Here’s the latest edition of In the Loop.
In this issue:
Notice of Offices to be Filled (for the regular election – Aleutians East Borough)……. Pages 1 – 2.
SWAMC – Forum on Ferry System Reform – Friday, Aug. 18th …… Page 3.
Go read or download the most recent In The Loop from the Aleutians East Borough!
Alaska-based PenAir filing Chapter 11 reorganization plan;
Service within Alaska to continue unchanged
Alaska-based PenAir has filed for Chapter 11 reorganization with the state of Alaska. This action will not affect scheduled air service operations in Alaska or Boston. PenAir’s Portland, Oregon and Denver, Colorado hubs will begin the process of closing scheduled service over the next 90 days.
“The steps we are taking today will allow PenAir to emerge as a stronger airline, while continuing our focus on safe operations,†said PenAir CEO and Chairman Danny Seybert. “We will be working with a restructuring officer to present a reorganization plan that will allow the management team to focus on our employees, safe operations, retiring debt and taking care of our customers.â€
PenAir recently announced the termination of the Portland-area regional routes as part of an immediate cost-cutting plan in the Pacific Northwest. All, but the essential Air Service (EAS) route between Portland and Crescent City, California, will be shut down effective close of business on Monday, August 7. This impacts scheduled flight operations between Portland and Klamath Falls and North Bend/Coos Bay, Oregon and Redding and Eureka/Arcata, California.
Today, PenAir announced the additional closing the Denver hub pending approval from the Department of Transportation.
PenAir is filing a request with the DOT to end EAS routes between Crescent City, CA and Portland and all regional routes served from its Denver hub. This will impact EAS routes operating between Denver and Liberal and Dodge City, Kansas and North Platt, Kearney and Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Once approved, this transition usually takes 30 to 90 days until a new carrier can be secured in the market.
PenAir serves eight destinations within Alaska, including Dutch Harbor, Cold Bay, Sand Point, King Salmon, Dillingham, St. Paul, St. George and McGrath; and three routes in the Boston area including Bar Harbor and Presque Isle, Maine and Plattsburgh, New York. Passengers in both the Alaska and Boston markets can expect continued operations with no changes to scheduled flight service. Employees in these markets will play a critical role in the reorganization process.
“Our employees are a key part of our success, and we are doing everything we can to keep our PenAir family intact,†said Seybert.
Passengers scheduled to fly out of the Portland market may contact the airline their travel was originally booked on, or PenAir at 800-448-4226.
About PenAir – PenAir was founded in 1955 by Orin Seybert in Pilot Point, Alaska. It is one of the oldest family-owned airlines in the United States. The airline is also one of the largest regional airlines in Alaska and the Northeast U.S., and one of the largest operators of Saab 340 aircraft in the US. System-wide, PenAir has 700 employees and serves 25 destinations.
Trident Seafoods will announce limits by either the evening of August 2nd or the morning of August 3rd.
Northwest Stepovak will be opening for 48 hours starting this Saturday, July 8, 2017 at Noon.
Please stay tuned for more updates as they come!
There will be a meeting for all commercial fisherman on Thursday, July 6th at the Sand Point City Chambers. Meeting to begin at 4pm
Opener begins at 6am on June 17 and goes for 48 hours! Look at the full notice below.
Tustumena Return to Service Further Delayed
Extensive damaged steel on the vessel, more repair work is needed. Vessel is expected to return to service August 15.
(JUNEAU, Alaska) – The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) announced today that more wasted steel was discovered in the engine room of the M/V Tustumena and repairs will require additional time at the Vigor Ketchikan Shipyard.
The Tustumena went in for its scheduled annual overhaul on March 13 and was originally scheduled to return to service on May 27. In early May, damaged steel was discovered in the engine room and the Tustumena’s return to service was initially pushed back to July 18. With this recent discovery of additional wasted steel, AMHS anticipates United States Coast Guard approval for the Tustumena’s return to service departing Homer at 5 p.m., Monday, August 15.
This delay impacts communities in Southwest Alaska and along the Aleutian chain. Usually, there are 10 trips scheduled along the Aleutian chain each year. Because of these delays, there will now be three remaining trips this year, with the first chain trip commencing on August 22.
The Tustumena is 53-years-old. A replacement vessel has been designed, but is awaiting construction funding in the pending fiscal year 2018 capital budget. AMHS staff is contacting affected passengers. For more information, please call your local terminal or the AMHS central reservations office at 1-907-465-3941 or toll free at 1-800-642-0066. An updated schedule will be made available online at FerryAlaska.com.
Coastal Transportation, based in Seattle, continues to be an option for AMHS customers impacted by the Tustumena delay. Coastal Transportation can accommodate vehicles on an as-able basis, at the same cost as AMHS, transporting from Homer to Kodiak and to Aleutian destinations. Coastal Transportation can be reached at 1-800-544-2580 or 1-206-282-9979.
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 242 airports, 10 ferries serving 35 communities, over 5,600 miles of highway and 731 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska. The mission of the department is to “Keep Alaska Moving through service and infrastructure.”
In This Episode:
– Continuing the Look at Aleut Internment and It’s Impact Today
– The State Legislature Flirts with a Government Shutdown
Download the KSDP Newscast for May 31th, 2017 (mp3, 1.32 MB, 6 minutes)
Stream it (HTML5):
Download the June 2, 2017 Agenda Here
Meeting will be held at 5:30pm at the KSDP Business Office in Sand Point. Meeting is Open to the Public.
Credit:
Vladimir Burkanov/NOAA
On this Newscast:
– The Sand Point City Budget
– Science on How Stellar Sealions Hunt for Food
– Remembering Funter Bay Internment Camps
Download the KSDP Newscast for May 25th, 2017 (mp3, 2.1 MB, 8 minutes)
Stream it (HTML5):
On this Newscast:
– The Hunt for Underwater Munitions in Unalaska and Kodiak Begins
– The House of Representatives Pass Measures to Address Medical Opioid Prescriptions
– 3 Impacts from President Drumpfs’ Budget for Alaska
Download the KSDP Newscast for May 24th, 2017 (mp3, 2.03 MB, 9 minutes)
Stream it (HTML5):
