Salmon Smolts Released into Long Awaited King Pond
By Pat Lynn
For The Star
VALDEZ – The King salmon have arrived. That is to say, the King salmon smolts, 160,000 strong.
The smolts were dumped into the man-made King salmon pond at Old Town Wednesday afternoon after a trip by tanker truck from the state hatchery at the Fort Richardson army base.
So ends a decade-long struggle on the part of the City of Valdez to find a permanent home for the annual release of the salmon smolts.
The smolts will remain in their "imprint" waters for five days before the nets are opened and they are released into ocean waters where they will feed and fatten up.
In three to five years, the mature salmon will return to their imprint waters in the pond and create a huge non-commercial fishery for shore side anglers, particularly children and visitors.
The release of the smolts into their holding net marked a milestone for the city, particularly Lisa Von Bargen, the director of community development.
For a decade and more, the city has been looking for an appropriate release site. The smolts have been dumped at Anderson Bay, the Solomon Gulch hatchery, Six Mile Creek, the Small Boat Harbor, the Glacier Stream and other locales. None was appropriate and none created the expected return fishery.
Four years ago, Ms. Von Bargen seized upon the Old Town site and the idea of building a pit on the cobble beach where the Old Town swimming hole used to be. Sounded like a good idea.
Not so fast, declared the state and federal governments. Before any dig began, no fewer than five government agencies stepped in, demanding a permit for this, a permit for that, a public hearing, a comment period and the like. Even an archeologist was summoned to do some discovery digs to make sure the city was not disturbing a site of significance and, perhaps, destroying some antiquities. But nothing of value was found.
Even the Valdez city council, which deals in permits, hearings, comment periods and such, became frustrated.
At one point, Council Member Bob Leisy threatened to round up some of his friends with heavy equipment and declared, "I'll dig the damn pit myself."
On Wednesday of last week, four years after the site was pinpointed, the tanker truck arrived with 160,000 smolts on board. Ms.Von Bargen, equipped with a smile, was on hand as the tanker truck pulled in.
"I think it's fantastic," she declared. "I can't wait for the fish to return."
She commended the Valdez Fisheries Development Association for setting up the holding pen, feeding the smolts and releasing the tiny fish from the tanker. "What a great partner," she exclaimed.
Then three men from the Solomon Gulch hatchery, Dustin Wagner, Matt Britt and Rich Corcoran hauled out a hose and released the King salmon smolts into the pond. It marked a happy ending for the long King salmon saga.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Chicken Wire Called Fix for Nav Aid Woes at Airport
Chicken Wire Called Fix for Nav Aid Woes at Airport
By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star
PIONEER FIELD - Kip Knudson, the Deputy Commissioner of Aviation for the Alaska Department of Transportation, made an appearance before the Valdez City Council a week ago Monday to give the city an update on why the ground based Navigational Aids at the airport are still down, despite the fact the city had been assured they would be turned off for less than two weeks. "All we did was turn it off," he said, but claims FAA regulations have interfered with bringing the system back online. "They have different standards for turning it back on," he lamented.
During his appearance, he said for years the Valdez Airport, now officially named Pioneer Field, has operated with exemptions to the rules on the how and where airplanes communicate with the nav aids, which the FAA is no longer going to allow. The problem, he said, lies in a blank spot on the approach path onto the runway used by planes to land when visibility is poor.
Ironically, he claims the problem has been fixed with chicken wire, which expanded the lines of communication between the planes and the nav aids. "Now they just need to find how to make the chicken wire survive your winters," he said, "Valdez is tricky."
While the original plans for the runway expansion at the airport called for the nav aids to be moved next year, Knudson says they may decide to leave the antennae exactly where it is. "It should give you the same service," he said, "which is not phenomenal."
He also speculated that in four or five years, air navigation in all of Alaska could be upgraded to a "space based navigation system", but it would depend on the cooperation between the FAA and the willingness of carriers in the state to upgrade their systems. "Right now its ground based," he told the council.
Mayor Bert Cottle suggested that the council may need to seek the assistance of a big hammer, namely, asking for assistance from Alaska's venerable Senator Ted Stevens, a heavy hitter in national politics.
