Local Disaster Emergency Declared; Ketchikan Area Facility Operations UpdatePosted & Edited By MARY KAUFFMAN
March 17, 2020
In accordance with the recommendations of the Ketchikan EOC, the City and Borough Mayors have declared a disaster emergency in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, City of Ketchikan, and City of Saxman. The Ketchikan Borough Assembly will be convening in an emergency meeting at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in the Borough Assembly Chambers at White Cliff, 1900 First Avenue. The purpose of the meeting is to: ratify the declaration of disaster emergency; consider an emergency ordinance suspending certain provisions of borough code during the disaster emergency; consider a letter to the Congressional Delegation urging suspension of the Jones Act; and other topics related to the disaster emergency. The public is invited to attend, however the White Cliff Building is closed to for all other public access. The public is encouraged to access the meeting via the live feed on KPU, GCI, or online (click here). Citizens may submit public comments to be read into the record to boroclerk@kgbak.us. Ketchikan City and Ketchikan Borough Facility Updates At 5:00 Monday afternoon the City of Ketchikan, City of Saxman, and Ketchikan Borough administrative facilities will be closed to physical public access until further notice. In addition to the facilities previously closed on March 13 and March 15, 2020, the City and Borough facilities that are now closed to the public include:
Ketchikan City and Borough administrative offices will continue to operate under normal business hours and staff will be available to assist citizens via online and telephonic services. The closure of facilities is meant to minimize interaction of the public in order to reduce the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus. While there remain to be no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ketchikan, these precautions are taken to prevent a potential spread. The Ketchikan City and Borough encourage online and telephonic payment methods, as well as conducting business and communications via email and telephone. Ketchikan city services can be accessed by visiting the City of Ketchikan’s website at www.ktn-ak.us or call 907.225.3111. Ketchikan Borough services can be accessed by visiting Ketchikan Gateway Borough’s website at www.kgbak.us or call 907.228.6605. The City of Ketchikan announced on Sunday, March 15th, that it will close the Ketchikan Public Library and Tongass Historical Museum effective March 15, 2020, through March 31, 2020. The Ketchikan Library and Museum will not be open to the public beginning March 15, through March 31, 2020. Ketchikan City and Borough Service Updates During Pandemic In an effort to facilitate working from home, KPU customers will be provided an increased internet speed, and has announced that there will be NO charge for overages on any internet plan for residential or business. Additionally, the City of Ketchikan is suspending parking permit requirements. To assist elderly patrons, the Ketchikan Borough has announced that the yellow tax exempt senior cards do not expire until further notice, and seniors may give their card to any person to assist them with shopping so that elders may more effectively self-quarantine. Group Gatherings In following the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, Ketchikan officials recommend that public gatherings and events be canceled. The CDC guidelines are available at the following link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/large-events/mass-gatherings-ready-for-covid-19.html. For events that cannot be canceled, local officials encourage online or telephonic participation. For Ketchikan Borough Assembly meetings the public is encouraged to access the live feed via KPU, GCI, or online at For Ketchikan City Council meetings the public is encouraged to access the live feed via KPU, GCI, or online at www.ktn-ak.us/current-agendas-and-minutes. During this time, Ketchikan citizens can submit questions or comments to be read aloud during the meeting to clerks@city.ketchikan.ak.us. Continued Information Again, there are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ketchikan If that changes, the Ketchikan EOC will work diligently to ensure the public is notified and to take all actions necessary to respond to the situation in order to protect our community. The decisions that have been made are in an effort to be proactive and are out of an abundance of caution. Local governments continue to work together to make sure that Ketchikan has the most up-to-date information available with access to key information. Barge Services The Port of Ketchikan remains open and barge services are still fully functioning according the a press release from the KGB. The barge companies in Ketchikan have confirmed that operations are progressing normally. There is no anticipated change in barge service. Federal Facility Update: In addition to the EOC updates for the Ketchikan area, on Monday, the USDA Forest Service announced they are asking all visitors to self-assess before going to Forest Service offices in their area. Signs have been posted at all southeast Alaska offices with guidance for obtaining entrance to conduct business, which may include setting up an appointment to enhance social distancing and minimize the number of visitors in offices at one time. Additionally, the Forest Service has decided to postpone their Friday Night Insights at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center and Fireside Lectures at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, closing both visitor centers until further notice. The Alaska Hummingbird Festival at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center, previously scheduled for April, has also been postponed.
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