City: Declare promenade a ‘public emergency’

The Ketchikan City Council will be asked Thursday to declare a public emergency regarding the waterfront promenade in the Thomas Basin area, in order to proceed more quickly than usual with design work to repair the structure.

In a memo, City Manager Karl Amylon writes that, if the Council approves, the city would hire PND Engineers to do the design work, at a cost of about $42,000. He adds that the project could be paid for through cruise passenger head-tax funds.

The promenade was closed in late October because of “significant platform settlement and rock-wall movement.” Assistant Public Works Director Seth Brakke reports that about 40 linear feet of the rock wall has moved toward the water, and timber columns that support the structure are settling and leaning.

Also Thursday, the Council will consider a proposal by the Ketchikan Public Art Works committee to hire two Dutch artists to build a new rain gauge for Berth II downtown. The recommended proposal would cost nearly $95,000, which falls within the $100,000 project budget.

While images of the proposed piece won’t be revealed until the meeting, a description was included in the Council packet. The artists designed a steel structure with cylindrical glass shapes that collect, distribute and measure the rain. The proposed art piece is called “The Great Ketch.”

The Ketchikan City Council meeting starts at 7 p.m. Thursday in City Council chambers. Public comment will be heard at the start of the meeting.