Knudson countered that the FAA was well aware of how easy it would be for the council to get the ear of Senator Stevens and he believed the agency was acting to fix the problem as if Uncle Ted were already on the case.
Pioneer Field is currently undergoing an approximately $11 million makeover, which will expand the runways and landing capabilities for aircraft visiting the airport. "Valdez is going to have a dramatically improved runway," said Knudson, which he speculated will last the town for another 20 or 30 years.
By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star
PIONEER FIELD - Kip Knudson, the Deputy Commissioner of Aviation for the Alaska Department of Transportation, made an appearance before the Valdez City Council a week ago Monday to give the city an update on why the ground based Navigational Aids at the airport are still down, despite the fact the city had been assured they would be turned off for less than two weeks. "All we did was turn it off," he said, but claims FAA regulations have interfered with bringing the system back online. "They have different standards for turning it back on," he lamented.
During his appearance, he said for years the Valdez Airport, now officially named Pioneer Field, has operated with exemptions to the rules on the how and where airplanes communicate with the nav aids, which the FAA is no longer going to allow. The problem, he said, lies in a blank spot on the approach path onto the runway used by planes to land when visibility is poor.
Ironically, he claims the problem has been fixed with chicken wire, which expanded the lines of communication between the planes and the nav aids. "Now they just need to find how to make the chicken wire survive your winters," he said, "Valdez is tricky."
While the original plans for the runway expansion at the airport called for the nav aids to be moved next year, Knudson says they may decide to leave the antennae exactly where it is. "It should give you the same service," he said, "which is not phenomenal."
He also speculated that in four or five years, air navigation in all of Alaska could be upgraded to a "space based navigation system", but it would depend on the cooperation between the FAA and the willingness of carriers in the state to upgrade their systems. "Right now its ground based," he told the council.
Mayor Bert Cottle suggested that the council may need to seek the assistance of a big hammer, namely, asking for assistance from Alaska's venerable Senator Ted Stevens, a heavy hitter in national politics.
Knudson countered that the FAA was well aware of how easy it would be for the council to get the ear of Senator Stevens and he believed the agency was acting to fix the problem as if Uncle Ted were already on the case.
Pioneer Field is currently undergoing an approximately $11 million makeover, which will expand the runways and landing capabilities for aircraft visiting the airport. "Valdez is going to have a dramatically improved runway," said Knudson, which he speculated will last the town for another 20 or 30 years.
Thief Pilfers Heirloom Ring after Softball Game
Thief Pilfers Heirloom Ring after Softball Game
By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star
G0LD FIELDS- "There's somebody out there breaking into cars," said Valdez Police Chief Joe Michaud when questioned about the theft of an heirloom wedding band, a woman's purse and other items during a softball game last week. "We'd like to catch the thief."
So would the victims of this crime, especially Theresa McCain, who says among the many items stolen from her and husband Dana's truck was her dead father's wedding band, an item that is virtually irreplaceable. "You couldn't give me five million dollars for that," she said of the plain gold band, size 9, which has a ridge around the top and bottom portions of the band. "My dad wore it for 20 years, my mom wore it for 10 and I've had it since February."
The first indication of a problem came to light after a friendly scrimmage between two local teams a week ago Tuesday. After the game, some of the participants left while some people stayed behind to practice hitting. During the impromptu practice, one of the participants who'd left earlier returned, asking if anyone had seen her purse, which she was sure she had left in her unlocked car during the scrimmage. "I'd already turned out onto the highway," said Kristina Lawrence, when she reached for her purse, only to find it was not where she was sure she had left it. She pulled over to try to find the missing hand bag, which is Khaki colored corduroy with a brown strap. "I searched my car and it wasn't anywhere."
She returned to the Gold Fields, to make sure she hadn't mistakenly taken it out of the vehicle and left it at the game by mistake. Everyone took a quick look around for the missing purse, but it didn't show up, Ms. Lawrence left and everyone went back to playing ball. It wasn't until the practice broke up and folks started to leave that it came to light that something was very amiss. Dana McCain went to turn the key to start the engine of their truck but the keys were missing from the ignition, where he always leaves them at baseball games. He and wife Theresa then went on a frantic search for the missing keys, thinking perhaps he'd lost them elsewhere. That's when wife Theresa put two and two together, and checked the glove box for the jewelry she'd take off and placed there before the game. "I looked for my purse first," said Theresa, who found it undisturbed inside the truck, but remembered she'd taken off her jewelry and stashed it before heading to the ball field. "I opened the glove box and it was gone," she says.
