Whittier public projects slowly moving forward
By Rob Cone-Clark
Turnagain Times Correspondent
Who is managing the affairs for the city of Whittier? This month it’s John Janik, the city’s newly hired interim city manager. Last month it was Ed Barret, the former city manager and Harbor Master, and at the end of last year, it was Mark Earnest, the city manager who left in January for a job as the borough manager in Haines.
After five years of steady growth under the direction of Earnest, Whittier is facing a problem endemic in rural Alaska. How to manage capital improvements, the planning and construction of which lasts longer than the terms of a typical local administrators. So how is Whittier doing?
One Harbor Master, two city managers, a director of administration, a commissions clerk and a harbor officer all parted ways with the city in the last year. The resulting vacuum left the Whittier City Council scrambling to keep pace with a plethora of grant administration deadlines and capital projects.
Past interim manager, Ed Barret, sitting alone in the city offices, contracted with the public policy research and management-consulting firm Information Insights, to oversee Whittier’s grants. Mr. Barret also continued to rely on his relationships with USKH and PND Engineering for planning and consulting support.
Current city manager, John Janik, said, “These grants and projects were very important to Mr. Barret. He really wanted to see them through and did everything in his power to push them along.”
However, some deadlines have been missed.
“Ed Barret planned to take advantage of an annual Department of Transportation Public Facilities matching funds grant,” Janik said. “His idea was to apply to DOT for up to $5 million dollars. He would match those from a mix of financing sources.”
Part of that mix was a revenue bond. It would be issued to the Whittier Small Boat Harbor Enterprise Fund. The mix of financing would provide up to $10 million to be used for a complete rebuild of all harbor basin infrastructure, including, floats, fingers, grids, lighting, electrical, plumbing, pump out stations, launches and a harbor master building.
It would also require a steep increase in harbor moorage rates, which mobilized the Whittier Boat Owners Association.
“We ran into opposition amongst some of the boaters and got off our schedule to match those funds,” Janik said. “We missed an application deadline last month. Our current plan is to regroup, explore the best mix of finance options, and be ready for the next round of annual DOT PF grants.”
Public Works director Scott Korbe said, “PND Engineering produced our plans. The Harbor Improvement Project is 100 percent designed and permitted.”
The city manager added, “As it stands, we will be releasing bid packets mid-September for an already funded uplands improvement. The scope of work will include moving buildings away from the harbor, installing sheet pile, then dredging the harbor basin and filling behind the pile.”
This work is expected to be completed during this winter season, he said.
Last month the City Council awarded a $3 million contract to Pruhs Construction for the next phase of Shotgun Cove Road.
“Mobilization has begun” said Korbe. “Expect to see equipment up there within the next couple of weeks. In this segment, we will bring the project past the land owned by Chugach Alaska Corporation and to the city deeded lands at the Emerald Cove Trailhead.”
The plan calls for Pruhs to drill and blast 2,200 feet of federal highway standards roadway. This will produce around 100,000 yards of material.
“Our contractors will haul the shot rock forward about one mile where it will be stockpiled,” he said. “They will clear, grub and fill their route, creating a usable haul road. Then USKH has already completed a plot map for us. They are now refining that map to reflect issues of topography and actual development.”
The city has also released bid packets for the Head of Passage Canal Development. This first phase involves the construction of parking and bathroom facilities. Construction will begin by the third week of September.
Although turnover in city leadership positions is always disruptive, Whittier administrators have found ways to cope. By engaging their professional service providers, hiring new providers and maintaining constant personal effort, the remaining staff has assured continuity in ongoing projects.
