1980-04 Requesting Governor Jay Hammond And The Alaska State Legislature To Fund The Trident Basin Boat Harbor, Near Island Bridge And Furthermore Placing These Projects As Our Top Priority.1 1 7
KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
RESOLUTION NO. 80 -4 -R
A RESOLUTION OF THE KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH REQUESTING GOVERNOR
JAY HAMMOND AND THE ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE TO FUND THE TRIDENT BASIN BOAT
HARBOR, NEAR ISLAND BRIDGE AND FURTHERMORE PLACING THESE PROJECTS AS OUR TOP
PRIORITY.
Whereas, the Kodiak Boat Harbor has been greatly overcrowded for
many years, making it extremely frustrating, time - consuming, dangerous, expen-
sive, and often impossible for commercial fisherman to safely moor their vessels,
and,
Whereas, many fishermen have to waste expensive fuel running
auxiliary engines because of lack of access to electrical shore power, and,
Whereas, it is impossible for many sports fishermen, pleasure boat
:owners and charter boat owners to obtain stalls for their boats, thereby
denying many Kodiak residents easy access to the pleasures of boating and
sports fishing in the ocean waters surrounding Kodiak, and,
Whereas, many salmon and halibut fishermen are unable to come to
Kodiak during closures or when doing boat work because of the inability to
safely moor their vessels in town, and,
Whereas, oversized vessels (such as 108 footers in 75 boot stalls)
are repeatedly causing expensive damages to the floats and pilings in the
present harbor, and,
Whereas, vessels tied many deep outside cannery docks because of
lack of space in the boat harbor have done extensive damage to cannery docks
and pilings, and made normal loading and unloading operations extremely time -
consuming, frustrating and expensive for both vessel and cannery personnel, and,
Whereas, over the past Christmas holidays the inevitable happened
during a windstorm, and three vessels with a total value well over a million
dollars that were tied abreast at the King Crab, Inc. cannery dock broke loose,
drifted along the waterfront damaging vessels moored at other cannery docks,
and finally hitting the harbor breakwater, and,
Whereas, the entire above - mentioned chaos and the fire -prone
conditions of our overcrowded harbor place the large financial investments
and commitments of fishermen in their vessels in great jeopardy, and combined
with shorter seasons and lower fish prices is making it increasingly
7' 1 1 1 1- 1 1 1 7 7
attractive for Kodiak area fishermen to move their homes and headquarters
to Outside Ports, thereby depriving the Kodiak and Alaska economies of
their fish dollars; and
Whereas a natural harbor site called Trident Basin exists directly
across the Kodiak channel on the north end of tear Island, bordered by
Holiday Island and Crooked Island; and
Whereas the development of Trident Basin into a boat harbor would
require only a minimal amount of break waters and dredging, and could be
quickly constructed; and
Whereas the Trident Basin Harbor could be temporarily served by a
ferry, a bridge across the channel to Near Island is the best long run
solution, and would additionally open the remainder of Near Island as
badly needed development space; and
Whereas the Kodiak fishing fleet has been paying large, increasing
amounts of Motor Marine Fuel Tax and Raw Fish Tax dollars to the State
coffers, and some of these revenues are dedicated to boat harbors; and
Whereas the City of Kodiak last fall increased the sales tax by two
percent with these additional revenues dedicated to harbor development
and roads, thereby showing a financial commitment of our community; and
Whereas the voters of the Kodiak Island Borough recently passed a
twenty -nine (29) million dollar bond issue to improve schools throughout
our island, making it particularly important that our economy not stagnate
or decline; and
Whereas fisheries are the key to Kodiak's economy and lifestyle, and
it will be difficult for our industry to expand into bottomfishing without
adequate harbor and docking facilities; and
Whereas the proposed Dog Bay Boat Harbor on the south end of Near
Island has been languishing in Congressional committees for over ten years
to no avail, and
whereas Dog Bay Harbor will be far more time consuming and expensive
to construct, so that if the 1980 Congress and President Carter should
decide to authorize this project as we so hope, it will be at least 1986
until we might tie up our first boat in Dog Bay; and
Whereas the thought of putting up with the present harbor situation
for at least six more years is unthinkable for the Kodiak community, and
that by the time Dog Bay Harbor is hopefully finished it too will be
1 U 1 "1 '1 ► • I 1 7
needed along with Trident Basin, and the Near Island Bridge will serve both
boat harbors, and,
NOW, THEREFORE, the Kodiak Island Borough hereby requests Governor
Jay Hammond and the entire 1980 Alaska State Legislature to please appropriate
the necessary funds for quick and timely construction of Trident Basin Boat
Harbor and the Near Island Bridge, and,
FURTHERMORE, the Kodiak Island Borough hereby places the Trident
Basin Boat Harbor and Near Island Bridge as our top priority capital construc-
tion funding request for the 1980 Alaska State Legislature.
PASSED AND APPROVED THIS 22nd day of January , 1980.
ATTEST:
1L
Borough Cle - Treasurer
Resolution No. 80 -4 -R
KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH