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Monday
February 10, 2020
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News Analysis: Marine Highway facing rough waters; Costs spiral as the state reduces funding leading to layups and service cutbacks By DAVE KIFFER - For nearly 60 years, the Alaska Marine Highway System has run from one end of the Alaska coast the other and sometimes beyond. But where the AHMS goes in the future is anyone's guess.
Four of the remaining 12 ships in the system are in semi-permanent layup and are unlikely to ever be deployed by the system again. At best, they could be sold, at worst they could end up being scrapped like the Taku, one of the original three "Blue Canoes" to join the fleet in 1963.
The two fast ferries, the Fairweather and the Chenega, will never go back into service. The mainliner Malaspina and the smaller Aurora both require "expensive" hull refits that the state says it can't pay for and neither is likely to sail Alaskan waters again.
Even that, though, is subject to debate. Which is a better - or a more likely - use of state funds. Around $16 million to repair the Malaspina or upwards of $200 million to replace it? The AHMS is already removing fixtures from the Malaspina so the state has clearly made the decision to surplus it.
Meanwhile, the last of the remaining original "blue canoes," the Matanuska just came back into service after a two-year refit and immediately suffered a major breakdown of its reduction gears and is now out of service at least for the next several weeks.
For the first time since the early 1960s, there is no mainline state of Alaska ferry in service. The only AMHS vessel operating this month is the shuttle ferry Lituya going between Ketchikan and Metlakatla. Even the smaller feeder ferries - the LeConte and the Aurora - that usually operate between the smaller communities in Southeast and Prince William Sound, are out of the service. A new Alaska Class ferry, the Tazlina, is expected to go into service between Juneau and Haines and Skagway sometime in March.
The Columbia, the Kennicott and the Tustemena are all on scheduled layup, meaning they are out of service until traffic increases in the spring and the summer.
The future use of the brand new Alaska Class ferries, the Tazlina and the Hubbard, is uncertain. The ships were originally built to service Lynn Canal from Juneau, but larger than expected repair/renovation bills for the LeConte and the Aurora have put those ships futures into question and the state is considering replacing the older ships with the newer ones on those runs.
Unfortunately, the Alaska Class ships were built without crew quarters making them unusable on some of the longer runs. The newer ships would also require expensive modifications to be able to use docks other than the ones in Haines and Skagway. The state is even considering building a new ferry terminal in Berners Bay, 30 miles north of Juneau to shorten the Lynn Canal run.
Areas that have long been a part of the service, such as Prince Rupert, British Columbia, have seen service temporarily ended. Under the proposed summer of 2020 schedule, Prince Rupert will get every other week service, but towns like Tenakee Springs and Pelican which have had service for many years are now out of the loop. As is Angoon.
The State of Alaska recently commissioned a report to address structural changes in the system. One of the questions the report asked was whether or not the state could find a private company to operate the fleet with a state subsidy of $25 million or less - roughly a quarter of what the state has traditionally spent to operate the system. The answer - to the state's disappointment - was a resounding "no."
Other options are also being considered, such as forming a public corporation to operate the ferries similar to how the Alaska Railroad operates. Once again, if the state is only willing to put in $25 million the answer is "no" unless you cut out the unprofitable runs. Which would be every run except Juneau to Lynn Canal and Ketchikan to Metlakatla.
Meanwhile, prices continue to rise at the same time that service is being cut back. The system has instituted a flexible pricing system which raises rates based on popularity of the run and how close to sailing the tickets are purchased. Raising rates on runs which compete with air service is problematic because in more than a few cases it is actually cheaper to fly than to take the ferry. The result is that ridership has continued to drop and is now half of what it was a decade ago. It's hard to see that as anything other than a death spiral.
The governor and the Legislature will have to decide what the next step is in terms of long term structural changes. The FY 20 budget featured a $40 million cut in the state operating subsidy. Communities that receive AMHS have been told to expect another cut in FY 21. But what that amount is, is unknown. State Legislators have said they support the system and want to restore service to traditional levels as well as take care of the maintenance needs to get as many ships as possible back into action. But as of now the only thing the Legislature has done is agree to cuts to the system that are not quite as deep as proposed by Governor Dunleavy.
Meanwhile, the ferry system has put out a tentative summer schedule that shows service to Prince Rupert returning, every other week. There is no guarantee that the next winter schedule will continue that service. Issues such as Canadian police staffing of the terminal and whether to spend several million dollars to make necessary repairs to the nearly 60-year-old facility remain unresolved. - More...
