A contractor tasked with renovating the Lutak Dock told residents last week his company’s goal is to restore the dock’s prior use as a multi-purpose cargo facility.
Jason Davis, president of Turnagain Marine Construction, said the company’s proposal to encapsulate the current dock structure would eliminate demolition costs while retaining the dock’s ability to transport “anything the community wants to move across it.”
Before Turnagain submitted a design-build application outlining a cost-effective way to maintain the dock’s large bulkhead, borough officials had been under the impression that the only financially viable option for the project would be to demolish the 70-year-old dock, fill the shoreline with rip rap and build a narrow access trestle as a point of redundancy to AML’s roll-on/roll-off ramp.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) is reviewing Turnagain’s contract. The borough secured funding last fall for the project to the tune of $20 million, but needs to gain MARAD approval for a series of steps as the project progresses.
Turnagain’s conceptual design to encapsulate the current dock and retain hundreds of feet of deep-water access has raised concerns among environmental groups and some residents about the potential for mining companies, in the Yukon Territory or at a Palmer Project mine, to ship ore across the dock. While borough officials and dock contractors have said the proposed dock concept would not be ideal for large mineral exports, it could serve a containerized bulk handling system that Yukon industry representatives have said they could use.
Jessica Plachta, at the town hall, said she felt “troubled by what’s missing” and had hoped for a more “fundamental” discussion about potential uses of the dock and the community’s freight needs.
Mayor Douglas Olerud said he thought the community had already decided to move ahead with a dock replacement project and that the question of design was currently at hand.
Borough officials for years have prioritized renovating the dock. They were awarded a $20 million federal grant last fall, matched with $3.2 million in state funding and $2.4 million in local funds.
Assembly member Debra Schnabel said at the town hall she viewed Turnagain’s proposal as a creative solution that no other engineering firm had come up with. The assembly two weeks ago unanimously voted to approve a contract with Turnagain for up to $310,000.
The dock discussion will move on to the Port and Harbor Advisory Committee. An initial design proposal won’t come before the Planning Commission until MARAD approves the design-build contract.