Rosemarie Alexander

The location of the Alaska Commercial Fishermen’s Memorial has been laid to rest by the Juneau Assembly.

The panel Monday determined the memorial should stay where it is on Juneau’s working waterfront, even though a floating cruise ship berth will be built in front of it in the next couple of years.

The memorial board has asked that the granite wall with names of deceased fishermen be moved to Marine Park. Board members have said the Blessing of the Fleet won’t be the same because fishing boats won’t be able to get close enough to the memorial and people on shore.

The question has gone before the Docks and Harbors Board and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. While they recommended the memorial stay where it is, they said Marine Park should be an option because the park will be redesigned over the next year.

The Assembly was to make the final decision on the memorial. Mayor Bruce Botelho made it clear a decision needs to be made.

“It’s important that we bring some finality to this,” Botelho said.

Port Engineer Gary Gillette said fishing vessels will be able to pass in front of the memorial at its present location. He told the Assembly the closest boats can get now during the ceremony is 75 to 80 feet.

Though the actual cost of a move isn’t known, the city has set aside $2 million for the relocation. Botelho said that money can be better spent.

“There are going to be ways of celebrating even with the new configuration,” Botelho said. “Twenty, 30, 40 years from now (this issue) will not seem like it’s a big deal. There will be ways to truly be able to integrate the memorial with the new waterfront.”

Deputy mayor Merrill Sanford said the Assembly shouldn’t go against the memorial board’s wishes.

“Right now the memorial committee itself has delved into this in great depth and this is their preferred site if we’re building 16-B. So I would have to vote no on this proposal,” Sanford said.

The Assembly last year approved construction of the floating berth system, called Concept 16-B.

Since then, the Docks and Harbors Department has identified several sites for relocating the memorial as well as the no-move option. The memorial board dismissed all but Marine Park, mainly based on the needs of the annual ceremony.

On a vote of six to three the Assembly said the fishermen’s memorial will stay where it is. Those voting for the motion were Mayor Botelho, Mary Becker, Karen Crane, Johan Dybdahl, Malcolm Menzies, and David Stone. Sanford, Ruth Danner, and Peter Freer voted against.

It will now be September 2nd before Alaska Electric Light and Power and Juneau rate payers know the size of a pending rate increase.

The Regulatory Commission of Alaska today (Friday, Aug. 26) extended its decision for the second time. Last month the commission announced it would issue its final order today, a month later than expected.

A-E-L & P requested a 22 percent permanent rate increase in May 2010. The commission granted 18 and a half percent in July 2010, with the final decision to come 12 months later.

The commission can extend its timeline with the consent of the parties – A-E-L & P, the state attorney general’s office and Juneau People’s Power Project. All agreed with both extensions.

Now it will be next Friday when the commissioners are expected to announce the amount of the permanent increase. If it’s less than the interim, the company would have to refund the difference.

Current general residential rates are 9 and a-half cents a kilowatt hour June through October and just over 11 and a- half cents/kwh November through May. If the commission grants the full 22 percent increase, general residential rates would go up slightly more than one-third of a cent per kilowatt hour. If a household uses 750 kilowatt hours a month, customers’ would pay an average of $16 more each month for electricity. The rate does not affect the standard customer charge, which is $8.88 a month.

A-E-L & P’s last permanent rate increase was in 2005 and was 4-point 41 percent.

The company says expenses have gone up significantly since then. It also hopes to recover costs of the Lake Dorothy hydroelectric project, which went online in August 2009. Utility regulations require new projects be complete and part of the operating system before a company can include an investment in its rate base.

Parents of Juneau elementary school students have the most confidence in the Juneau School District, according to a survey conducted in May of randomly selected parents.

The survey was presented last night (Thursday) at the second annual School Summit at Thunder Mountain High School. The purpose of the summit was to share student achievement reports and the annual survey.

District Superintendent Glenn Gelbrich said the survey showed elementary parents expressed the greatest confidence, followed by middle school parents, and then high school parents.

“When we asked parents about the confidence not of the district, but of their school, we see a similar pattern, ranging from 83 percent confidence at the high school level, to 91 percent confidence at the elementary level,” Gelbrich said. “When we drilled down even further, and we asked about parents’ level of confidence in their child’s teacher, or in secondary schools’ teachers, the parents surveyed indicated even stronger confidence, ranging from 85 percent at the high school level, up to 93 prcent at the elementary level.

The summit was step two of a three-tiered approach to reviewing Juneau student’s academic performance. Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, results under the federal No Child Left Behind Act were released earlier this month. Gelbrich told the 50 to 60 parents, teachers, and principals gathered in the TMHS auditorium that math scores are trending upward and science scores have reached a four-year best.

