City Manager Newsletter
City of Seward
March 11, 2024
Seward Electric service rates
A 6 cent kilowatt per hour (kw/h) increase was implemented in the last billing cycle. On average, a residential ratepayer will see a $36 monthly increase in their bill based on the average usage of 600 kw/h. This past month was not average due to extreme cold across Southcentral Alaska.
Over the course of the past billing cycle, many people saw increases in their kw/h usage on their bill. While an added burden, it is an understandable increase when you look at weather patterns during the billing cycle of Jan. 15 to Feb. 15.
For nearly ten days at the end of January/beginning of February, Southcentral Alaska saw extreme lows (and some daily record lows). Cold temperatures impact kw/h usage in the following ways:
- People spend more time at home in the cold weather, thus using more energy.
- Heating system works harder to keep your home comfortable. Even if you don’t change your thermostat setting, it takes longer to heat your home from the outside temperature to a comfortable temperature.
- Gas heating systems use electricity to power the fan and distribute the warm air.
- During colder temperatures, it takes longer to heat hot water and many people find themselves taking more hot showers, baths, or using more hot water in general, thus increasing their kw/h
- Many also utilize space heaters and electric blankets more than usual, which can consume a lot of energy when left on for hours.
- For example, a typical space heater operates at 1500 to 1800 watts or 1.5 to 1.8 kilowatts an hour. If an 1800 watt space heater is going for 8 hours, that would increase your daily usage by 15kw/h
If you have specific questions or suggestions regarding the rate increase or how it's being implemented, please reach out at the email below. Your feedback is valuable in shaping decisions that affect us all. If you have specific concerns not related to the rate (i.e. your kw/h usage, starting a service, water or sewage bills etc.) please contact the utility desk.
Thank you for your understanding and continued engagement in this important issue.
ksorensen@cityofseward.net
Seward visits juneau
I was able to visit Juneau with Mayor McClure, Vice-Mayor Osenga and Harbormaster Norm Regis the week of March 4.
We had a slate of meetings scheduled with various commissioners including the Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development, Department of Corrections, and Department of Transportation.
We also met with a variety of legislatures, including Representative Louise Stutes and Senator Stevens, who presented Norm with a legislative citation for his 30+ years of dedication to the city of Seward! Yay Norm!
P&Z needs commissioners
Community Development Report
The Planning & Zoning Commission is in need of commissioners!
Do you live inside city limits and have an interest in community and comprehensive planning? P&Z advises City Council and promotes public interest and understanding of comprehensive planning, platting, zoning, land management and other issues relating to community planning and development.
There are 1 and 2-year terms available, a perfect opportunity to try it out.
The P&Z Commission meetings on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. and a work session on the third Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Email the application below to clerk@cityofseward.net
Fire Department
We NEED volunteers, if you or someone you know is interested in serving your community, call at 224-3445 or stop by at one of our trainings on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 pm.
- 10 volunteers took the Hazardous Materials Awareness and Operations course exam 2/24/24
- Our Open House for our Explorer Junior Firefighter was a success, and we have 8 teens excited to learn about firefighting, rescue, and EMS!
- The ladder truck was picked up and taken to Anchorage for repairs.
- Fire Marshal Mallory and Building Official Rogers attended ICC Code conference and training 2/26-3/1
- Chief Crites attended a committee meeting for the Bureau of Fire Accreditation, Standards and Training 3/2-3/3/24
Operating Hours & Staffing:
April will be the last month that the library has a delayed open on the first Wednesday, as we prep for our Spring/Summer 2024 patrons’ needs.
Patron Statistics (Feb 1 – Feb 27): 19 working days, we served 5,400 patrons, averaging 284 visitors daily. Additionally, we facilitated 53 events.
Passport Processing: We have 2 new staff members that have completed their training and certification test, the certification is forwarded to the Passport Acceptance Program office for approval and to receive an assigned agent number. Each new agent will undergo supervised training for several weeks.
Shout out to all the volunteers here at the Museum! Their dedication, enthusiasm, and hard work have truly made a difference. This month alone, volunteers reached over 70 hours. The volunteers engage with visitors, assist with exhibitions, and contribute to the overall success of our Museum. If you are interested, please get in touch with the Curator by calling Allie
907 224 4045
- Local authors have been working on their Chapbooks and will soon commence their processing for publication. Learn more at a future workshop!
