August 31, 2002
Saturday - 3:25 pm

Approximately 80 people turned out for a public meeting held at the Ted Ferry Civic Center on Thursday, August 29th, to discuss options in addressing the Alaska Department of

Acting Borough Manager Steve Corporon (standing right) listens to comments by a community member...

Transportation's last-minute termination of winter maintenance services - which includes snow plowing - on 23 public roads in the Ketchikan Borough. The public meeting was facilitated by Acting Borough Manager Steve Corporon. Other officials present included City of Ketchikan Mayor Bob Weinstein, State Representative Bill Williams, and Borough Assembly Members Maggie Sarber, Mike Salazar and Mike Sallee.

Earlier in the week Acting Manager Steve Corporon had distributed a letter through the mail and media to residents of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough living outside the Cities of Ketchikan and Saxman. The letter included options for consideration in addressing DOT's termination of winter maintenance services on some of the public roads in the Borough and invited the public to participate in discussing options.

One of the primary concerns voiced by participants was that Point Higgins Elementary School is located at the end of one of the public roads no longer to receive winter maintenance services by the State. Also of concern was that most, if not all of the roads, that have winter

Rep. Bill Williams addresses the audience...

maintenance services terminated are used by the school buses to transport children. Safety issues were a primary concern as well as a State law which restricts the use of school bus routes to roads regularly maintained under the supervision and maintenance of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, a public utility district, a municipality, a borough service area of other agencies supported by public funds. The local school transportation company providing services for the school district advised that busses would not be able to drive on any of these public roads in snow or ice conditions which would mean that busses would not be able to travel approximately the 1.5 miles down the North Point Higgins road to the elementary school. Children would be required to deboard the bus on North Tongass Highway and walk the distance as well as walk the distance back to board the bus for going home later in the day. Also children who live along other public roads whose winter maintenance services have been terminated by the Alaska Department of Transportation would be required to meet their school bus on the North Tongass Highway during snow and ice conditions.

Representative Bill Williams, Co-Chair of the House Finance Committee, addressed the group at the request of an audience member regarding the issue and funding for the Alaska Department of Transportation. Williams indicated that DOT's funding had actually increased for this fiscal year. He said that DOT had received an increase of $400,000; however, it was up to DOT as to how the money would be spent.

Acting Borough Manager Steve Corporon read the full content of a letter written by Alaska DOT& PF Commissioner Joe Perkins. Perkins wrote the letter in response to a letter of concern written by an undisclosed local resident.

Perkins' letter dated June 13, 2002 stated:

Thank you for your letter expressing concern for reduced road maintenance in Ketchikan. The Legislature's budget cuts for next year will prevent the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities from meeting its mission to provide a good transportation system for the people of Alaska.

In Ketchikan, these cuts mean one of the equipment operators will go from working twelve months to four and a half months for a savings to the state of $35,000. That may not sound like much in these days of multi-million dollar construction projects, but our maintenance budget is separate from those big, highly visible infrastructure improvements. When the Legislature cut state General Funds, they cut the personnel and maintenance those funds pay for.

We told the Legislature specifically what would happen if they cut the budget and where the impacts would be. They chose to ignore our pleas and cut anyway. In Ketchikan, the highway maintenance crew will endeavor, within the constraints of regular hours, to provide the highest degree of service possible. We will focus our primary efforts on winter maintenance on the main highways. The following roads will not be plowed by the state and will have to be cleared by either the residents, or the Ketchikan Gateway Borough:

Cemetery Road, Cranberry Road, D-2 Loop, Knudson Cove, Knudson Spur, D-1 Loop, North Pt. Higgins, North Pt. Higgins Spur, Old South Tongass, Pond Reef Ext., Pond Reef Circle, Pond Reef Road, Potter Road, Power House, Roosevelt Spur, Shoreline Drive, South Pt. Higgins, South Pt. Higgins Spur, Sunset Drive, Totem Bight, Whipple Creek, White Road Spur, and Wood Road.

