Friday, April 22, 2005

Pipe Bomb Explosion Damages Dumpster

Pipe Bomb Explosion Damages Dumpster

By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star

VALDEZ - A loud boom startled police while they were out on a routine patrol a week ago Sunday, which led to the discovery that a pipe bomb had been detonated in the dumpster down by the Ferry Terminal. "It was an actual pipe bomb," said Valdez Police Chief Joe Michaud who says the cops immediately identified three suspects in the case, though no arrests have been made as of Monday evening. Two of the suspected bombers are juveniles.

Saying police are "99.9 percent sure", they know who the perpetrators are, Michaud stressed one fact, "It was not terrorist related."

The explosion ripped a hole into the side of the dumpster, damaged the bottom and sent shrapnel flying as far as 124 feet away from the point of the actual explosion. No other damage was reported to nearby buildings or vehicles in the area. "The D.A. is reviewing it at this time," says Michaud.

While the District Attorney is reviewing possible charges against the suspects, the Alaska Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is investigating the pipe and the type of explosive used in the explosion. Michaud says this type of a crime is a felony.

There were no reports called in regarding the explosion from the public.

Valdez Chamber of Commerce to Revitalize

Valdez Chamber of Commerce to Revitalize

By Pat Lynn
For The Star

TOTEM INN – After being dormant for years, efforts are now underway to revive the Valdez Chamber of Commerce.

The effort is being promoted by Stan Stephens, Joe Prax, Tom Bittner, Jody McDowell, Bill Wyatt and Pat Lynn.
Meeting at the Totem Inn Tuesday evening, the group agreed to begin modestly by establishing a phone number, an e-mail address, web page and a post office box. Anyone making contact with the Chamber of Commerce will be sent a package of local information.

The participants agreed that it sends a rather large negative message when individuals and business interests try to contact the Chamber of Commerce only to learn that one does not exist in Valdez.

There is no plan currently to require a dues-paying membership since that would require staff and the maintenance of a financial ledger, a bank account and such.

Instead, the group has opted to announce chamber meetings for anyone to attend and make suggestions on how the business community might be enhanced. Eventually, they hope a mission statement will emerge.

The first such meeting is set for Monday night, April 25 in the meeting room at Ernesto's Taqueria. Anyone with an interest in local business development is invited to attend and share their views.

The Valdez Chamber of Commerce bit the dust several years ago after a failed attempt to merge it with the Valdez Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Lance Bowie Named New Superintendent of City Schools

Lance Bowie Named New Superintendent of City Schools

By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star

SCHOOL DISTRICT- Lance Bowie, former Director of Secondary Schools in Clarksville, Tennessee has been named the new Superintendent for Valdez City Schools following a detailed interview with the school board Monday night. Bowie made the rounds about town all day Monday along with the other two finalist for the position, PJ Slack-Ford, currently the principal of North Pole High School and Connie Newman, the Superintendent of the Chatham School District in Angoon. “He will be the superintendent,” said Flynn Stuparich, Administrative Assistant for the district. “His contract will start July 1.”

While Bowie comes to Valdez via Tennessee, he is no stranger to Alaska. He is the former principal of both West Anchorage High School and Wendler Junior High in Anchorage.

Mr. Bowie was offered the contract after a long day of events around town with the other two candidates. In addition to detailed interviews with the school board, the candidates met with the public during a “Meet the Candidates” night at the district office, met with staff of all three schools and had an informal question and answer session with the Valdez High School Student Council during lunch.

The students asked all three candidates questions on issues like their views on alternative education and their style of implementing change. Bowie joked that the only people who enjoy change are babies with wet diapers. In keeping with that philosophy, he says you need to review what you already have, include stakeholders effected by the change and ease into it if it is determined a change is needed. “At home I’m a dictator though,” he added.

The school board made its final decision early Tuesday morning, offered Bowie the contract and he accepted. Bowie replaces outgoing Superintendent Ernie Manzie who resigned two years into his three year contract. Look for a complete profile of the new top administrator of Valdez City Schools in upcoming editions of The Star.