The couple rehit the field, looking for the keys, which did not turn up. "We ended up having to change the ignition of the truck," she said.
While everything else is replaceable to a point, Ms. McCain says the loss of her father's wedding band is the one loss that money can not replace. The ring, as described above, was strung through a lady's Citizen watch, with a silver band with gold inlay. The face of the watch is round and in the old analog style. Also strung through the watch band was an Italian Zoppini charm bracelet, a small gold band ring with a heart, a gold band embedded with three small diamonds, and her wedding set. The wedding ring, consisting of two bands, features a marquise diamond with three smaller diamonds wrapped around the marquise.
Ms. McCain, a popular bartender for The Pipeline Club, says she is willing to put up a $100 reward for the return of her jewelry, especially her late father's ring. "If I get my jewelry back, I will not press charges," she said, but added that if police catch the culprit first, she will pursue charges, which according to Chief Michaud, are a felony.
While police are actively investigating this case, Chief Michaud is warning residents to lock up their cars, as a similar theft occurred at the Senior Center recently and the victim's one and all had left their cars unlocked. The only person of interest in the case at the ball field case has been cleared by police as a suspect and that "nothing has been recovered."
Anyone who knows the whereabouts of Ms. McCain's jewelry is encouraged to come forward by calling police at 835-4560.
By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star
G0LD FIELDS- "There's somebody out there breaking into cars," said Valdez Police Chief Joe Michaud when questioned about the theft of an heirloom wedding band, a woman's purse and other items during a softball game last week. "We'd like to catch the thief."
So would the victims of this crime, especially Theresa McCain, who says among the many items stolen from her and husband Dana's truck was her dead father's wedding band, an item that is virtually irreplaceable. "You couldn't give me five million dollars for that," she said of the plain gold band, size 9, which has a ridge around the top and bottom portions of the band. "My dad wore it for 20 years, my mom wore it for 10 and I've had it since February."
The first indication of a problem came to light after a friendly scrimmage between two local teams a week ago Tuesday. After the game, some of the participants left while some people stayed behind to practice hitting. During the impromptu practice, one of the participants who'd left earlier returned, asking if anyone had seen her purse, which she was sure she had left in her unlocked car during the scrimmage. "I'd already turned out onto the highway," said Kristina Lawrence, when she reached for her purse, only to find it was not where she was sure she had left it. She pulled over to try to find the missing hand bag, which is Khaki colored corduroy with a brown strap. "I searched my car and it wasn't anywhere."
She returned to the Gold Fields, to make sure she hadn't mistakenly taken it out of the vehicle and left it at the game by mistake. Everyone took a quick look around for the missing purse, but it didn't show up, Ms. Lawrence left and everyone went back to playing ball. It wasn't until the practice broke up and folks started to leave that it came to light that something was very amiss. Dana McCain went to turn the key to start the engine of their truck but the keys were missing from the ignition, where he always leaves them at baseball games. He and wife Theresa then went on a frantic search for the missing keys, thinking perhaps he'd lost them elsewhere. That's when wife Theresa put two and two together, and checked the glove box for the jewelry she'd take off and placed there before the game. "I looked for my purse first," said Theresa, who found it undisturbed inside the truck, but remembered she'd taken off her jewelry and stashed it before heading to the ball field. "I opened the glove box and it was gone," she says.
The couple rehit the field, looking for the keys, which did not turn up. "We ended up having to change the ignition of the truck," she said.
While everything else is replaceable to a point, Ms. McCain says the loss of her father's wedding band is the one loss that money can not replace. The ring, as described above, was strung through a lady's Citizen watch, with a silver band with gold inlay. The face of the watch is round and in the old analog style. Also strung through the watch band was an Italian Zoppini charm bracelet, a small gold band ring with a heart, a gold band embedded with three small diamonds, and her wedding set. The wedding ring, consisting of two bands, features a marquise diamond with three smaller diamonds wrapped around the marquise.