Monday PM - February 10, 2020
Alaska: AMHS Working to Provide Interim Passenger and Freight Service - The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) announced today that last week the AMHS issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gather details from marine charter companies about the services they can provide.
According to a news release from the Alaska Department of Transportation, the AMHS is working with the responding companies to establish options for interim passenger and freight service for the Northern Panhandle in the near future. Once dates are set, AMHS will work with communities to give them enough time to plan.
The Request for Information (RFI) was issued to identify companies that could provide service after Alaska Marine Highway System vessels were "unexpectedly" sidelined, quoting a news release. The aging fleet of ferries requires more costly and time-consuming repairs. - More...
Monday PM - February 10, 2020 |
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Southeast Alaska: AIDEA Bolsters Support for Ucore's Bokan Heavy Rare Earth Element Project - The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority(AIDEA) is the development finance arm of the State of Alaska. AIDEA has financed hundreds of projects around the state from smaller businesses to larger infrastructure development projects. AIDEA has been involved in mineral development and mining infrastructure financing.
Ucore announced today that AIDEA, with the support of Alaska Governor Michael Dunleavy, recently expressed its renewed and augmented interest in "... working toward the development of a processing plant for rare earth metals in Southeast Alaska and the eventual development of the Bokan rare earth deposit on Prince of Wales Island."
"Ucore is grateful to AIDEA for its continued support of our efforts toward project development in Southeast Alaska," said Jim McKenzie, President & CEO of Ucore.
McKenzie said, "The $145 million AIDEA bonds authorization by the Alaska Legislature for the Bokan Rare Earth Project, and the recent notification regarding potential AIDEA conduit bond financing for the Alaska SMC uniquely positions Ucore in its pursuit to advance these projects. The current U.S. government initiatives to liberate North America from Chinese dependence on REEs require an element of self-funding that the AIDEA financing may provide or contribute to, and it distinguishes the potential development of Bokan apart from other Heavy REE projects."
"Ucore is embarking on a series of incremental engineering and technical development activities to bolster its knowledge of Bokan and to enhance its capabilities regarding the planned Alaska SMC separation and purification facility," stated Mike Schrider, COO of Ucore.
Schrider said, "AIDEA's potential financing assistance will be fundamental as we look to aggregate these various technical initiatives within the eventual feasibility study that is ultimately required for the development of the Bokan mineral resource." - More...
Monday PM - February 10, 2020 |
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Ketchikan: Cultural Integration – Native Language Gathering in Ketchikan By Lisa X’unyéil Worl - Recently the Association of Alaska School Boards brought together AASB STEPS partners Tlingit Haida Central Council, University of Alaska Southeast, Sealaska Heritage Institute and Hoonah, Hydaburg, Sitka, Juneau, and Yakutat School Districts along with Lower Kuskokwim School District, Goldbelt Inc. and Ketchikan Indian Community to share and to work together on Native language scope and sequence curriculum development.
Alaska schools have been working to close the achievement gap in a variety of ways from boards setting strategic goals around professional development including staff training on how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) impacts student learning. The School Climate and Connectedness Survey (SCCS) includes questions asking staff, student and families about safety, not so much in the physical sense but in relation to cultural safety.
Our school staff and teachers recognize that our students are coming into the classrooms needing support given some of the intergenerational trauma many Alaskan Native families experienced. As we presented cultural integration sessions at the statewide Safety and Well-being Conference as well as at our Association of Alaska School Board conference, our Alaska Native teachers and staff have been sure to remind others that while trauma is present so is cultural strength. They rightly have pointed out that the Alaska Native culture is an asset that can be used as we teach our students.
Culture is a resiliency factor and as noted in the Transforming Schools: A Framework for Trauma-Engaged Practice in Alaska chapter on Cultural Integration and Community Co-Creation “Working in ways that integrate content, ways of learning and students’ cultures can ensure students can build new knowledge sets and achieve high-order thinking more quickly.”
Stated simply by our Lingít and X?aad Kíl speakers during our gathering – Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian culture, which includes language, is healing. In their conversations they shared that “Nothing is more valuable than our languages and that needs to be a core value of our organizations.”, “Our languages are healing us as we learn and speak” and “Being multi-lingual improves brain development.”
The language teachers noted some of the challenges too such as: - More...