- Adult Education/GED classes will be conducted here at the library every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from March through June.
- The library hosted a Mapping our Community Winter Programs and Events to get together to map what we’re doing, for who and when, in the winter season. If we do this as a group, we will all have a better picture of our conflicts, opportunities for collaboration or shared promotion, and to see how well we are doing serving all our community members.
Library Programs
Museum collections & Exhibits
The Museum’s Winter Admission Hours are Friday & Saturday, 12pm to 5pm.
The month of February was a busy one for the Museum. Even with limited hours, we had 61 visitors, with the furthest coming from Svalbard, Norway. On February 21, we welcomed the Seward Community Clinic for a visit during their professional development day.
Ongoing Exhibitions:
- Seward Silver Screen Window Display: An exhibit highlighting the history of motion pictures in Alaska & movie-going here in Seward.
- National Women's Month: This month, we are celebrating past and present women. This temporary exhibit will highlight women's invaluable contributions and achievements throughout Seward's history. From trailblazers to first responders and teachers, these women quietly pave the way. (On Display March 2 – 30)
Upcoming Exhibits
- First World Flight Centennial, 1924 – 2024: Did you know that Seward was one of the stops in mankind's first-ever flight around the world? In collaboration with Friends of Magnuson Park in Seattle, we will mark the centennial of this historic achievement in aviation. (On Display April 2 – June 1)
Parks and Recreation
Sports and Recreation
- The rock wall will remain closed until we can schedule an official inspection.
- JAG Winter Adventure Camp happened the week of 2/26 – 2/29 with six happy campers ranging from ages 11-16 in attendance. Campers enjoyed hiking Lost Lake, a CAT tour out to Exit Glacier, sledding & ice skating!
- Leagues have started: Adult Basketball league has four teams, Adult Volleyball with 6 teams and Urbach's youth Basketball League began with over 70 kids registered and a total of 8 teams.
- A Book Lovers Sip and Swap was held at Rez Art on Sunday Feb 18th - we had a modest 15 book lovers show to swap stories. They expressed a lot of gratitude that Sports and Rec are offering a variety of non-sport related activities for residents!
- Northern Aspects Film Festival was extremely popular - with over 50 movie goers!
- Our first annual Grizzly Glide Ski-A-Thon was held 2/25 with around 20 participants and several event watchers. It was a great chance to collaborate with the Nordic Ski Club and Bear Creek Fire Dept. We will make this an annual tradition with hopes of growing it into a classic Seward event!
The JAG Winter Adventure Camp was a blast!
Parks & Rec
Calendar of Events
Check out the Parks and Rec full calendar of events and information on how to sign up by clicking below!
The Grizzly Glide brought a group of skiers to Bear Lake to race!
Join our team!
Below are a selection of current openings with the city of Seward.
An application for employment can be found HERE, or by emailing HR@cityofseward.net or in the lobby of City Hall at 410 Adams Street
Applications may be sent electronically to Tammy Nickell, HR Manager at HR@cityofseward.net, faxed to 907-224-3577, or delivered to City Hall at 410 Adams Street (5th Ave & Adams Street), Seward, Alaska 99664.
Journeyman Lineman
Electric Utility
The City Council approved a management contract with Matanuska Electric at the March 11 council meeting. This contract will allow MEA to provide employees and support for the Seward Electric Utility. You can read more about the contract HERE.
We also have a new line-item charge called the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) Charge, as part of the tariff approved in January. This rate was established the the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA) and supports the Railbelt Reliability Council, whose mission is to work collaboratively and transparently to establish and uphold protocols that sustainably balance safety, reliability, cost, and environmental responsibility.
The cost of the RRC is split amongst the Railbelt utilities (which includes Seward Electric) as mandated by Alaska state legislation. The ERO charge is based on your monthly kWh usage at a rate of .008886. You will see this charge separately on your bill to provide full transparency of the costs.
ERO Charge
Public Works - Sidewalk Update
The spreadsheet linked below lists many sidewalks projects. They are in fairly good priority but can be switched around as needed. We also anticipate that other repairs not listed could be added to the list.