Thursday, April 14, 2005


Man's Best Friend…
Valdez musher Steve Radotich gives his team some last minute affection before hitting the trails with other dog sledders from the area over the weekend.

Valdez Star Photo

Survey of the Class of 2000 Tells a Story

Survey of the Class of 2000 Tells a Story

By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star

VALDEZ - The post graduation survey from the class of 2000 is in, which gives Valdez High School and the school district a snapshot of how students from the district are doing five years after graduation. "We do this every year," said outgoing Superintendent Ernie Manzie.

The Class of '00 graduated 51 students and 90% of those young people responded to the survey. Of the 53% of grads who went to a four year college, 42% have successfully completed a degree program. Two year college students reported very similar percentages. "I was impressed how many of our kids go on to higher education," said Valdez High School Principal Geary Cantrell.

Only 13% of those who went onto a four year have dropped out with no plans to return. Another 13% are not in school but do plan to return. The rest are still in school but say they plan to graduate within the next 12 months.

The numbers were somewhat dismal for those 9% of students who went directly into trade or technical schools. Not one of those former students reported completing certificate programs. 25% were still taking classes and did expect to complete training within a year. 75% did not successfully complete programs.

Former students were also asked to rate Valdez High. 11% rated the school superior, 49% said excellent, 33% thought it was good and 7% opined it was fair. Not one rated the school Poor or Very Poor.

Students were also asked ways the school could improve educational opportunities. Some respondents felt sports team members were treated better than non athletes five years ago while others felt they needed more foreign language classes or more math and science. There was praise for the dual credit college courses offered to high school students and the college. Technology courses were also rated high with one complaint stating, "Would like to see VHS make Computer classes mandatory."

On the employment front, 22% of the grads reported being unemployed. However, the survey did not ask if grads were not working while in school or just could not find work.

April Showers Inside High School Cause Damage

April Showers Inside High School Cause Damage

By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star

HIGH SCHOOL - Fire alarms have sent the Valdez Fire Department scurrying around town lately, despite the fact there has been little fire activity around town but plenty of emergencies for such a small town. The latest alarm occurred late Wednesday night of last week when the fire alarm at Valdez High School went off, sending emergency personnel off to the scene. When crews arrived, there was no fire but there was most certainly an alarming emergency. Responders found several inches of water pouring out of Mr. Mackey's second story classroom, sending vast amounts of water not just into the classroom, but down into the ceiling and onto the computers and books in the library on the first floor. "The sprinkler heads went haywire," said VHS Principal Geary Cantrell. "This one just busted loose."

"We tried to stop the water," reported Fire Chief George Keeney. He says the fire crew went into damage control mode immediately to try to stop the water damage, especially in the library below where wet computers and sopping books laid under water and sagging ceiling tiles.

Last week, the fire department responded to a fire alarm at Prince William Sound Community College. They arrived on the scene to also find no fire, but extensive vandalism to the school. Two juveniles have since been arrested for the crime.

In the case of the high school, an aging sprinkler head burst open without warning. According to Dave McCahan, who is in charge of maintenance for Valdez City Schools, old heads normally start to drip and do not burst without warning. He said inspection and replacement of sprinkler heads are an ongoing project throughout the school system. "Its something we work at on going," he told the School Board Monday night. "There was considerable water damage in both places," he said.

Remarkably, the cost estimates of the water damage to both the class room and the library are coming in under $10,000, not including man hours. Several ceiling tiles have to be replaced in the library but almost all of the computers survived the deluge. Only one keyboard and a printer are nonfunctional and have to be replaced.

"I would like to publicly thank Mr. Keeney and his staff," a grateful McCahan told the school board. He credits their damage control efforts for the low dollar damage estimate.

Several new books and many of the back issues of National Geographic were destroyed in the library. "Overall, the key book shelves were away from the water," said Principal Cantrell.

Cordovans Petition for Borough Vote

Cordovans Petition for Borough Vote
By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star

CORDOVA - A group of Cordova residents, apparently chagrined by the actions of their City Council, filed a petition with Cordova City Hall asking for a popular vote on the issue on incorporating into a Prince William Sound Borough.

