workshop.

Guest pianist returns to Skagway

Emerlee Jared colors a formline drawing.

Concert pianist Roman Rudnytsky played Skagway Arts Council’s first indoor event since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rudnytsky performed the evening of Nov. 7 at Skagway School on a tour of Southeast Alaska.

This was his second visit to Skagway.

Rudnytsky performed six pieces, taking a break between each selection to educate the audience about the origin of the music.

Luke Ward who dressed as local music teacher and magician, Andrew Nadon, shows his cards for Halloween.

Coop Briody and Tiffany Metz lean in to the music at Rudyntsky’s concert.

Photos by Melinda Munson

Nov. 12, 2021

Page 8

THE SKAGWAY NEWS

Carl E. Mulvihill, fire chief, railroad chronicler, straight shooter June 24, 1936 – Nov. 4, 2021 Carl Eugene Mulvihill, a man who did more things for Skagway than probably any person in history, lost his life to cancer on Nov. 4. He died at home at the age of 85.

Reading a list of what he was involved in, you would think he were several people: veteran, railroader, clerk, fire chief, historian, photographer, model designer, author, police officer, customs officer, chair of several boards and committees, Masonic Lodge leader, husband, family man.

He came from one of Skagway’s prominent early railroad families. His grandfather, William J. Mulvihill, was chief dispatcher for the WP&YR and was elected to several terms as mayor.

“Mul’s” son, Harold Eugene “Mickey” Mulvihill and the former Gwladys “Gladys” Krater were married in 1932 and had a son on June 24, 1936, born at the White Pass Hospital.

But Carl’s upbringing wasn’t easy. An only child, he lost his mother to cancer in 1945 at the age of nine.

His father, a conductor on the Whitehorse train, which overnighted in the Yukon every other day, was in Skagway only half the time. Carl would go along with his dad on some trips, helping the brakemen hook up hoses on the cars, but he lived a lot of the time away from home, with the Mark and Edith Lee family. He said the Lee girls, Kristin and Marcia, were like sisters to him.

As a young boy, Carl spent time with friends camping, fishing and exploring the outdoors. His first job was stocking groceries at the commissary operated by the Fairbanks family on Second Ave. There was a family connection there. Barbara Beitinger, whose mother was Carl’s aunt Gertrude, married Ed Fairbanks, son of the grocer.

Carl first worked for the railroad on the section crew when he was 16, and then as a brakeman and relief dispatcher. He also joined the Skagway Volunteer Fire Department in 1953.

A good student, Carl graduated from Skagway High School and went on to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. Right after graduation from UPS on July 4, 1959, according to Carl, he received a letter from President Eisenhower inviting him to join the Army. Carl’s dry sense of humor was in full display back then, but the young draftee called his time “a wonderful experience.” He enjoyed being stationed at Fort Ord, California. and was promoted to company clerk and personnel clerk. In all, he served six years (two active, four inactive) in the Army.

When he returned to Skagway in the early 1960s, Carl went back to work for the railroad as a dispatcher and then chief clerk. He also became more active with the fire department.

Local residents elected

Carl as a boy riding the train in the winter of 1946-47.

the young man to a seat on Skagway City Council in October 1963, and he served until 1968 when he became Skagway’s new fire chief.

Carl had been doing all the fire department training and took the job after two assistant chiefs declined. He would be the longest ever to serve in the chief position -- 31 years --until his retirement in 1999.

His first major fire, and the largest, was the White Pass roundhouse fire on Oct. 15, 1969. Carl was working at the depot and grabbed the only company vehicle there, leaving its driver, the rail superintendent, behind as he followed the smoke to the fire at the north end of town.

The 300-foot-long building was engulfed and went down in an hour in a 35-knot wind, he said during his retirement party, but they saved valuable equipment.

Carl photographed every fire. He also shot pictures of every car on the railroad and many of its major transformations, movements and accidents over several decades. He was not an official railroad photographer, nor was ever asked to be one.

He recently told interviewer Keith Nore, a fellow railroad historian, that he was extremely grateful that he was allowed to take his camera to work with him. “No one ever bothered him or told him not to take pictures,” Nore said.

“He was very conscious to stay out of the way of the workers, especially at the

Mulvifoto by Lee Gault

Carl Mulvihill

scene of an accident.”

The resulting work was thousands of photographs, carefully cataloged by Carl in two stories of his garage.

Add to this many discarded artifacts, including the dispatcher door to his grandfather’s office that was thrown out by the National Park Service when it restored the old depot, medallions from steam locomotives and other items. “If the shops threw it out, I drug it home,” Carl said in an interview with Nore.

Carl kept meticulous notes and took measurements of rolling stock that he would use to design model railroad cars of the White Pass. His company, Mulvities, helped

Carl as a young adult.

market them for European model makers.

