 By Czajkowski Wieslaw June 20, 2005
FUTURE OF KETCHIKAN Posted on 11/10/2004 6:08:35 PM PST by FUTURE OF KETCHIKAN October 20, 2004 To Honorable Governor of Alaska, Frank Murkowski: Reluctance of Ketchikan's Authorities to respond to the proposal of creation of a culturally and commercially developed complex (with permanently moored cruiser there), integrating the Ketchikan International Airport (KIA) on both sides of the Tongass Narrows into one, reassures my conviction that the Gravina Access Project (GAP) of spanning the Revillagigedo Island with the Gravina Island by multimillion expensive, high rising bridge(s), will not serve interest of the community of Ketchikan, but an interest of inventors of the GAP (please find the proposal, below). Imposition on the community 15,000 strong of the GAP, not only ignores budgetary constrains of the State having in sight expenditures on the natural gas pipeline from the North Slope , but mostly ignores environmental damages would be caused by its implementation. The GAP s futuristic objectives provide a North Gravina Industrial Park with Pacific Log and Lumber company; the South Gravina Fisheries Industrial Park, and the Clam Cove Community Development, which all together will cause deforestation of the Gravina s rainforest reserve, thus in a long run will make changes in the ecological niche of Ketchikan. Moreover, the GAP is not compatible with recommended Float Plane Zones with already heavy traffic, circa 9,000 landings annually, because the bridge(s) will obstruct fly paths of the planes. It also will not meet navigational requirements in the North, West and East channels of the Narrows with intense traffic of ocean bound vessels within the seismic risky region. The rainforests of Ketchikan are natural treasures and the most attractive features for the almost one million tourists passing through Ketchikan annually. Such high number of them already calls for expansion of the Ketchikan Harbor. In such a scenario, the GAP will not serve much over of the most recent number of ca 9,500 inbound, and similar amount of outbound KIA s passengers, so far being adequately served by existing ferries, carrying ca 400,000 passengers and ca 100,000 vehicles annually. The proposed complex will not serve only those 400,000 transitory, ferrying passengers, but the community all the year round. So, from its current status, the community will become recreational and tourist oriented entity, with no negative impacts on its eco-niche. Because the complex seems to be more beneficial for the entire Southeast Alaska, I do hope that Hon. Governor will devote his precious time in order to prevent imposition of the GAP upon Ketchikians, and allows the proposal to surface. With high regards SOURCES: (1) Tongass Narrows Aviation Conditions Summary, 1999; (2) Ketchikan 2020 & GAP, 2000; (3) Tidal Current Measurement and Analysis Tongass Narrows at Ketchikan, 2002; (4) Cruise Berth Alternatives by Ketchikan Visitors Bureau, 2004; (5) GAP Environmental Impact Statement, September 2004; (6) Other. September 29, 2004 Dear Mayors of the City of Ketchikan and of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough: As a most recent visitor to Alaska, I wish to share with you and all of Mayors cooperatives on the Revillagigedo Island and far beyond my humble opinion, that facilities of the Airport Ferry Terminal and of the Ketchikan International Airport should be maintained both as one, a commercial and cultural complex of local and of world prominence. With such a complex the tourism oriented Tongass National Forest will gain an attractive asset and people will never complain for disservices being already occurring there, as for instance, due to hostile elements. The complex's concept provides ferries integrated into it, as ones not prone to earthquakes plaguing Alaska. Therefore it does not envision pedestrians shuttling to the airport by a tunnel. It challenges the preferred, forest exploitation oriented Pennock Island crossings, for this purpose combined with the North Gravina Industrial Park. As an environmentally sound, the complex may serve recreational activities all the year round. With renown projectors of San Diego City, I would be very happy to contribute to Ketchikan's glamorous future if, of course, Honorable Mayors Offices have not yet in store comparable projects. Please let me know whether I might be of further assistance. With regards Wieslaw Czajkowski, San Diego, CA 92038, e-mail address: wieslaw@prweb.com CULTURAL-COMMERCIAL COMPLEX (CCC) PROJECT'S PRESENTATION The main goal of the CCC is to integrate the Ketchikan International Airpot (KIA) with the City of Ketchikan. The CCC would embrace an area between the shore line of the Tongass Narrows, a channel, and the North Tongass Highway including the existing Airport Ferry Dock and Vehicle Parking to the East, and the confluence of the shore line to the West with the Quarry when its works do cease. The goal can be achieved by: 1/ Isolating both, the KIA s passenger terminal and its adjacent ferry dock with the airport ferry dock on the opposite side of the channel from bad weather conditions. 2/ Introducing speedy passenger transportation vessels combined with the existing, which should provide only transportation of vehicles and cargos. 3/ Permanently moored, retrofitted cruiser with a sandy beach on its inland side. When the goal's objectives would be met, the tourism industry summer activities would switch to the CCC and keep it busy. The industry s business in no way would be interrupted, although its expansion is being planned (see the Cruiser Berth Alternatives by the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau, as attached). The attractiveness of the CCC would be greater if the speedy transportation vessel system would be substituted by a tubed, moving walkway system, earthquake resistant.. The tubed system would descend from a trench North of the moored cruiser to the middle of the channel and there from ascend at the same grade to the KIA s terminal. The tubed system would serve both the air flight ticketed and non-ticketed pedestrians, thus preventing traffic congestions at the CCC and the KIA. Comparison of the speedy passenger vessel transportation system with the tubed one, convinces enough about greater effectiveness of the latter for being a state of the art it would make Ketchikan with its precious environment famous across the world. Even without the moored cruiser, and without the tubed system, the CCC in harsh climatic conditions has a merit, while the projected spanning of the Revillagigedo Island with the Gravina Island has not if one considers that the region in not as populated as the City of San Diego is (see the attached Coronado Bridge plus the Tongass Narrows Bridge over the East Channel). For more arguments pertaining the CCC, please take a look at letters to Hon. Mayors of the City of Ketchikan and the Ketchikan Gateway Borough of Sep. 29 and to Hon. Governor of Alaska of Oct.20, 2004. Attached are: 1. A map of the
CCC plus Cruiser; 2. Bathymetry; 3. Tongass Narrows ADCP Transects;
4. North End Alternative - 6 Berths; 5. Itineraries of Cruisers
for the year 2005; 6. Three recommendations vs Gravina Access
Project plus its preferred Alternative F1; 7. The Coronado Bridge
plus the East Channel Bridge. (10-27-04/W.Cz.)
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sitnews.
|