The petition was signed by 187 registered Cordova voters. Organizers of the petition drive claim to have gathered the signatures within 24 hours. According to a memo sent to Edgar Blatchford, Commissioner of the Department of Community and Economic Development by Cordova resident Jennifer Gibbins, the petition does not take sides on the borough issue, it only requests that Cordovans be allowed to vote on the issue.

The memo reads in part: "The petition requests the opportunity to vote on the resolution. The intention behind the petition is to allow residents to exercise their fundamental right to vote on issues of governance and taxation."

The Cordova City Council stunned many locals in the area and angered the Valdez City Council earlier last month when they issued a surprise resolution endorsing the controversial borough formation and passed the request onto the Local Boundary Commission.

Valdez residents were outraged over the resolution and the accompanying recommendations from the task force put together by the Cordova Council to study borough formation. The recommendations included placing the borough seat in Cordova and reducing borough assembly representation of Valdez.

Last September, the City of Whittier started the ball rolling when they sent a letter to the LBC requesting that the commission prepare a petition to the state legislature to incorporate the cities of Valdez, Cordova and Whittier along with the villages of Tatitlek and Chenega into a Prince William Sound Borough. Several citizens of the tiny community also rebelled and put forth a petition asking that the local residents be allowed to vote on the issue. The special election will be held May 10 in Whittier according to Assistant City Clerk Louise Heywood.

The Whittier petition effectively halted the Borough request that was to be put forth to the state legislature by the LBC for this legislative season.

Since the petition was made public last fall both Speaker of the House John Harris and Senator Gene Therriault who represent Valdez in the state voting districts have introduced legislation to eliminate the never before used loop hole that allows for Borough formation without a popular vote of effected communities. "We're working on the issue," Senator Therriault told the council telephonically at their last meeting. "We're chipping away at it."

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

City Seeks a Consensus on Census of Valdez Population

City Seeks a Consensus on Census of Valdez Population

By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star

CITY HALL - The Valdez City Council passed a resolution adopting the figure of 4,600 residents as the official population of Valdez at the city council meeting Monday night. The move comes as a rebuttal of the annual "Population Determination" put out by the State of Alaska last January, which estimated the population of town to be 3,749.

The city of Valdez was dubious of those numbers and set out to do an estimate of their own. One of the methods of determining population counts that the state allows is by what is called the "Housing Unit Method" according to Lisa Von Bargen, Director of Community and Economic Development for Valdez. "We actually did a 100% field enumeration," she told the council.

In laymans terms, that means that the city actually went out and verified whether or not every housing unit in the city was actually still standing and whether or not it was occupied. It also includes numbers of people living in what are called "group quarters", like the Senior Center and the college. Then using accepted averages for the sizes of housing units from the 2001 mail in census the city conducted in 2001, they were able to peg the number of residents in Valdez at 4,600. "We're not counting exact," Ms. Von Bargen told the council. "It's a best guess estimate."

The numbers are important to the City for a number of reasons, including the possibility that Valdez will be forced into a Prince William Sound Borough.

"This is a very big increase," said City Attorney Bill Walker. "I am so pleased with this."

He said a higher population count is important not only for the possible borough issue, but for voter districting issues and beyond.

Ms. Von Bargen did note that the city does need to consider a true head count at some point in the near future.

Vandals Ransack College Early Sunday Morning

Vandals Ransack College Early Sunday Morning

By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star

PWSCC - Prince William Sound Community College was brutally vandalized in the wee hours of Sunday morning leaving thousands of dollars in damage in its wake. "We have to juvenile males in custody," said Lt. Bill Comer of the Valdez Police Department.

Cops were first alerted to vandalism when the suspects set off the fire alarm inside the college sometime around 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning. Firefighters responding to the alarm found no fire, but brazen destruction all throughout the building. Plants were overturned, paperwork scattered everywhere in addition to mounds of broken glass from windows and display cases, destroyed drinking fountains and furniture. The damage was not limited to inside the building. All six of the college owned vehicles in the parking lot outside the building suffered one or more broken windows. "It was overwhelming," Comer said on Monday morning. "It was kind of unbelievable."