A good writer, Carl also penned a history of the SVFD for a state firefighters’ convention that later appeared in the book “Skagway: City of the New Century,” and in 2000 he published his “White Pass & Yukon Route Handbook,” a mileby-mile guide of the historic narrow gauge with photos.

Toward the end of that book, he compiled a list of locomotives in use and a capsule history of every passenger car. But this was just a start: he had information on just about every car that had ever been on the railroad, and his next book would be a railCont. on page 9

Photo by Mulvifoto

THE SKAGWAY NEWS

Nov. 12, 2021

road fan’s dream catalog of rolling stock history. He finished the book, “Century of White Pass and Yukon Route Equipment,” with Nore’s help this past summer, and its publication is forthcoming.

Carl’s working career didn’t stop with the railroad. In the early 1970s he became a police officer and later joined U.S. Customs and Border Protection Services in 1979, working the Skagway Port of Entry up the highway for years with Boyd and Jean Worley and others. But mostly he enjoyed driving down to Skagway to meet the returning trains that had crossed into Canada. He loved meeting them at the shops and riding all the way to the depot as he checked passports. Conductors remember Carl hopping on while the train was still moving to show he could still do it like a brakeman, and he liked visiting with dispatchers in the depot after the train was cleared.

Ten years into his service, he met a fellow officer from Canada Customs, Renate DesRoches. Their cross-border courtship lasted 17 years before he popped the question, and they were married

on a train at the summit of White Pass on September 20, 2003.

Both retired, Carl and Renate set out to travel the world, venturing many times on ships to faraway places like Europe, South America, Russia and Antarctica.

When asked what she admired best about her husband, Renate said: “His sense of humor, and he was always so honest. He never said anything bad about anybody that I’ve ever heard. He was the love of my life.”

He gladly welcomed Renate’s family into his life and enjoyed visits by the grandchildren every summer.

Carl’s reputation for integrity led him to become leader of White Pass Lodge No. 1, Free and Accepted Masons (he had achieved 32nd degree), and numerous boards and committees: Museum Board (chair), Conservation Committee (chair), SS Princess Sophia Committee (chair), Clinic Board, and Skagway Centennial Committee, among others. He was instrumental in the creation of the Veterans Memorial, the Skagway Centennial Statue and Time Capsule, and the SS Princess Sophia Memorial, which was dedi-

Page 9

Carl as chair of the SS Princess Sophia Committee, speaking at the memorial dedication in October 2018. - photo by Jeff Brady

cated in October 2018.

Carl became sick in 2019 but remained active as long as he could. During the summer of 2020 he was often seen walking his dog, Rosie, on the disc golf course and Yakutania Point trails. And whenever a new engine arrived on the barge, he was there with his camera.

In addition to his wife, Re-

Carl at home in 2018.

SVFD photo

nate, of Skagway, Carl is survived by two step-children: Steven Spalleck (and Lisa) of Penticton, British Columbia, and Sandra Doan of Simco, Ontario; five grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and numerous cousins in Skagway and afar.

A graveside service by the local Masonic Lodge was being planned for Friday,

Nov. 12 at 1 p.m.

Carl will be carried to the site by SVFD Engine No. 2.

The family has asked that memorial gifts in Carl’s name be sent to the Skagway Volunteer Fire Department.

Compiled for the family by Jeff Brady and Keith Nore

Courtesy of Keith Nore

SVFD photo

Another shot of Carl with the engine when he was fire chief. In this one he is wearing the flame Carl with restored Engine No. 2 before the 2020 4th of July parade. shirt and a hat with the patch that he designed.

Page 10

Family Fun Page - print and share Across 1 Feeling of hunger 5 “Four Weddings --- Funeral” 9 Operatic solo 10 Director of “Amadeus” 13 Unfortunate 15 Mournful ring 16 Great ideas 17 In peril 19 Fink 20 Coats 23 Going 26 Old capital on the Vistula 30 One way to hydrate in hospital 32 The first Mrs. Trump 33 A shared characteristic, if common 36 Inactive state 37 Diamond team 38 Kind of year 39 Where holes are started Down 1 Arctic garment

Be BEAR aware this fall.

Nov. 12, 2021

THE SKAGWAY NEWS

2 --- you forgetting something?

22 Learned one 3 It hangs near Chad 23 Chances 4 Vampire repellent 24 Erode 5 Toward the stern 25 Last edition 6 A negative 27 --- Holmes, a Tom 7 Street Cruise ex 8 Fossil resin 28 One- --- (basketball de 11 Egyptian dancing-girl fense strategy) 12 Digs of twigs 29 Merchandise 14 “Born Free” lioness 31 Sit for a portrait 18 Fearsome initials 34 “Mamma” follower 21 Emerald Isle 35 Web-connection co.

Last issue’s answers

color me

CLASSIFIEDS

THE SKAGWAY NEWS

Nov. 12, 2021

News Classified Ads cost 40 cents per word, $4 minimum.