“Again, this is State standards. Overall when we look at ‘so how are we doing in relationship to the State of Alaska?’ Juneau School District students out-perform students statewide,” Gelbrich said. “And while we think this is good news, we know that Alaskan standards are, when compared to standards in other states nationwide, relatively low, so we want to set the bar higher.”

Following Gelbrich’s presentation at the School Summit, the audience broke into groups to review each school’s academic performance. Click here to open School Summit presentation (PDF).

A Soldotna woman has been indicted for lying on her 2010 Permanent Fund Dividend application.

According to the state departments of Law and Revenue, a Juneau Grand Jury has charged 62-year-old Sherrie Ann Ace of one count of unsworn falsification in the first degree, a Class C felony. The indictment also charges Ace of second degree attempted theft, a Class A misdemeanor.

Ace could face a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of $50,000 if she is convicted of lying on her PFD application. If she is convicted of the attempted theft charge, the maximum sentence would be a year in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Douglas Post Office customers are being asked what postal services they use at the island store and how often.

The U.S. Postal Service has sent out a survey to help gauge the importance of small post offices across the country.

While the Postal Service had targeted 36 in Alaska for closure, Alaska district officials announced on Monday that 25 remote stations will remain open. Eleven are still being reviewed, including Douglas.

Letters and surveys went out to Douglas customers on Monday. The letter says their input – from the survey and a public meeting — will be considered in the final decision. The survey deadline is September 11. The letter lists no date for the meeting.

The survey asks how often people buy stamps, mail letters or packages and use other postal services at the Douglas Third Street station, versus online or at other Juneau outlets. It also asks if the post office assists senior citizens or people with disabilities, if it’s a school bus stop, a public bulletin board, or a community gathering place.

While those types of activities separate many small rural from more urban post offices, workload is the key. The letter says mail volume and revenue at the Douglas station have steadily declined over recent years. If Douglas is closed, customers would use the Federal Station on Ninth Street in Juneau, 2 point 7 miles away; or the Mendenhall station, 11 miles away.

The Postal Service has recommended closing 3,700 post offices nationwide.

The AJ Mine Capital Project Fund now holds $250,000 for a water system study and other issues to be resolved before city officials decide if they’ll promote the city-owned gold mine. The Assembly Monday night appropriated the money from the sales tax budget reserve.

The ordinance says nothing about what the funds would be used for, and that caught the attention of most of the public who testified.

“I’m opposed to allocating any money for anything without first knowing what exactly the money would be used for and what results CBJ would expect to receive,” said Juneau resident Tina Brown.

City Engineering Director Rorie Watt told the Assembly several weeks ago that a fund would be needed to explore AJ issues, particularly Juneau’s water supply.

The city and borough owns two-thirds of the AJ property and Alaska Electric Light and Power owns the rest. Juneau’s main water source is Last Chance Basin, which sits atop, adjacent to and beneath the ore body.

Protecting Last Chance Basin was the AJ Mine Advisory Committee’s top priority. The Assembly formed the task force to determine circumstances under which the city might promote the AJ. The group worked for three months last spring, presenting its report in May.

Assembly member Ruth Danner tried to amend the ordinance to specifically state a water study would be done.

“I believe this ordinance should be redirected to say an ordinance appropriating to the (city) manager $250,000 for a safe drinking water supply study, and staff and legal time necessary to provide for research into the costs and benefits of reopening the AJ Mine,” she said.

Danner lost her argument as well as one to add intent language calling for a public vote on the AJ before the Assembly would solicit or select a junior mining company to advance the mine.

“When we have public testimony we hear from people on both extremes,” she said. “We don’t hear from people in the middle,” which she believes a survey would reach.

Assembly member Merrill Sanford said it’s too early to call for a public vote.

“There’s no reason to do this right now,” Sanford said. “We’re just trying to deal with whether or not it is feasible, whether or not it is safe for our water system, to even begin to look at the AJ Mine.”

Both of Danner’s amendments failed. Then seven of the nine-member Assembly voted to seed the AJ Mine Capital Project account with the $250,000 appropriation. David Stone and Malcolm Menzies recused themselves from the discussion and vote, due to a financial interest with A-E-L & P.

Engineering Director Watt will direct the studies. He said he plans a public process.

“Starting out with advising the public of a draft outline of what issues ought to be studied and look for comment and input on whether we’re missing topics,” Watt said.

He said the public also would be asked to comment on the final report.

The AJ study would include legal issues, Watt said. Juneau is one of the few municipalities in the country that regulates mining.

Watt said the study also would look for municipal land that could be used as a mine portal.