Monday PM - February 10, 2020
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Alaska: The State of Alaska enters a Digital Alliance with Microsoft -
Alaska Department of Administration Commissioner Kelly Tshibaka announced today the State of Alaska has entered into a Digital Alliance with the Microsoft Corporation. This alliance will form the basis of ongoing cooperation with Microsoft on several strategic initiatives of great importance to the State of Alaska.
“This new partnership advances Governor Dunleavy’s priority of developing jobs and the economy by helping to improve digital skills for Alaska’s students and promoting broadband access for our rural, native communities,” said Commissioner Tshibaka. “It also will significantly advance our efforts to modernize the State’s IT practices and strengthen our cyber security.”
Among the initiatives are efforts to modernize State information technology and establish training and skills development programs. Microsoft will support significant State cloud migration priorities, which will enable increased data security, improved business agility, and greater cost savings for the State. Microsoft also will come alongside the State to promote greater broadband access in rural communities with Alaskan internet service providers.
Quoting the news release, this partnership will deliver meaningful results for Alaskans, as Microsoft will help advance the State’s utilization of leading-edge Business Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence resources and data-driven decision making, cultivating a more efficient and agile workforce that provides improved service to Alaskans.
Through this Alliance, Microsoft will also support expanded educational opportunities for young Alaskans by assisting with the roll out of Microsoft Teams, a collaboration and communication tool, for enhanced distance delivered e-learning. Teams is available at no cost to academic institutions. Microsoft will also coordinate with the State to provide STEM focused training to get students excited about science and technology and encourage them to consider STEM career paths. This may include the Microsoft DigiGirlz Camps. DigiGirlz High Tech Camps are one day, or multi-day career day program geared to dispel stereotypes of women in the high-tech industry. The camps give girls first-hand experience with cutting-edge technologies that may include robotics, coding, apps development, engineering kits, creating social media sites, etc. - More...
Monday PM - February 10, 2020
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Taking a deep dive into Alaska’s
record-breaking warm year
By HEATHER MCFARLAND
With the Alaska climate divisions created by UAF scientists, conditions like this unseasonably warm February afternoon at UAF are easier to place in the context of the long-term climate trend.
UAF photo by Todd Paris |
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Alaska: Taking a deep dive into Alaska’s record-breaking warm year By HEATHER MCFARLAND - Alaska had its warmest year on record in 2019, making a big splash across state, national and even world news. That ranking would not be possible without the diligent and forward-looking work of a handful of University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists.
Each month the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration assesses the U.S. climate by examining long-term temperature and precipitation trends. The agency produces annual climate rankings and other products only for states that have been subdivided into official climate divisions. Until 2015, Alaska was not one of them.
The Lower 48 states created their climate divisions in the early 1950s, in many cases by hand drawing boundaries based on county lines or intuition. Now, NOAA has rigorous procedures that ensure the divisions are determined by statistics and objective climate data.
The goal is for climate variables in the same division to have the same kinds of patterns, explained Uma Bhatt, a climate scientist at the UAF Geophysical Institute. “Temperatures in a specific division vary in a similar way, they go up together and they go down together,” she said.
Bhatt and Rick Thoman, who was with NOAA’s National Weather Service at the time, championed the creation of Alaska’s climate divisions. Peter Bieniek, then a graduate student and now a climate scientist at the UAF International Arctic Research Center, led the effort.
To define the boundaries of each division, Bieniek examined weather station data from 1977-2009, looking for clusters of locations with similar climate patterns. After using statistics to lump stations, he turned to National Weather Service offices and forecast centers across Alaska for fine tuning.
“We knew roughly the clusters, but where do you draw the lines?” asked Bieniek.
The team received substantial pushback from science reviewers over the use of “local expert knowledge,” something Bieniek felt was critical considering the sparsity of data in some areas of the state.
The weather experts’ role was particularly important in Southeast Alaska. For example, NWS Juneau forecaster Frederick Fritsch provided input that ultimately redefined the division Skagway belonged to. The community was influenced by weather patterns much different than the coastal area surrounding it.
“The collaborative process that Peter went through and Uma encouraged, in the end resulted in an infinitely better product,” said Thoman, who is now a climate specialist at the UAF Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy. - More...
Monday PM - February 10, 2020
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ARTHUR MARTIN: Curse of Big Cities - My water heater stopped working during a cold freeze. I planned for a cold winter after moving into my house last winter and experiencing the joys of frozen water, a broken water pump, and a broken water heater that all froze because the previous owners didn't do a good job winterizing.