Ads must be pre-paid unless advertiser has a business account with the newspaper.

Payment can be made by cash, check or credit card. Out-oftown ads must be pre-paid with a credit card and should be phoned in to 907-9832354. All ads appear in our online edition for a minimum of two weeks.

BUSINESS FOR SALE: Gold Digger Mine and Dine For more information see https://www. skagway.forsale/

JOBS-OPPORTUNITIES HOUSING AND PROPERTY COMMERCIAL-PROPERTY

MARKETPLACE FOR SALE PERSONALS-MISC. SERVICES FOOD BANK DONATIONS WELCOME. Donations may be sent to the Food Bank, PO Box 200, Skagway, AK 99840. The local Food Bank helps those in need with groceries. If you need assistance, or know anyone who needs assistance, at any time of year, call any pastor or 907-6120313.

BROADWAY BULLETIN BOARD COMMUNITY CALENDAR Library Hours: M-F 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Sat 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Closed Sunday (COVID-19 mitigation practices are in place) Call 983-2665 or email library@skagway.org Dahl Clinic Winter Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Closed Sat. and Sun. For after-hours emergencies, please dial 911.

Incinerator Hours T, Th, Sa. 1 - 3 p.m.

Skagway Museum 907-983-2420 Border stations: 7 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Call each station for specifics.

Ferry Terminal Hours M-F 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

See www.skagway.org for borough meeting updates.

Email Updates & New Events: editor@skagwaynews.com

SKAGWAY WORSHIP DIRECTORY Assembly of God Church

8th & State • 907-983-2350 Sun. Worship....................11 a.m.

Wed. Bible Devotions & Prayer 7 p.m.

Email skagwayag@outlook.com

First Presbyterian Church 5th & Main • 983-2260 Sunday Worship 10 a.m.

Women’s Prayer 10 a.m Tues.

Bible Study time varies.

Please inquire.

Online access available to all events.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

11th & State • 983-2518 Sun. Sacrament Meeting...10 a.m.

Sun. School/Primary ...11:10 a.m.

Relief Society/Priesthood..12 p.m.

St. Therese Catholic Church 9th & State • 983-2271 Sun. Mass.......................5 p.m.

Mass Mon. & Tues.....12:10 p.m. (when a priest is available)

RECREATION CTR SCHED Skagway Recreation Center • 12th & Main • 983-2679 Cardio • Weight Room • Locker Rooms • Showers • Rock Wall OPEN regular hours Please sign up for classes, wt. room use and cardio floor use at https://signupschedule.com/src

The Municipality of Skagway is accepting proposals for Skagway Municipal Area Regional Transportation (SMART) or bus/shuttle service for Skagway and the surrounding area to accommodate and serve travelers, seasonal workers, and residents beginning April 1, 2022. Proposals are due by 2:00 p.m. on November 30, 2021 at 700 Spring St. in Skagway, Alaska and the RFP can be found at www. skagway.org.

Page 11

BITES ON BROADWAY is making application for a new BEVERAGE DISPENSARYTOURISM A.S. 04.11.400d liquor license doing business as BITES ON BROADWAY located at 648 BROADWAY SKAGWAY, AK 99840. Interested persons should submit written comment to their local governing body, the applicant, and to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board at 550 West 7th Ave. Suite 1600 Anchorage AK 99501 or alcohol.licensing@alaska.gov.

Weather Watch NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OBSERVATIONS FOR PREVIOUS 24-HOUR PERIOD BEFORE 7 A.M.

DATE MAX MIN PREC

Weather Watch 10/14 -11/5 10/14 46 10/15 47 10/16 46 10/17 42 10/18 35 10/19 43 10/20 44 10/21 47 10/22 48 10/23 49 10/24 44 10/25 44 10/26 44 10/27 43 10/28 44 10/29 43 10/30: 43 10/31 43 11/1 42 11/2 47 11/3 44 11/4 45 11/5 45

40 39 31 22 25 28 34 36 36 39 31 31 35 35 37 38 38 30 25 27 37 28 29

.48 .01 .10 .08 .39 .11 .19 .14 .01 .05 .04 .18 .04 .04 .02 .22 .04 .01

Page 12

Panthers

Nov. 12, 2021

THE SKAGWAY NEWS

Skagway Lady Panthers Volleyball hosted the Haines Glacier Bears Nov. 5 and 6. The Panthers won Friday’s match 3-0 and Saturday’s match 3-1.

Photos by Jaime Bricker

Coach Marianna Murphy and the Skagway Lady Panthers applaud their opponents out of respect for a great game.

Tatum Sager spikes the ball as Zoe Whitehead lays in wait.

Tatum Sager sends the ball over the net as a Glacier Bear player prepares to block.

Kaitlyn Tronrud and Tessa Murphy set up a play.

Kaitlyn Tronrud, Tatum Sager, Elizabeth Werz and Kennedy Cox.