Post by ferryfast admin on Mar 15, 2006 21:04:47 GMT -5
Web posted March 12, 2006
We face a historic April
By Lew M. Williams Jr.
Ketchikan Daily News
Fifty years ago, delegates from throughout Alaska completed a constitution for the future 49th state. They set aside political differences and in 75 days gave Alaska a big push toward statehood. Alaskans voted for the constitution and elected three pseudo members of Congress to lobby for statehood.
UAS
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Sound off on the important issues of the
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Alaskans and their political leaders are at as important a crossroads to Alaska's future this year. Will we celebrate great 2006 leadership in 2056?
Gov. Frank Murkowski handed the Legislature a revision of oil taxes. Hearings are under way. The outcome of that legislation determines how, or if, the state and the major oil companies construct a $25 billion pipeline to carry Alaska natural gas to the Lower 48. What the lawmakers decide won't go directly on the ballot, but one-half of the state senate, all of the state house and the governor and lieutenant governor are on this year's ballots. To be elected or re-elected, today's leaders must do as the delegates to the constitution convention did: set aside political games and grandstanding and do the best job possible for the people of Alaska.
Also, there is other business that demands immediate attention. While rearranging how Alaska receives revenue from its resources, lawmakers must pay attention to how Alaskans invest their revenue. That means putting on the November ballot a constitutional amendment to base withdrawals from the Alaska Permanent Fund on the market value of the fund, rather than on earnings.
Other financial problems face lawmakers, such as funding public employees' retirement and local government revenue sharing. But the two above - oil taxes and the permanent fund - are, or should be, directly or indirectly, on the November ballot to give future administrations and legislatures the tools to solve the other problems.
We hope April brings success in Juneau that will be celebrated in 50 years, even if the session must be extended beyond its early May date for adjourning.
Almost one-half of Alaskans live in the Anchorage area, and they also have a big issue to decide in April. They vote April 4 on $165.1 million in bonds for schools, roads, public safety and parks and recreation projects.
And in the Legislature is Senate Bill 303, which authorizes the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority to proceed with fundraising to construct the bridge from Anchorage to the Matu-Su Valley, one of the famous "bridges to nowhere," partially funded by the highway bill recently signed by President Bush.
If the Anchorage bonds pass, one-half of the revenue to pay them off will come from property taxes. Also, there is a sales tax proposal on the ballot. That is unlike Ketchikan, where residents get to vote on April 11 on $38.5 million in revenue bonds. Those will be retired by a fee assessed on each cruise ship passenger. The bonds will pay for remodeling and realigning existing docks so that up to three 965-foot ships can tie up at one time. One pier will accommodate 1,100-foot vessels.
Private industry will back this up with a fourth berth that will accommodate the largest ships.
For the upgrade and expansion, Ketchikan regains visitors it lost from outdated berths that were too small for the newer ships. Residents and visitors get wider sidewalks, improved traffic flow and improvements to the Casey Moran Float area.
Future projects that could be funded by the passenger tax include expansion of the museum by moving the library to a new building, preferably on the top of the planned downtown parking garage at Main and Grant. Visitors also could contribute to the Tongass Coast Aquarium being designed with a $5 million grant.
The bridge to Ketchikan's airport is in the state's highway plan. The first phase of a $40 million upgrade of the airport starts this fall. So Ketchikan is doing fine. It will do even better if voters approve the revenue bonds.
Of interest to Anchorage and other parts of Alaska are the $50 million worth of improvements being made to Ketchikan Shipyard. Like airport expansion, it is federally funded. The shipyard is owned by the state through Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, and operated under contract with a private firm, Alaska Ship and Drydock.
The first group of improvements expands shipbuilding capacity to enable construction of two advanced technology E-Crafts for the Office of Naval Research. The $30 million E-Crafts will be demonstrated as high-speed, ice-breaking, cargo-passenger ferries between the Mat-Su Borough and Anchorage, until the toll bridge is completed. The E-Crafts' keels will be laid this summer or fall.