We try to do “worst-first” but sometimes other city projects may cause schedule shifts to reprioritize work that can be completed. As you can see from the list, there is currently not enough available funding to complete a lot of the projects. I show a balance of $74,554.09 in the “streets and sidewalk fund”. City also Council set aside $350,000 for sidewalks. Together, those will fund about one quarter of the projects on the list. This spring we are gearing up to do an RFP for sidewalks. We are open to changes but need to advertise the project RFP by the end of April
HARBOR HAPPENINGS
- We received the payment for the Coast Guard land acquisition and are waiting for that to be recorded with the Borough.
- The Land Sale with 4JBC is closed. With that sale finalized, we are currently sourcing new electric pedestals to add additional power throughout the SMIC boat yard.
- Summer scheduling for North Dock use is filling up and expecting a busy season.
- Seeing some activity with both 50/300 Ton Travelifts.
- It’s spring, meaning local companies have started their whale watching tours! Boats will be departing the harbor daily until October!
- Harbor office staff attended the AAHPA Winter Conference that was held in Anchorage this year on 2/26-2/27/24.
- Harbor Workers are busy with seasonal duties, training new employees and preparing for the busy spring/summer season
Finance
Community Development Report
·Finance has hired a new payroll accountant, but we’re still hiring two positions - Accountant Tech 2 and Utility Cashier. Anyone interested in any open position with Finance is encouraged to apply through our City’s website.
Audit – The finance department is preparing for audit FY23 in conjunction with Altman Rodgers and Co.
Working with the Electric Department and City Manager to discuss the cost of Phase 2 of the infrastructure project.
Code Recodification – Finance is reviewing Tile 14 and submitted it to our City’s Attorney for review.
Your Main Idea Goes Here
There is just enough space here for several lines of text. You can add details, share a quick story, or elaborate on an idea, as long as you keep the information engaging and relevant. For maximum impact, make sure you get your message across clearly yet concisely.
Saber is excited to say hi!
Police Department
- The Police Department continues to work on our bear awareness campaign. We have just found out there are some bear-resistant cans available now through waste management. Spring is upon us, get yours now! We’ll have more information soon on bear cans and dumpsters.
ANIMAL SHELTER
- The Animal Shelter still has plenty of fine furry friends to adopt, please stop by and pick up a new companion. Remember, a pet always listens and if they do talk back, you can’t understand them.
Meet Moses!
Puppies!
IT Department
Community Development Report
- The IT Director attended the second monthly Alaska Municipalities IT group meeting earlier this week. This is a new group being formed and currently includes members from the peninsula, valley and Southeast AK. The goal of the group is to increase collaboration and provide a platform for sharing information. We discussed the upcoming grant opportunities, as well as the list of municipalities that will be receiving funding from the FY 22 grant program, and other issues facing other municipalities across the state.
- Our Senior Technician was approved to attend a Cyber Security conference in Emmitsburg MD later in March. This is an annual conference and training session put on by FEMA and we hope to be able to send a member of the IT team each year.
Your Main Idea Goes Here
IT TECH TIP
Pressing Windows button + ‘L’ will lock your computer immediately and you will need password to access it again (if the password is set). This is very useful to quickly lock your PC when you are stepping away from your desk.
City of seward
Kat Sorensen, City Manager
ksorensen@cityofseward.net
Jason Bickling, Deputy City Manager
jbickling@cityofseward.net
CITY COUNCIL
Mayor Sue McClure
Vice-Mayor John Osenga
Mike Calhoon
Randy Wells
Kevin Finch
Bob Barnwell
Julie Crites
410 Adams St.
PO Box 167
Seward, AK 99664
CHANGES TO Meeting SCHEDULE
The next regularly scheduled City Council meeting is on
TUESDAY, MARCH 26 @ 7 PM
Meetings in the month of April have been shifted back one week and will now be on the third and fifth Monday of the month. The new City Council meeting dates are as follows:
MONDAY, APRIL 15 @ 7 PM
MONDAY, APRIL 29 @ 7 PM
Packets and agendas are posted on the city website prior to each meeting.
Meetings are livestreamed on our YouTube channel and 91.7 FM Seward Public Radio