Ms. McCain, a popular bartender for The Pipeline Club, says she is willing to put up a $100 reward for the return of her jewelry, especially her late father's ring. "If I get my jewelry back, I will not press charges," she said, but added that if police catch the culprit first, she will pursue charges, which according to Chief Michaud, are a felony.
While police are actively investigating this case, Chief Michaud is warning residents to lock up their cars, as a similar theft occurred at the Senior Center recently and the victim's one and all had left their cars unlocked. The only person of interest in the case at the ball field case has been cleared by police as a suspect and that "nothing has been recovered."
Anyone who knows the whereabouts of Ms. McCain's jewelry is encouraged to come forward by calling police at 835-4560.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Modern Conveniences Crashed by Old Fashioned Accident
Modern Conveniences Crashed by Old Fashioned Accident
By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star
VALDEZ - In a series of unrelated events, Valdez consumers have been plagued by a variety of outages from everything from regular electricity to cell phone usage, causing disruption and havoc for many businesses and minor inconveniences for others.
The longest lasting problem occurred last Wednesday when crews from Swalling Construction were driving pipe piles for a temporary bridge on the Dayville Road project drove a 24” round piling through the fiber optics cable near Solomon Creek that services the Valdez Marine Terminal. “The cable was cut about 9:30 a.m., said Jim Gifford, the Valdez Plant Superintendent for Copper Valley Telephone Cooperative.
According to Gifford, the pile cut off not only CVTC cable, but also that of Alaska Fiber Star, who provides cable connectivity undersea from Valdez to Whittier and beyond. Suddenly, cell phones, long distance telephone services and internet connections were crippled all around town while crews from CVTC scrambled to the scene to assess damages and try to restore services to customers.
“We made emergency repairs” said Gifford, who says the company had to splice a new cable between the two ends of the severed cables for CVTC and Alaska Fiber Star.
While services provided by CVTC were up and running again by 8:00 p.m., Alaska Fiber Star services were not back online until around midnight. “We rerouted their traffic,” said Gifford.
What still is not clear a week later is why the accident happened. According to DOT Project Manager Jim Payne, it is the responsibility of the contractor, in this case, Swalling Construction, to know the location of underground utilities prior to doing any kind of work underground, including driving pile. “They’re required to get a locate on the utilities prior too,” he said. “It’s the contractors responsibility.”
Swalling Construction did not return our call regarding the incident.
There was no dollar figure available on the monetary damages incurred by CVTC as of this printing.
By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star
VALDEZ - In a series of unrelated events, Valdez consumers have been plagued by a variety of outages from everything from regular electricity to cell phone usage, causing disruption and havoc for many businesses and minor inconveniences for others.
The longest lasting problem occurred last Wednesday when crews from Swalling Construction were driving pipe piles for a temporary bridge on the Dayville Road project drove a 24” round piling through the fiber optics cable near Solomon Creek that services the Valdez Marine Terminal. “The cable was cut about 9:30 a.m., said Jim Gifford, the Valdez Plant Superintendent for Copper Valley Telephone Cooperative.
According to Gifford, the pile cut off not only CVTC cable, but also that of Alaska Fiber Star, who provides cable connectivity undersea from Valdez to Whittier and beyond. Suddenly, cell phones, long distance telephone services and internet connections were crippled all around town while crews from CVTC scrambled to the scene to assess damages and try to restore services to customers.
“We made emergency repairs” said Gifford, who says the company had to splice a new cable between the two ends of the severed cables for CVTC and Alaska Fiber Star.
While services provided by CVTC were up and running again by 8:00 p.m., Alaska Fiber Star services were not back online until around midnight. “We rerouted their traffic,” said Gifford.
What still is not clear a week later is why the accident happened. According to DOT Project Manager Jim Payne, it is the responsibility of the contractor, in this case, Swalling Construction, to know the location of underground utilities prior to doing any kind of work underground, including driving pile. “They’re required to get a locate on the utilities prior too,” he said. “It’s the contractors responsibility.”
Swalling Construction did not return our call regarding the incident.
There was no dollar figure available on the monetary damages incurred by CVTC as of this printing.
