Monashka Pumphouse, E911 Equipment Top City’s CIP List

[listen here]
Brianna Gibbs/KMXT
As far as capital wish lists go, the city has a relatively small one. The four item capital improvement projects list was one of many topics of conversation during last night’s city council work session. Kodiak’s Representative Alan Austerman and Senator Gary Stevens were also present during the work session and offered legislative insights on the city’s proposed projects.
Before the group got down to discussing each item, Austerman helped paint a rough picture of what the state’s budget might look like this year.
“I’m anticipating, the governor’s got a five year reduction plan in the budget. And we’re waiting to see what that reduction plan this coming year. Last year was his first stab at it I guess you could say, would it be his first year of holding line on the budget from there. There are rumors out there, and I can’t confirm them yet, that we’ll take a billion dollars out of the budget next year, compared to this year. So we will reduce the size of government this second time around. The state of Alaska is no different from the federal government in trying to maintain in control our spending versus our income.”
As for the city’s CIP list, the number one item is replacing the Monashka pumphouse. The city is asking $2.5 million from the state to put toward the $6.8 million project. The current pumphouse is more than 40 years old and operates four pumps from the 1940s.
The second item on the list is a $400,000 request to help replace the E911 equipment, which City Manager Aimee Kniaziowski said requires constant maintenance and desperately needs to be replaced.

City Considers Capital Projects Tonight

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT
It will be a busy night for the Kodiak City Council. The council will discuss a number of topics during tonight’s work session, including its capital improvement projects list and composting.
Like the borough, the city submits an annual wish list to the governor and state legislature. The hope is to get a share of the state’s capital funding to put toward local projects included on the CIP list. The council invited Kodiak’s Juneau delegation, Senator Gary Stevens and Representative Alan Austerman, to tonight’s discussion to help paint a realistic picture of legislative funding this year.
Also on tonight’s eight-item agenda is a discussion of the Maritime Museum’s Thelma C project. For the past few years the museum worked to restore the fishing vessel Thelma C, and hopes to make it a permanent fixture in the downtown area.
Composting will also be a topic of conversation tonight, with a couple council members and the city manager providing an update about a recent trip to Washington state and Idaho. The group toured composting facilities to help generate ideas for the one the city hopes to build in Kodiak.
Other points of discussion tonight will be the Monashka pumphouse design, a memorandum of agreement for the ferry dock terminal and an update from the harbormaster about a consultant for Horizon Lines contracts.
The work session starts at 7:30 p.m. in the borough conference room.

It will be a busy night for the Kodiak City Council. The council will discuss a number of topics during tonight’s work session, including its capital improvement projects list and composting.
Like the borough, the city submits an annual wish list to the governor and state legislature. The hope is to get a share of the state’s capital funding to put toward local projects included on the CIP list. The council invited Kodiak’s Juneau delegation, Senator Gary Stevens and Representative Alan Austerman, to tonight’s discussion to help paint a realistic picture of legislative funding this year.
Also on tonight’s eight-item agenda is a discussion of the Maritime Museum’s Thelma C project. For the past few years the museum worked to restore the fishing vessel Thelma C, and hopes to make it a permanent fixture in the downtown area.
Composting will also be a topic of conversation tonight, with a couple council members and the city manager providing an update about a recent trip to Washington state and Idaho. The group toured composting facilities to help generate ideas for the one the city hopes to build in Kodiak.
Other points of discussion tonight will be the Monashka pumphouse design, a memorandum of agreement for the ferry dock terminal and an update from the harbormaster about a consultant for Horizon Lines contracts.
The work session starts at 7:30 p.m. in the borough conference room.

Assembly Favors Road Improvements on CIP List

[listen here]
Brianna Gibbs/KMXT
Last night the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly passed its state legislative capital improvement projects priority list for the 2014 legislative session, but it was a different list than the assembly saw two weeks ago. During assembly discussion Assemblyman Mel Stephens moved to amend the list, bumping the number six item to number three, and letting the other items change accordingly.
Number six asks the state for $5 million to put toward service area road paving and improvements.

Assembly to Revisit CIP List Tonight

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT
Tonight the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly will try once again to approve its state legislative capital improvement projects priority list for the 2014 legislative session. The assembly decided to postpone the list’s approval back in September when concerns were raised over one of the projects and three assembly members were absent during the vote.
Assemblyman Mel Stephens disagreed with the third project on the list, which asks for $500,000 to look at extending public utilities to swampy acres. The project would be a public/private partnership and cater to the possibility that additional Coast Guard housing could be built in that area, which currently has no water or sewer lines. Borough Mayor Jerome Selby said it’s included on the borough’s CIP list because it may help offset some of Kodiak’s housing crisis, and was included at the request of the housing committee.
The top two items on the list are the Phase III of the Kodiak Landfill lateral expansion request for $3 million and the Monashka Bay water and sewer project feasibility, planning and design for $500,000.
Once approved, the list will be sent off to Governor Sean Parnell and Alaska legislators for the 2014 legislative session. The list will also be used for various grant applications in the upcoming year.
Also on tonight’s agenda is the contract for animal control along the borough road system. Animal control was included in the borough’s FY 2014 budget, but no contract has been approved. The hope is that the $109,000 contract will garner assembly support tonight and the service can be reinstated as soon as possible.
Tonight’s meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. in the borough assembly chambers and will be broadcast live on KMXT.

Assembly Postpones CIP List Approval

[listen here]
Brianna Gibbs/KMXT
Last night the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly decided to postpone a vote on its capital improvement projects priority list. An eight item list was before the assembly as a resolution, but concerns over one of the projects on the list, and the absence of three assembly members, led to its postponement until the October 3 regular meeting.
Assemblyman Mel Stephens took issue with the third project on the list, which asks for $500,000 from the state to look at extending public utilities to swampy acres. The thought is that more Coast Guard housing will be built in the area, which currently has no water or sewer lines. Stephens said it didn’t make sense that public money would be put toward a private property owner.
But Borough Mayor Jerome Selby said the hope is that the project would be a pubic/private partnership, and help soften Kodiak’s housing crisis. In fact, he said the item was put on the CIP list at the request of  the housing committee.
“It’s a joint city, borough, Coast Guard housing committee. It is on here at the request of the Coast Guard because they are interested in doing a joint public/private construction of housing for the Coast Guard, since the probability of them being able to get funding for housing through the federal system is slim to none, given the federal budget picture. So the whole idea behind this was to be able to get some housing constructed for the Coast Guard so that they can have the option of bringing additional vessels. Because of the Arctic effort that’s now a Coast Guard responsibility, there is an opportunity to bring another vessel, I believe one C-130 and two helicopters to Kodiak, if there was housing available for them.”

Borough to Decide on CIP List Tonight

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT
Each day this week KMXT took a closer look at the Kodiak Island Borough’s capital improvement projects priority list, focusing on a few of the eight items each day. Tonight that list will be before the Borough Assembly as a resolution and they will vote on whether or not to submit it to Governor Sean Parnell and the Alaska Legislature.
Another resolution on tonight’s regular meeting agenda requests the governor include $100 million in his FY 2015 capital budget to go toward a vessel replacement fund for the Tustumena. That request was originally included in the assembly’s CIP list, but Kodiak’s Representative Alan Austerman suggested that a resolution might serve the borough better in stressing the need for a new Tustumena class ferry.
Tonight’s meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. in the borough assembly chambers and will be broadcast live on KMXT. Public comments are accepted at the beginning and end of the meeting, and limited to three minutes per speaker.