Six previously off duty officers and jailers were called in to process the scene which will cost the city quite a bit of money. "When a major crime like this happens it utilizes all our resources," said Comer during the early morning while police were still taking fingerprints and documenting the scene. "If we try to do it cheaper and quicker it costs you in the long run."

College personnel and volunteers in the community were given access to the building at around 4:00 p.m. Sunday to do a damage assessment and start putting the pieces back together in hopes of having the school ready for business as usual come Monday morning. "Community support was incredible," said Acting President Doug Desorcie after the school opened for classes on schedule Monday morning. "We were totally out at about 11:00 p.m. last night."

While the institution appeared a little frayed at the edges, it was indeed open for business Monday morning and all services, including the Wellness Center were abuzz with activity.

Actual estimates of the dollar value of the destruction are not yet fully known but will surely run into the tens of thousands of dollars. It is also still undetermined what, if anything, was stolen during the rampage. Damage assessments and costs for replacement and repairs of the vandalism are ongoing.

"Genuine Offer" Makes Gasline to Valdez Closer

"Genuine Offer" Makes Gasline to Valdez Closer

By Lee Revis
Editor, Valdez Star

CIVIC CENTER- The year 2011. "That's when gas is going to market," said Ryan Colgan of the Alaska Gasline Port Authority at the end of a press conference held in Fairbanks Monday afternoon. "That's our goal."

Colgan spoke the monumental words after Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Jim Whitaker announced that the AGPA had made a solid, bona fide offer to the state of Alaska and the three major oil producers on the North Slope to purchase one to two billion dollars worth of natural gas per year for thirty years. That translates to approximately four billion cubic feet per day of natural gas. "The market will determine the value," said Whitaker. "A fixed price is not part of the equation."

The monumental announcement is one giant step forward in the plan to export Alaska's natural gas reserves via a new natural gas pipeline from the North Slope to tidewater in Valdez. From there it will be shipped to west coast markets via specially built ships. "We think this is an historical event," said Whitaker.

The offer to buy the gas and bring it to market still has several obstacles to overcome before actual construction on a gasline can begin. Last week, the authority filed an application with the state under the Stranded Gas Act, which will need approval of the state legislature. "Every project has a number of hurdles it has to cross," Whitaker said.

However, the greatest hurdle may come from the leaseholders on the existing wells on the North Slope. Exxon, ConocoPhillips and BP, the big three producers, are sitting on an estimated 100 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, which is present in the crude oil wells on the North Slope. Currently, natural gas is re-injected into the wells of crude oil as it comes to the surface during crude oil extraction. The big three are currently focusing on bringing the gas to market via a pipeline through Canada to Chicago and the Midwest markets. "Its clear that the obligation to produce will be in effect," said Whitaker.

The project is estimated to be able to generate $370 million in revenues annually to the state. Under the AGPA plan, 60% of that figure will go to the state directly, 30% will go to incorporated municipalities all through Alaska and the remaining 10% will be distributed to non-pipeline communities to help offset the costs of energy in those communities.

The cost of the $16.1 billion project will be financed with the $18 billion in loan guarantees passed by Congress for the specific purpose of bringing Alaska natural gas to U.S. markets in the lower 48. Until a genuine offer to purchase gas was made, the federal guarantees where not available to any entity wishing to develop Alaskan reserves of natural gas, including a route to Chicago through Canada. With an offer to buy gas on the table, the AGPA is in a position to apply for the federal loan guarantees.

"We were hoping to release that (news of the offer) Saturday here," said Valdez Mayor Bert Cottle after the press conference. Unfortunately, the written offer was not ready for release as of Friday evening. Reportedly, the board of directors for the AGPA, their attorneys and representatives from Sempra Energy were working around the clock last week in Anchorage in order to finalize the details of the offer.

Representatives from the Sempra, the AGPA and their attorneys Rigdon Boykin and Bill Walker held a public presentation in Valdez last Saturday to update the citizenry on the current status of the project.