State Upholds Pipeline Value for Local Taxation
State Upholds Pipeline Value for Local Taxation
By Pat Lynn
For The Star
VALDEZ – Valdez and other taxing jurisdictions along the trans-Alaska pipeline scored a victory of sorts Thursday when the state pegged the assessed valuation of the pipeline at $3 billion.
Alyeska had sought a value of $1.5 billion based on the depreciated value of the system over its 30-year life span.
Unable to reach an agreement, both sides appealed to the state Assessment Review Board which ruled for the municipalities and boroughs and set the value at $3 billion. Last year, the assessed value was $3.7 billion.
"It's not bad news for us," remarked Valdez city attorney Bill Walker who negotiated on behalf of the city. Arriving at the true figure "is complicated methodology, certainly," he added.
It means the assessed value of the marine terminal and the pipeline to the city limit at Mile 19 is pegged at around $650 million.
For Valdez, it means that the Alyeska property within the city limits, including the marine terminal and the pipeline to Mile 19, will continue to pay the brunt of the local property tax bill. Currently, the Alyeska properties pay more than 75 percent of local property taxes while in-town residents and businesses pay less than 25 percent.
With a rate of 20 mills, the City of Valdez took in $12.5 million in property taxes from Alyeska property with locals making up the balance of the city's $16.8 million operating fund.
In 1985 when the state negotiated the TAPS settlement with Alyeska, the assessed value of the 810-mile pipeline and marine terminal was placed at $8 billion.
The TAPS agreement continues until 2011 when it expires and a new deal is negotiated.
Presumably, Valdez and other taxing jurisdictions along the pipeline will be included in the negotiations along with the state. When the original deal was negotiated, they were excluded from the talks.
Under terms of the TAPS agreement, Valdez can only impose a 20 mill tax on Alyeska property. And any difference between a lower mill rate would automatically go to the state. That is, if the city were to impose an 18-mill rate, the remaining two mills of taxes would revert to the state.
By Pat Lynn
For The Star
VALDEZ – Valdez and other taxing jurisdictions along the trans-Alaska pipeline scored a victory of sorts Thursday when the state pegged the assessed valuation of the pipeline at $3 billion.
Alyeska had sought a value of $1.5 billion based on the depreciated value of the system over its 30-year life span.
Unable to reach an agreement, both sides appealed to the state Assessment Review Board which ruled for the municipalities and boroughs and set the value at $3 billion. Last year, the assessed value was $3.7 billion.
"It's not bad news for us," remarked Valdez city attorney Bill Walker who negotiated on behalf of the city. Arriving at the true figure "is complicated methodology, certainly," he added.
It means the assessed value of the marine terminal and the pipeline to the city limit at Mile 19 is pegged at around $650 million.
For Valdez, it means that the Alyeska property within the city limits, including the marine terminal and the pipeline to Mile 19, will continue to pay the brunt of the local property tax bill. Currently, the Alyeska properties pay more than 75 percent of local property taxes while in-town residents and businesses pay less than 25 percent.
With a rate of 20 mills, the City of Valdez took in $12.5 million in property taxes from Alyeska property with locals making up the balance of the city's $16.8 million operating fund.
In 1985 when the state negotiated the TAPS settlement with Alyeska, the assessed value of the 810-mile pipeline and marine terminal was placed at $8 billion.
The TAPS agreement continues until 2011 when it expires and a new deal is negotiated.
Presumably, Valdez and other taxing jurisdictions along the pipeline will be included in the negotiations along with the state. When the original deal was negotiated, they were excluded from the talks.
Under terms of the TAPS agreement, Valdez can only impose a 20 mill tax on Alyeska property. And any difference between a lower mill rate would automatically go to the state. That is, if the city were to impose an 18-mill rate, the remaining two mills of taxes would revert to the state.
AlaskaPoll Shows Broad Support for All-Alaska Gasline
AlaskaPoll Shows Broad Support for All-Alaska Gasline
By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star
ANCHORAGE- A recent survey of 507 Alaskans reveals widespread support for an all-Alaskan natural gas pipeline going to Valdez. “It was part of the AlaskaPoll,” said David Dittman of Dittman Research Corporation, “We’ve been doing it for 35 years.”