If the E-Crafts are successful, the state could construct some to operate to small Alaska communities without regular ferry docks, such as more than 30 communities along the Yukon River. Rep. Woodie Salmon has suggested such service. They could serve an equal number of communities along the Kuskokwim if the north Denali Park access road to Kantishina is ever extended to McGrath, as envisioned by the governor and some northern lawmakers.
April is a critical month in Alaska history. If the lawmakers and the administration do their part, they'll earn support in the August primary election and in the November general. And Alaskans will celebrate and still be celebrating 50 years from now.
• Lew Williams Jr. is a retired publisher of the Ketchikan Daily News.
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ONR, Alaska Builder Combine On E-Craft
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is nurturing the development of a fast, twin-hull ship with a hydraulic center section that can be raised and lowered to take on troops and materiel, including battle tanks.
The unusual vessel is seen as a key element of the Navy’s sea basing concept that envisions future logistical support and troop-staging operations done at sea rather than on land. Rear Adm. Jay Cohen, former ONR director, said the experimental E-Craft is a means “to try and solve the … issue of getting from the prepositioning ship at high speed to and over the beach with M1A1 tanks, and back again to resupply.”
ONR will invest $20 million in the project and has contracted with Alaska Ship & Drydock Inc., Ketchikan, Alaska, to develop the
E-Craft, called Sealifter, in a venture with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough of Ketchikan. Also to serve as an Alaska ferry, the E-Craft has a twin hull design and will be fitted with a barge to be hydraulically lifted and lowered between the two hulls for the at-sea transfer of troops and cargo from a large, prepositioning ship.
“It’s an interesting technology with a reconfigurable hull form,” said a Navy official. The Pentagon’s Defense Science Board wants to determine if a larger version of the E-Craft could be developed to support the Army’s desire to cross the ocean in one hull configuration and then change the configuration to go into a shallow draft area, the official said.
Reporting by Seapower Correspondent Megan Scully. Managing Editor Richard R. Burgess and Assistant Editor David W. Munns contributed to this report.
We face a historic April
By Lew M. Williams Jr.
Ketchikan Daily News
Fifty years ago, delegates from throughout Alaska completed a constitution for the future 49th state. They set aside political differences and in 75 days gave Alaska a big push toward statehood. Alaskans voted for the constitution and elected three pseudo members of Congress to lobby for statehood.
UAS
Print This
E-Mail This
Send editor a comment
Sound off on the important issues of the
week at juneaublogger.com/voxbox
Alaskans and their political leaders are at as important a crossroads to Alaska's future this year. Will we celebrate great 2006 leadership in 2056?
Gov. Frank Murkowski handed the Legislature a revision of oil taxes. Hearings are under way. The outcome of that legislation determines how, or if, the state and the major oil companies construct a $25 billion pipeline to carry Alaska natural gas to the Lower 48. What the lawmakers decide won't go directly on the ballot, but one-half of the state senate, all of the state house and the governor and lieutenant governor are on this year's ballots. To be elected or re-elected, today's leaders must do as the delegates to the constitution convention did: set aside political games and grandstanding and do the best job possible for the people of Alaska.
Also, there is other business that demands immediate attention. While rearranging how Alaska receives revenue from its resources, lawmakers must pay attention to how Alaskans invest their revenue. That means putting on the November ballot a constitutional amendment to base withdrawals from the Alaska Permanent Fund on the market value of the fund, rather than on earnings.
Other financial problems face lawmakers, such as funding public employees' retirement and local government revenue sharing. But the two above - oil taxes and the permanent fund - are, or should be, directly or indirectly, on the November ballot to give future administrations and legislatures the tools to solve the other problems.
We hope April brings success in Juneau that will be celebrated in 50 years, even if the session must be extended beyond its early May date for adjourning.
Almost one-half of Alaskans live in the Anchorage area, and they also have a big issue to decide in April. They vote April 4 on $165.1 million in bonds for schools, roads, public safety and parks and recreation projects.
