KRBD - Ketchikan

The Ketchikan Regional Youth Facility, a detention center for juvenile offenders, will close Sept. 15.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services announced Monday that the closure will mean the loss of 15 jobs, and Ketchikan-area youth who require detention now will be sent to Juneau.

Ketchikan’s youth facility was built in 2002, and was strongly endorsed by local officials as a way to keep youthful offenders closer to their families. It was built to hold up to 10 juveniles.

Rob Wood, director of the state’s Division of Juvenile Justice, said the Ketchikan facility has been underutilized in recent years, with an average of four youth housed there at a time.

“We actually started looking at the possibility of reprogramming the facility about four years ago, just on the possibility that we could find a way to make the utilization better and fill a need,” he said.

That didn’t work out, though, and Wood said the facility costs about $2 million a year to operate. That’s because it has to be ready for full capacity, even when it’s at less than half most of the time.

“That was an expense that as the state budget became more fragile over the last year, year and a half – since we couldn’t find a better use or a more complete use for the facility – we had to look at a decision to close,” he said.

Delinquency rates are down across the country, including Alaska, Wood said. When that happens, smaller facilities like Ketchikan’s are vulnerable to closure.

He said lower delinquency rates are a good thing, though.

“I keep telling people that the division is not in the business to be self-sustaining,” he said. “The division is in the business of doing good things for families and for the state. If we have less work to do, that is kind of a good thing, even though it’s a scary thing.”

The youth in the facility, their families, local officials and staff were told about the closure last week. As of Monday, Wood said there are six youth in the Ketchikan facility, although at least one is expected to leave this week.

Fifteen full-time employees received lay-off notices, and one facility position will be reassigned to Ketchikan’s juvenile probation office.

The division will provide assistance to the laid-off staff as they look for new jobs, Wood said. The staff was kept informed of the potential closure throughout the decision-making process.

“One of the things I’m just so proud of with them is that, despite the uncertainty with their jobs for a little while, they’ve continued to do great work with kids,” he said. “They’ve continued to support each other. It’s truly hard to say goodbye to any of them.”

The Ketchikan Regional Youth Facility was built on city of Ketchikan-owned property. Under the terms of the lease agreement, the property reverts back to the city when the state vacates the facility, Wood said.

Wood said the state has looked at other small youth facilities in Alaska to determine their feasibility, and whether they could be privatized to save the state money.

Ketchikan’s is the only one slated for closure so far.

Ken Tonjes, chief administrative officer for PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center, announced he’ll be leaving his position at the end of the year in order to be closer to his children and grandchildren.

Tonjes has been with PeaceHealth almost 27 years. His career started at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bellingham as an entry-level accountant, and worked his way up to the top. Fifteen years ago, Tonjes was named chief financial officer for Bellingham and Ketchikan, and commuted between the two.

In 2013, he was hired as CAO of PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center, and moved to the First City.

One of the accomplishments he is proud of is the completion of Phase 1 of the Ketchikan Medical Center expansion, Tonjes said. The facility has attracted new physicians to Ketchikan.

“Having a stable medical staff, with a stable facility, is really what’s important to me and what’s important to the community,” he said. “Because we want to be here for the community when the community needs us.”

Tonjes is also proud of team building.

“We have a wonderful group of caregivers that care for one another and have each other’s back,” he said. “You need that in a small community that’s challenged in health care. Health care is 24/7, 365.”

Tonjes is also pleased to have been part of establishing the Ketchikan Medical Center Foundation. He appreciates the volunteer board that runs it, and the strong community support.

Something he wishes he could have completed is securing funding for Phase 2 of the hospital renovation, Tonjes said.

“With the challenges the state has with the budget, we still have not secured funding to finish the facility master plan,” he said. “We’re kind of on hold on that. It’s still a need, but also given the reality of the economic situation here in the state, we’re just going to wait and see what happens and look at other alternatives.”

Tonjes has always recommended to his co-workers that family comes first, he said. He’s been career-driven all his life, and now feels it’s time to follow the advice he gives others.

Tonjes says he was influenced by something his grandson, Charlie, said.

“Our last Skype he said, ‘Papa. When are you coming back?’ Those kinds of things have a deep impact and I thought, ‘This is a good time to heed my advice and maybe slow things down, and take my advice, and start spending more time with family.’”

Tonjes and his wife, Nancy, both love living in Ketchikan, which makes the decision to leave was bittersweet.

“It’s been a wonderful adventure here in Ketchikan, I’ve loved it here, and even though I’m moving away in December, I’m still going to come back.”

Tonjes announced his resignation now to give PeaceHealth time to find a replacement.

The new CAO will be selected by Dale Zender, CEO of PeaceHealth’s Pacific Northwest network.

Zender will work with the Community Health Board and Community Executive Team in Ketchikan to vet candidates, Tonjes said.

The Ketchikan School Board discussed Wednesday about transgender policies for student athletes, and how such policies need to be uniform for state competitions.

Superintendent Robert Boyle gave an overview of the Alaska School Activities Association’s policy on transgender athletes:

“Whatever each school district has as their individual policies is allowable,” he said. “If a school district has no policy, then the policy is their birth certificate governs the sport that they should play in.”