“Not this year!” I proclaimed to myself as I spent the summer of 2019 saving up money and redoing the pipes under my house and boxing everything in with insulation. Meticulously, finding (most) of the air gaps that could freeze the pipes and filling them with expandable foam and installing a heat lamp. When the winter finally hit I triumphantly gloated to myself (how 'umble of me!) as my neighbors water all froze and I still had mine...
Until, my water heater stopped working.
What good is running water if you can't take a hot shower? Turns out it's still better than nothing, however, the problem that I ran into is that because I don't live in a city and instead live in “The Middle of Nowhere, Alaska” I can't JUST go buy a new water heater. The water heaters that are sold here on Prince of Wales start at $1K and they aren't the same on-demand water heater brand that mine is, which means that if I wanted to fix my water ASAP, I would also have to completely redo the vent system in the house, of all which costs big money and lots of time!
“Why am I reading so much about water heaters?” you may be thinking, “when the name of the article is Curse of Big Cities?
Good question!
If I lived in a big city and rented chances are I would never have issues with a water heater and if I did, I would call the landlord and let them worry about the headache for me, while reserving the right to complain daily hourly as progress on my water situation wasn't progressing to my liking.
Living in a city is so much easier!
Even if I DID own my own house in a city, I could go on Amazon and have a new water heater delivered to my doorstep in less than 24hrs and not have to pay retail prices at some mom-n-pop shop. - More...
Monday PM - February 10, 2020
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Political Cartoon: Biden
By David Fitzsimmons ©2020, The Arizona Star, Tucson, AZ
Distributed to paid subscribers for publication by Cagle Cartoons, Inc. |
AMHS Update from the Legislature By Rep. Dan Ortiz - Let’s talk about the prospects of this year’s legislative session and budget deliberations as they relate to the AMHS. Our ferry system has been at the forefront of many legislative conversations:
On the very first day of the Alaska State Legislative session, the House Transportation Committee held a hearing titled “The Importance of AMHS to Alaska & the Need for Increased Funding.” Municipalities had the opportunity to describe how our ferry system is vital for our communities, economies, and families. Thank you specifically to Mayor Prysunka for speaking on behalf of Wrangell.
Last month, on January 15th, the Marine Transportation Advisory Board hosted a meeting to outline the recently published “AMHS Economic Reshaping Report.” At the meeting, the Department of Transportation stated that the Prince Rupert route would be continued starting May 1st.
Last month, the Department of Transportation also sought public input on their proposed ferry schedule for May 2020 through September 2020.
Last week, the Governor published his Fiscal Year 2020 Supplemental Budget. In it, Governor Dunleavy requested that the Legislature provide an additional seven million dollars for operations and an additional five million dollars for the repair of the Aurora (this is after the Governor vetoed five million dollars that the Alaska House Majority put in the budget at the end of the prior legislative session). - More...
Monday PM - February 10, 2020
Museums’ Strategic Long Range Plan By Michele Zerbetz Scott - It’s time to update the Museums’ Strategic Long Range Plan and the Ketchikan Museums are requesting help from the community. Here is some history:
In 2014, the City Council appointed community members to the re-established Museum Advisory Board. I have served on the Board since this time. The City Council charged the Board to work with Museum staff to develop a strategic long range plan. Over the next year, we worked on this endeavor, completing a 5 year plan in early 2015. The plan includes our mission statement, long range goals in categories of building/infrastructure, collections, community outreach, programs, exhibits, funding and administration, and yearly objectives for each goal.
When we developed the plan, we reviewed all the information gathered at prior community meetings where people were asked about their impressions of the museums, what they like and dislike and what their vision for the museums’ future.
In looking at the goals and objectives of the Plan, we accomplished a lot of what we set out to do. The major accomplishment was the remodel of the main level of the Tongass Historical Museum, making it more accessible, relevant and functional. Other accomplishments are a number of programs such as Museum Middays, Native Arts Studies Program classes and the beginnings of an oral history program as well as improving safe and secure storage for the collections. - More...
Monday PM - February 10, 2020
Book Recommended By Rob Holston - ALASKA’S INSIDE PASSAGE by Dale Pihlman is a book I purchased as a “self gift” before Christmas and finished reading it in time to recommend it to several friends for their Christmas. I’ve known Dale for years and have admiration for his insights and I expected a good product yet his book delivers far beyond any expectations.
