Media Release re Public Records Request re Lutak Dock

May 11, 2022

MEDIA RELEASE

Public records requests are a healthy way to ensure democracy.  What is troubling is when assertions are made prior to documents being produced that there has been collusion on the part of Borough staff – or worse – accusations of untruthfulness.

Testimony by two individuals at the April 7, 2022 special Planning Commission meeting was that “Yukon mines are behind this project”, “the Borough has not been transparent”, and “…doublespeak. This is clearly about ore”.

These individuals owe an apology to Borough staff for these unfounded insinuations. 

A Planning Commission member in the April 12 Assembly meeting followed up with an accusation that “Borough staff were planning to give (public money) to Canadian mining companies.  That’s fraud.”

No, that’s false.  The Planning Commission member continued saying, “we need the truth.”

As the Borough Manager, I strive to ensure that we are open and transparent in all that we do.  Here’s the truth – we are working to get more of what we do here at the Borough out on the website and in the media to keep the public informed.  Sometimes we fail in that goal, but we will own it when we do.

I understand that there are residents who, because of their past experiences, feel that trust has been broken with regard to public process.  When I interviewed for this position, I told those at the Library Open House that I hope to bring facts before fear.  There are those in this community who wish to put fear before the facts.

Here are the facts:

• There is not a single communication in this broad public records request that supports the insinuations leveled at Borough staff about collusion with the mining industry regarding Lutak Dock.  There have been inquiries and staff have answered questions posed to them by various entities, but there has been no collusion to design the Lutak Dock for mining interests.
• From the time of the RAISE grant award, our focus has been on insuring that the dock is as usable as possible. 
• With the reduced cost of the dock at about $25 million (initial projection to rebuild the dock was around $40 million) – we lose 500 feet of the front due to a revised construction design.
• To reach over that rubble mound design, we need the elevated ramp to ensure a second access to barges should the roll on/roll off ramp fail.

Some have testified in committee that they don’t care about the inconvenience should barges be unable to dock to unload fuel or groceries. I do care about that impact on residents who may need to shop more frequently and don’t have a stockpile of groceries or fuel to rely on.

Through the progressive design build process the Borough is undertaking with the long-awaited reconstruction of the Lutak Dock, there will be opportunities for the public to weigh in on this project.

Many times during these past hearings on the Lutak Dock project people have wanted me to say there will be no ore shipped from the dock.  That is not for me to say.  That would be a community decision which the Assembly will direct me to implement.

All of the records produced for the public records request are available under the news tab on the Borough’s website.  I want you to have confidence in your Borough administration and to know the facts, not fear.

To download the documents produced pursuant to this request- please click here or go to https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5dkuqpeu267yrqq/AACqghPbueoQGU8Di4Qnnyyfa?dl=0