Ketchikan’s policy on transgender students is inclusive, Boyle said, but other school districts are more restrictive. Because of that, he says, the ASAA policy is problematic.

“There are already multiple district policies, district approaches to this issue,” he said. “And that means that it very clearly will have districts in conflict with each other.”

Boyle asked the School Board for direction. He suggested that the district encourage ASAA to adjust its policy.

The board agreed with Boyle’s assessment of the problem.

“I think it’s a really weak move on behalf of ASAA,” board member Misty Archibald said. “I think it’s a sticky situation that they don’t really want to take a position on. Their job is to regulate activity so that there’s consistency statewide. It’s not going to work the way they’re doling this out. It’s not going to work across all the different communities in our state.”

The board directed Boyle to contact the Association of Alaska School Boards to discuss the issue.

Also Wednesday, the School Board voted to accept the resignation of Board President Michelle O’Brien, approved board goals for the coming school year and approved the purchase of $80,000 worth of Chromebook laptops for Schoenbar Middle School students.

The next Ketchikan School Board meeting is Aug. 24, which also is the first day of school for the fiscal year 2017 school year.

A parked van sparked, igniting a fire Wednesday afternoon that burned a building at 525 Stedman Street, Ketchikan.

Traffic had to be rerouted for several hours from the busy Ketchikan road – a primary route for most vehicles, including tour-related traffic.

No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported.

Assistant Fire Chief Scott Brainard said the initial report that came in was of the van on fire.

“On arrival, it was fully involved, with flame impingement against the side of the building,” he said. “And the side of the building was igniting. At that time, the fire was getting into the attic space of the building.”

City fire crews, along with crews from North and South Tongass Fire Departments responded, and Brainard said the fire was extinguished at about 2 p.m.

Ketchikan Fire Department crews checked the building for hot spots

It’s unknown how the van caught on fire.

The cause is under investigation, Brainard said.

According to the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assessment Department’s online property search, the building is owned by Villa Machini Inc.

A Tuesday afternoon standoff ended after a Prince of Whales Island man was arrested in the death of a 27-year-old woman more than a week after she was found dead next to a trail near Klawock on the island.

Judylee Guthrie’s body was discovered July 31.

An arrest warrant charging Guthrie’s boyfriend, Albert Peter Macasaet III, 27, with first-degree murder was issued Tuesday.

Macasaet produced a gun and barricaded himself inside with his children and other adults when Alaska State Troopers arrived at his mother’s house to arrest him, according to court documents.

There was no information in court documents about how long the standoff lasted. Alaska State Troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain said Wednesday morning that he did not yet have the details.

According to the complaint filed in court by Ketchikan District Attorney Stephen West, Guthrie was killed after a night at the Hill Bar in Craig.

Video surveillance from the bar shows Guthrie and Macasaet leaving with two other people shortly after 3 a.m. July 31.

About 11:30 that morning, Macasaet called the Craig Police Department to report Guthrie missing, the complaint read. At about 5:30 p.m., he called again to say he was searching for Guthrie at the Sunnahae Trail. A half-hour later, Macasaet called a third time to report that he had found Guthrie’s body.

In the complaint, West writes that Guthrie’s body was not easily visible from the trail, and even with directions from Macasaet, searchers had a difficult time spotting her.

The State Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy and confirmed Guthrie had been strangled to death.

Macasaet and Guthrie lived together in Hydaburg, and have children together. Macasaet also had a history of domestic violence arrests, including past incidents of choking Guthrie.

West notes that Guthrie was found with most of her possessions, but was missing one sandal and her phone, items allegedly found in the vehicle Macasaet was driving.

Macasaet is being held without bail pending arraignment.

According to the Craig District Court, he was transported to the Ketchikan jail, and his hearings will take place at the Ketchikan courthouse.

An arraignment hearing has not yet been scheduled.

In its last meeting before the start of the 2016-2017 school year, the Ketchikan School Board will discuss goals on Wednesday, and will vote on the resignation of board president Michelle O’Brien.

O’Brien announced her resignation just before the last meeting, but it wasn’t an action item on that agenda.

If approved by the school board on Wednesday, her resignation will take effect Oct. 12, after a new board is seated following the Oct. 4 local election.

The board then will have 30 days to appoint someone to fill her spot.

The board also will talk Wednesday about goals for the superintendent and for the board itself.

In a memo to the board, Superintendent Robert Boyle suggested that his goals include increasing attendance rates, adopting policies to reduce the dropout rate and improving the administrative process through evaluations and training.

Board goals focus on technology improvements, vocational education, school safety and recognizing student achievement.

Boyle is seeking board direction on school policy for transgender athletes.

Among the action items Wednesday’s agenda is a motion to buy $80,000 worth of Chromebook laptops to replace Apple laptops used by students at Schoenbar Middle School.

The old Apple machines then would be used by school district staff.

Wednesday’s meeting begins 6 p.m. in Borough Assembly chambers in the White Cliff building. Public comment will be heard at the start and end of the meeting.