The book highlights Nature, History, Native Culture & Industries with over 500 images in full color. Although I have finished reading this book I will never be finished using it as a reference. I have worked in the tourism industry for the past 35 years and would recommend this book to ALL tour guides in Ketchikan and the greater S.E. Alaska territory. I would lobby for ALASKA’S INSIDE PASSAGE, by Dale Pihlman to be adopted as a text book for high school & college level history courses. It is truly an amazing resource.
Of special interest should be to anyone of Native descent. Dale’s insightful treatment of Native history both pre & post contact will add a depth of understanding for Natives and non-natives alike. - More...
Monday PM - February 10, 2020
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Standing up for Alaska’s Pioneers By Rep. Dan Ortiz - Last year, I cosponsored and voted for House Bill 96, which reverses massive rate increases at the Pioneer Homes. This bipartisan legislation passed the House 35-4 and now is being considered by the Senate. If the Senate passes HB 96, we can reverse the devastating rate increases and provide critical financial stability both for residents and our Pioneer Home system. - More...
Tuesday PM - February 04, 2020
American Government By Hannah Ramiskey - I was shocked to hear that a Ketchikan School Board member has contacted administers and teachers of the school district to gauge their reaction to eliminating a semester of American Government in the district curriculum. Then students were asked how they felt about that and would they rather take subjects that were more interesting to them? - More...
Thursday PM - January 30, 2020
First Week of Legislative Session By Rep. Dan Ortiz - The Alaska State Legislature began its 2020 session on January 21st. Last Friday, the Legislature held a joint session to vote on overriding two of Governor Dunleavy’s vetoes of House Bill 2001 from August of 2019. The Legislature had five days once we began session to address veto overrides. HB2001 was an appropriations bill created this summer to reverse some of the items that were vetoed from the original operating budget. - More...
Thursday PM - January 30, 2020
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Focusing on the Fundamentals By Colonel Bryan W. Barlow - I am not new to Alaska or to the Alaska State Troopers, having served more than 20 years in the ranks. However I write today as the new Director for the Alaska State Troopers (AST), I want to introduce myself to Alaskans and take time to tell you what I want to accomplish while serving as Colonel for this great agency. Sports coaches often tell athletes of all ages that fancy plays aren’t what win games, its learning and mastering the fundamentals. I plan for AST to do just that: focus on our fundamentals. - More...
Thursday PM - January 30, 2020
Alzheimer’s Association Alaska By Molly Pellegrom - Being a caregiver can be isolating. It can be even more difficult for Alaskans who are not on the road system. - More...
Thursday PM - January 30, 2020
I DID NOT KNOW THE RUSSIANS ARE OUR DEAREST FRIENDS??? By David G Hanger - I had a conversation a few days ago with a young friend of mine in his mid-30s who spent quite a bit of time explaining to me in detail how much the Russians are and have been our dearest friends. I am real curious what web sites, news sites, etc. are propagating these brilliant observations about our dear Russian friends that I may be informed and educated on the source of this drivel. - More...
Thursday PM - January 30, 2020
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A Practice in Health By John Cross - Under the Affordable Care Act, hospitals are required to publish detailed financial reports. One report hospitals are required to release is called the: Schedule H Form. The Schedule H Form outlines how much money-losing care hospitals offer to their patients; hospitals refer to this number as their “charity care” (Internal Revenue Service, 2019). Hospitals, in exchange for receiving tax breaks at the State, Local, and Federal level, are expected to provide a reasonable amount of charity care (Government Accountability Office, 2018). The City of Ketchikan’s hospital lease with PeaceHealth expires in 2023. This paper will argue that the City of Ketchikan should examine PeaceHealth’s local and corporate practices before extending PeaceHealth’s hospital lease. - More...
Saturday PM - January 25, 2020
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Cripple Iran's Strategic Weapons By Donald Moskowitz - In a New Hampshire Union Leader oped Dr. Jessica Tuchman Mathews described why the Trump administration should continue the Iranian nuclear agreement. She delved into the value of the agreement and how the U.S. and the world were relatively safe from a nuclear attack by Iran for 15 years if the agreement remained in force. This was terrible thinking. - More...
Saturday PM - January 25, 2020
AMHS Reshaping Draft Report By A. M. Johnson - Regarding the long awaited for report on the future status of the Alaska Marine Highway System, I first was furious at the content as I thought of the thousands of dollars spent on this result. - More...
Monday AM - January 20, 2020
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