The AlaskaPoll is an annual survey conducted by Dittman Research Corporation on the attitudes and interests of Alaskans regarding a wide variety of topics affecting the State. This year, the poll included two questions regarding development of Alaska’s natural gas resources. One lengthy question asks: At the present time, there appear to be three different proposals to bring Alaska's North Slope natural gas to market.
A company named TransCanada, which says it already has all the Canadian permits needed to build a pipeline from the North Slope through Canada to the Mid-Western United States. A combined proposal by ConocoPhillips, BP and Exxon - - who have leased the rights to Alaska's North Slope gas - - they would also build a pipeline from the North Slope through Canada to the Mid-Western United States. And a proposal by the Alaska Gasline Port Authority to build a pipeline from the North Slope to Valdez, where the gas would be liquefied and transported to market by tankers. Just based on that information, which proposal do you think the state should select?"
Based on that question alone, 64% of respondents chose the Alaska route to Valdez. While 14% were unsure, only 15% of Alaskans supported the Gasline proposal put forth by the producers and only 5% supported the TransCanada plan. A mere 1% supported a different route all together.
A second question posed was: "The Alaska Gasline Port Authority proposal also includes a spur-line to supply North Slope natural gas to the Mat-Su, Anchorage and Kenai areas. How important is that to you?"
A whopping 73% said it was Quite/Very Important. 25% reported it was Not too/Not important at all. Only 2% were unsure.
While Dittman says the questions posed did not include all of the facts relating to the issues, he is very confident that the results are an accurate representation of Alaskan attitudes regarding the development of Alaska’s Natural Gas.
According to the company’s website, the AlaskaPoll is conducted “Utilizing the exclusive Alaskan methodology developed and perfected by Dittman Research, the AlaskaPoll’s findings are known to be precise, accurate and highly representative of the Alaskan viewpoint.”
Dittman says the results of the AlaskaPoll will be posted on the company’s website in the near future. Look for it at Dittmanresearch.com.
By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star
ANCHORAGE- A recent survey of 507 Alaskans reveals widespread support for an all-Alaskan natural gas pipeline going to Valdez. “It was part of the AlaskaPoll,” said David Dittman of Dittman Research Corporation, “We’ve been doing it for 35 years.”
The AlaskaPoll is an annual survey conducted by Dittman Research Corporation on the attitudes and interests of Alaskans regarding a wide variety of topics affecting the State. This year, the poll included two questions regarding development of Alaska’s natural gas resources. One lengthy question asks: At the present time, there appear to be three different proposals to bring Alaska's North Slope natural gas to market.
A company named TransCanada, which says it already has all the Canadian permits needed to build a pipeline from the North Slope through Canada to the Mid-Western United States. A combined proposal by ConocoPhillips, BP and Exxon - - who have leased the rights to Alaska's North Slope gas - - they would also build a pipeline from the North Slope through Canada to the Mid-Western United States. And a proposal by the Alaska Gasline Port Authority to build a pipeline from the North Slope to Valdez, where the gas would be liquefied and transported to market by tankers. Just based on that information, which proposal do you think the state should select?"
Based on that question alone, 64% of respondents chose the Alaska route to Valdez. While 14% were unsure, only 15% of Alaskans supported the Gasline proposal put forth by the producers and only 5% supported the TransCanada plan. A mere 1% supported a different route all together.
A second question posed was: "The Alaska Gasline Port Authority proposal also includes a spur-line to supply North Slope natural gas to the Mat-Su, Anchorage and Kenai areas. How important is that to you?"
A whopping 73% said it was Quite/Very Important. 25% reported it was Not too/Not important at all. Only 2% were unsure.
While Dittman says the questions posed did not include all of the facts relating to the issues, he is very confident that the results are an accurate representation of Alaskan attitudes regarding the development of Alaska’s Natural Gas.
According to the company’s website, the AlaskaPoll is conducted “Utilizing the exclusive Alaskan methodology developed and perfected by Dittman Research, the AlaskaPoll’s findings are known to be precise, accurate and highly representative of the Alaskan viewpoint.”
Dittman says the results of the AlaskaPoll will be posted on the company’s website in the near future. Look for it at Dittmanresearch.com.
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