The bottom line is that the Legislature reduced our requested budget by $6.5 million. They didn't fund the fixed cost increases, such as utility, fuel, labor, leases, and equipment we needed to maintain our roads. They know that 90% of our operating budget is spent on maintenance. They could have changed where the cuts were to take place. They chose not to.

Ironically, DOT&PF's overall budget increased this year. However, the increase came in the form of more federal construction dollars and other funds that cannot be used for maintenance. We are prohibited by federal law from using the federal construction dollars for snow removal and other winter maintenance efforts. The bottom line is we'll enjoy a substantial flow of federal money to build roads, trails, and airports, but cuts in state general funds will deprive us of the ability to properly maintain those infrastructure improvements.

The Legislature directed cuts to the maintenance budgets of the department's three regions. Employees in the field participated in determining the areas of least impact. But, of course, there is no way to make cuts of this magnitude without hurting someone.

I wish we could fully fund Ketchikan. I also wish we weren't closing maintenance stations on the Kenai Peninsula, Chitina, Richardson Highway, closing the Steese Highway (access to the communities of Central and Circle) in the winter and stopping all maintenance on the Denali Highway. I also wish we weren't forced to eliminate 70 positions statewide and reduce an additional seven full time positions to part time. We also reduced three position in my office, including a deputy commissioner, and cut travel by 60%. We have no choice. We don't have enough money to pay for the people and equipment we need to do a complete job.

The Legislature has taken pride in cutting the state's budget. If they are going to take credit for the cuts, they are going to have to take responsibility for the consequences of those cuts. Road maintenance isn't free. It isn't even cheap. We recognize that and made our initial budget request accordingly. That request fell on deaf ears. To deny the department the funding necessary to provide you and your community a decent level of service is just plain wrong.

The men and women who maintain our roads work hard under difficult conditions. Some have even died serving their fellow Alaskans. These fine people deserve a fully funded budget to allow them to do their jobs for the good of us all. We certainly don't have this for next year.

Sincerely,

Joseph L. Perkins, P.E.
Commissioner

In discussing the $35,000 the Alaska Department of Transportation saves by terminating winter maintenance services to the listed public roads in the Borough, Corporon said one solution might be to pay the Alaska Department of Transportation the $35,000 in order to

Borough Assembly Member Mike Sallee takes notes as community members comment...

keep the winter road maintenance services this year. No details for such an arrangement have been worked out. Also mentioned was perhaps the $35,000 could be paid by the Alaska Department of Education out of their transportation funds.

Regarding options included in the letter for consideration, Corporon announced early on in the meeting that Option 3b - exercise of non-areawide local service roads and trails powers - was eliminated from the list. When Corporon called the question as to a preferred option, a show of hands supported overwhelmingly that the Borough not take over in any form the maintenance of public roads that have been maintained by the State.

The Ketchikan Borough Assembly will discuss snow removal options at their next regular meeting which will be held Tuesday, September 3, 2002. The meeting is scheduled to being at 5:30 pm and will be held in the Ketchikan City Council Chambers. According to Corporon, the input provided at the public meeting on Thursday evening will be used by staff in making a recommendation to the Borough Assembly on which option(s) to pursue.

Related:

Open Letter From Mayor Shay on August 30, 2002, To ADOT&PF Commissioner Joe Perkins (Click on the link to read Mayor Shay's letter addressing concerns and the topic of cessation of winter road maintenance on some public roads in the Borough)..
Friday - August 30, 2002 - 8:00 pm

An Open Letter to Residents of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough (Who live outside the Cities of Ketchikan and Saxman)...
Tuesday, August 27, 2002 - 11:10 am

It's Official: No Winter Road Maintenance by State of Some Borough Roads...
Saturday - August 17, 2002 - 3:05 pm

Local Contact Information:

Questions/Comments: E-mail Assembly Members - Mayor

 

 

Post a Comment -------View Comments

Submit an Opinion - Letter

Sitnews
Stories In The News