And in the Legislature is Senate Bill 303, which authorizes the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority to proceed with fundraising to construct the bridge from Anchorage to the Matu-Su Valley, one of the famous "bridges to nowhere," partially funded by the highway bill recently signed by President Bush.
If the Anchorage bonds pass, one-half of the revenue to pay them off will come from property taxes. Also, there is a sales tax proposal on the ballot. That is unlike Ketchikan, where residents get to vote on April 11 on $38.5 million in revenue bonds. Those will be retired by a fee assessed on each cruise ship passenger. The bonds will pay for remodeling and realigning existing docks so that up to three 965-foot ships can tie up at one time. One pier will accommodate 1,100-foot vessels.
Private industry will back this up with a fourth berth that will accommodate the largest ships.
For the upgrade and expansion, Ketchikan regains visitors it lost from outdated berths that were too small for the newer ships. Residents and visitors get wider sidewalks, improved traffic flow and improvements to the Casey Moran Float area.
Future projects that could be funded by the passenger tax include expansion of the museum by moving the library to a new building, preferably on the top of the planned downtown parking garage at Main and Grant. Visitors also could contribute to the Tongass Coast Aquarium being designed with a $5 million grant.
The bridge to Ketchikan's airport is in the state's highway plan. The first phase of a $40 million upgrade of the airport starts this fall. So Ketchikan is doing fine. It will do even better if voters approve the revenue bonds.
Of interest to Anchorage and other parts of Alaska are the $50 million worth of improvements being made to Ketchikan Shipyard. Like airport expansion, it is federally funded. The shipyard is owned by the state through Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, and operated under contract with a private firm, Alaska Ship and Drydock.
The first group of improvements expands shipbuilding capacity to enable construction of two advanced technology E-Crafts for the Office of Naval Research. The $30 million E-Crafts will be demonstrated as high-speed, ice-breaking, cargo-passenger ferries between the Mat-Su Borough and Anchorage, until the toll bridge is completed. The E-Crafts' keels will be laid this summer or fall.
If the E-Crafts are successful, the state could construct some to operate to small Alaska communities without regular ferry docks, such as more than 30 communities along the Yukon River. Rep. Woodie Salmon has suggested such service. They could serve an equal number of communities along the Kuskokwim if the north Denali Park access road to Kantishina is ever extended to McGrath, as envisioned by the governor and some northern lawmakers.
April is a critical month in Alaska history. If the lawmakers and the administration do their part, they'll earn support in the August primary election and in the November general. And Alaskans will celebrate and still be celebrating 50 years from now.
• Lew Williams Jr. is a retired publisher of the Ketchikan Daily News.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
ONR, Alaska Builder Combine On E-Craft
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is nurturing the development of a fast, twin-hull ship with a hydraulic center section that can be raised and lowered to take on troops and materiel, including battle tanks.
The unusual vessel is seen as a key element of the Navy’s sea basing concept that envisions future logistical support and troop-staging operations done at sea rather than on land. Rear Adm. Jay Cohen, former ONR director, said the experimental E-Craft is a means “to try and solve the … issue of getting from the prepositioning ship at high speed to and over the beach with M1A1 tanks, and back again to resupply.”
ONR will invest $20 million in the project and has contracted with Alaska Ship & Drydock Inc., Ketchikan, Alaska, to develop the
E-Craft, called Sealifter, in a venture with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough of Ketchikan. Also to serve as an Alaska ferry, the E-Craft has a twin hull design and will be fitted with a barge to be hydraulically lifted and lowered between the two hulls for the at-sea transfer of troops and cargo from a large, prepositioning ship.
“It’s an interesting technology with a reconfigurable hull form,” said a Navy official. The Pentagon’s Defense Science Board wants to determine if a larger version of the E-Craft could be developed to support the Army’s desire to cross the ocean in one hull configuration and then change the configuration to go into a shallow draft area, the official said.
Reporting by Seapower Correspondent Megan Scully. Managing Editor Richard R. Burgess and Assistant Editor David W. Munns contributed to this report.