U.S. flag code dictates that flags fly at half-staff for 30 days following the death of a former president. When that mourning period coincided with President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Skagway Assembly was disinclined to follow Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s lead.

 

Alex Weddell addressed other Skagway Assembly members three hours after Gov. Dunleavy ordered flags on state property be raised to full-staff for Inauguration Day.

“I would like to move that we direct staff to follow the current orders of Commander in Chief, President Biden,” Weddell said. “To leave the flags at half mast through January 28 in observance of the 30 day mourning period for former President Jimmy Carter, a national treasure who dedicated his life to the service of the people of our beloved country.”

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson decreed that flags in the U.S. Capitol be raised high on Inauguration Day. Alaska followed suit, as did some blue states, including California and Colorado.

However, Skagway’s assembly voted unanimously on Jan. 16 to leave flags at half-staff. City Hall sits on municipal property, not state, so the vote could be seen as largely symbolic. There was little discussion and no mention of incoming president Donald Trump’s name.

Instead, the assembly focused on the legacy of Carter.

“Jimmy Carter was a man who served this country throughout his whole life,” Weddell said. “He was a model citizen. He devoted his life to charity and service. And I feel very strongly about this, that we should be observing what is the customary procedure for grieving a former president. The timing is very unfortunate.” 

Assembly member Orion Hanson spoke more about Carter.

“I think almost everyone agrees that he was a great humanitarian and probably one of the most engaged ex-presidents ever,” Hanson said. “Set the gold standard of what can be accomplished once you’re not in office – Habitat for Humanity, his advocacy for peaceful relations in the Middle East … But I was going to read just one quick quote … America did not invent human rights in a very real sense, human rights invented America.”

Besides keeping local flags at half-staff, the assembly has been working on some other issues.

Assembly member Jonathan Hillis announced that the Public Works Committee is asking borough staff to come up with an additional, scaled-back option for the Main Street rehabilitation project. The project will replace crumbling sewer and road on Skagway’s busiest residential street. The proposed sidewalks and bike lanes would do away with existing green space and make use of the municipality’s right of way, which many property owners use as part of their yard.

“We also discussed adding a fourth option to the Main Street redevelopment, focused on cost and completing the necessary repairs,” Hillis said. “So lowering that $40 million expected cost. There’s just some concerns about the size of that project.” 

Comments about the project can be sent to a new address at mainstreet@skagway.org.

Hillis said he had already signed up for an account at Skagway’s soon-to-be second financial institution. Credit Union One will debut on Third and Broadway in April. It comes after the municipality met with credit unions last year to try and get more financial options for residents. 

“I was too excited to hear the Credit Union One was coming here, and went ahead and opened up an account with them this morning,” Hillis said. “…One thing to remember, it was referred to as a bank. It is a credit union which is a nonprofit, which is in their charter. They’re investing in the area that they service. So that is something worth acknowledging.”

The assembly approved a contract with KPFF Consulting Engineers to plan a dredging project in the port. The contract includes project management and design coordination along with preliminary permitting coordination at a cost of approximately $197,000.

Assembly member Hanson explained why the dredging is necessary.

“The area in the southwest corner of the float of the Ore Dock is getting — it’s the silt that’s coming down the river that’s getting a little bit close,” he said. “And the engineers have advised us this should be a fairly simple, straightforward dredging project.”