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HELP FROM BIG BROTHER — David Olin, 15, gives little sister Joss, 3, a kayak paddling lesson near the
mouth of the Nome River June 22 when Nome was still enjoying healthy doses of sunshine. Photo by Denise Olin
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Cover
• Complex plot
hatched for
state builidng
• Uranium found in Wales water supply
• Council declines to bring back city clerk
Page 2
• Editorial • Letters
Page 3
• Young arsonists put
shoppers in jeopardy
Page 4
• Clerk - continued from page 1
• Capsized boat claims
one in Shaktoolik
Page 5
• District settles with Boyer, fills teacher vacancies
• Unlocked car
doors, left keys
tempt thieves
Page 6
• Sitnasuak again searches for a new president/CEO
• State building - continued from page 1
Page 7
• KNOM's new path will sound a lot like its old one
• Uranium - continued from page 1
Page 8
• White Alice gave Nomeites the gift of gab
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Page 9
• A magic hiking trip
to Dorothy Falls
Page 10
• Norton Sound commercial fishers target silver salmon starting July 26
Page 11
• Do you know your medication's side effects?
• All Around the Sound
Page 12
• Classified Ads • Employment
• Legals • Trooper Beat • Seawall
Page 13
• Ulu News
• Obituary
• More Seawall
Page 14
• More Ulu News
• Court
• Serving the Community of Nome
Page 15
• Serving the Community of Nome
Page 16
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Complex plot
hatched for
state builidng
By Sandra L. Medearis
The City of Nome has sent the state
governor's office a letter laying out a
plan whose success would have a
three-story state building cast a tall
shadow on Front Street and short-circuit
State of Alaska procurement laws,
mostly with the use of private money.
The letter is a response to a Department
of Administration call for
letters of interest in providing office
space for local offices of state agencies.
The request came after Front
Street business owners protested state
Department of Transportation and
Public Facilities plans to build the $40
million, 60,000-square-foot building
at the north end of Steadman Street on
land purchased from Alaska Gold Co.
The state has made it perfectly
clear that it wants ideas but will not
award a project based on the letters
of interest. The city's response essentially
tells the state to keep their
$40 million and to keep the new state
building on city tax rolls. The state
has been cruising a site for a building
to replace the current storm-rotted
building standing by the seawall
in the floodplain.
The city's plan possibly provides a
way for the state to work around procurement
laws that rule out sole-source,
non-competitive "sweetheart" deals, continued on page 6 |
Uranium found in Wales water supply
By Tyler Rhodes
The discovery of uranium in the water supply
in Wales has residents in the community at
the tip of the Seward Peninsula worried and
state officials scrambling to figure out the cause.
"This is a complete surprise to everyone in
the state. No one in the state has elevated levels
of uranium in their drinking water," said
Mike Phillips, an engineer and project manager
for the state's Village Safe Water program.
Phillips was to travel to Wales Monday and
Tuesday to try to ascertain how and where the
uranium was entering the village's water system. "We need to first resample before we actually
know what's going on there," he said.
Wales Mayor Frank Crisci said the village
was notified July 12 of the presence of the radioactive
element in its well water. "To have
uranium pop out like that is unexplainable,"
Crisci said.
Tests conducted June 8 by Analytica Group on
several water samples taken between Sept. 21,
2009 and May 3, 2010 show a result of 32.5 micrograms
per liter of uranium. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's standard for drinking
water is a limit of 30 micrograms per liter.
According to Phillips, the wells were drilled
in 2000 and 2001, but were not used for the
city's water supply until 2007-2008. Phillips
said it isn't until the second year of operation
that rules require groundwater to be tested for
radionuclides. The EPA warns that the presence
of uranium in water can lead to kidney damage
and increase the risk of getting cancer.
Crisci said the announcement has spurred
concern in his small community of approximately
150 residents. Particularly troubling for
the mayor is the inability to provide information
to his fellow residents beyond the fact that
the uranium is present. "A lot of people are calling
it junk water. Some people have questions
about it which I can't answer at this point." continued on page 7 |
Council declines to bring back city clerk
By Laurie McNicholas
Sandy Sturgis-Babcock's last day
as Nome's city clerk/city treasurer
was July 15.
Babcock assumed the position on
May 14, 2007 under a three-year contract
with the city. She was hired by
the Nome Common Council and supervised
by City Manager Josie
Bahnke. On July 16 The Nome Nugget
learned by hearsay that Babcock was
no longer employed by the city.
"My three-year contract was up
and wasn't renewed," Babcock explained
in a phone interview with the
Nugget. "I think the council or the
city manager want to go in a different
direction." She said Mayor Denise
Michels informed her of the council's
decision during an executive
session at a council meeting on July
12 and told her she would receive
three months of severance pay.
In keeping with terms of her contract,
Babcock said she had notified the
city 90 days before its expiration date
that she was interested in renewing the
contract for another three years. She
said she doesn't know why the council
didn't discuss contract renewal with
her during that period. Her contract
was extended through July 15.
Babcock said she initially discussed
matters related to contract renewal
with council members in an executive
session at a council meeting on June
28. "We all thought we would talk
about the contract on the 28th, but
Josie [Bahnke] was sick," she noted. "[The council], asked me a lot of questions
and I responded." Discussion of
her contract was postponed until July
12 so Bahnke could participate.
Babcock said potential changes in
the city clerk/city treasurer position
were suggested at the July 12 meeting,
but they were discussed in executive
session so she declined to describe
them. She said she was excused from
the meeting at Bahnke's request while
discussion continued among council
members and Bahnke. When Babcock
was called back into the executive session,
she learned that her contract
would not be renewed. "I did not ask
for details why they wanted to change
the job description," she said.
Mayor outlines changes
In a phone interview with the
Nugget on July 17, Michels said the
council wants to separate the city
clerk/treasurer position and move financial
aspects of the position back
to finance, where they should be, and
rewrite the position for just a city
clerk. She said several of Nome's city
managers have recommended the
separation; the topic had been discussed
in relation to a new
finance/clerk computer software upgrade,
and reclassification of the position
in the offing. "The city clerk
was working to the max," she noted.
Michels said she thanks Babcock "for
her service working as city clerk/city
treasurer through the years."
On July 19 the Nugget received a
request from the city manager's office
to advertise a job opening for city
clerk/treasurer for four weeks beginning
July 22. The ad lists these qualifications: "Bachelor's degree (B.A.) in
business administration and four years
experience as an administrative officer.
Work experience as an administrative continued on page 4 |
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