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THE SKAGWAY NEWS.
New marine highway board PAGE 3
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November 24, 2021
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Fire crew tackles trailer fire, no injuries
By Melinda Munson A fire reported Nov. 11 at approximately 11:20 a.m. on 22nd Avenue, destroyed an unoccupied trailer home in the process of being winterized. “The guy that’s working on the house said that three hours ago he started the furnace … And came back to this,” Skagway Police Chief Jerry Reddick told KHNS. Water and smoke poured from the house as firefighters fought the flames from outside of the structure. “Due to there being no life threat, and the level of certification of our membership, an exterior and defensive attack with seven firefighters was initiated,” said Interim Fire Chief Emily Rauscher. Rauscher declined to comment on any specifics, such as the length of time it took the fire to be extinguished, until the investigation is completed. She said neighbors were not asked to evacuate the area during the incident. The Skagway Fire Department has struggled the past year with low volunteer numbers, the retirement of former chief Joe Rau and the resignations of employees Paul Meyers and Rick Ackerman. The department is also currently undergoing an independent audit. The results of that audit will be presented in an assembly of the whole meeting, Nov. 22, 7 p.m. at city hall. According to Rauscher, the department lost its FF1 accreditation about 10 years ago, which means FF1 accreditation can’t be taught in-house. FF1 certification is one of several requirements see page 3 - FIRE
Photo by Melinda Munson
Members of Skagway’s emergency crew douse a trailer fire on Nov. 11.
Muni, DOT sign MOU for future multi-use ferry dock By Melinda Munson After two and a half years of efforts, the municipality will gain more autonomy of Broadway Peninsula. In a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities announced Nov. 5, Skagway entered an agreement with the state to replace the aging ferry dock with a multi-use dock to better serve the town’s cruise ship based economy. “...it will significantly increase our waterfront and allow the MOS to diversify and expand in countless ways,” said Mayor Andrew Cremata. According to a press release from the state, “the new dock would include a dedicated berth designed for Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) ferries, a segregated dockside sufficient to satisfy the functional needs of AMHS and its customers, an additional berth
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for commercial cruise ships, and segregated entrances and exits for both cruise and AMHS passengers as well as an AMHS vehicle loading area.” The existing ferry dock, built in 1978, sank in 2014 and was refloated. It is considered functional but past its intended lifespan. Assemblymember Orion Hanson explained how the conversation with the state started. “...it’s kind of piggybacking on something the governor put out to the communities, asking for the communities to take investment in transportation and take ownership … And this MOU is a great step in that way to say that, we want to participate, we’re willing to pay for it, we’re willing to do it. We want the ferry, we want to support the needs we have for transportation in our water based community.” Cremata emphasized that
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a multi-use dock will enable small cruise ships to berth as Skagway expects an increase in larger cruise ships. The borough is also hoping to launch their own electric ferry pilot program. Per the agreement, the municipality is responsible for “locating funding for the new project” and “the maintenance expenses incurred in the operation of the project facilities.” DOT would reimburse the borough for “its proportionate share of the operation and maintenance of the newly constructed dock…” The assembly voted unanimously to approve the MOU on Sept. 16. “This has huge implica-
tions,” said Assemblymember Deb Potter. “And I think sometimes, when the public doesn’t feel like things are happening, that things are being taken care of, it’s maybe because people don’t realize you’ve been having meetings for two and a half years that resulted in something like this. So I appreciate everybody’s hard work.” As long as it took to procure the MOU, Cremata described it as just the beginning of the lengthy process of redeveloping Broadway Peninsula. “It’s the first step,” he said. “The community is going to have ample time to weigh in.”
The LeConte docks at the aging Skagway ferry terminal.
Photo by Melinda Munson
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