Sep 7 City Manager Newsletter

City Manager Newsletter

City of Seward

September 7, 2024

Photo by Kris Peck

Big news!

From the City Manager

We are working on an exciting transition in our Finance and Electric departments!

Starting Sep 3, official management of the electric billing will be the responsibility of the Electric department. Most changes will only be noticeable behind the scenes, but there are a few updates all electric customers should look out for.

For customers within city limits:

Within the next few billing cycles, you’ll start receiving two separate bills. One will be for water and wastewater services, and the other will be for electricity.

Our goal with these changes is to make the billing easier to understand. These adjustments will improve transparency and simplify your bills.

For all customers, both inside and outside city limits:

Effective Oct 1, in-person inquiries and bill payments will be handled at the Electric Department in the City Hall Annex building at 238 Fifth Avenue. (It’s the old library.)

All other payments, like water and sewer bills, will still be handled at the Utility Counter in City Hall at 410 Adams Street, as usual.

Also, bill payments will still be accepted over the phone during this time.

If you have any questions, please contact the Electric Department at (907) 224-4073.

Thanks!

ksorensen@cityofseward.net

To aid in this transition, the utility counter at both locations will be closed on Sep 24 and 25.

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Seward high school Athletic Field

The new Athletic Field is ready for action!

It has been a long time in the making, but the new Seahawks field is finally here.

The new field is a durable artificial turf. The track that surrounds the field is still under construction but will be ready soon!

Join us for the ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. with comments from Borough Mayor Micciche. Stay for the game at 5:00 p.m. and cheer on the Seahawks while they play the Nikiski Bulldogs!

Free cake and cookies!

Anchors away!

Seward Parks and Recreation recently refurbished the US naval anchor in Benny Benson Memorial Park.

This historic anchor is from 1942 and weighs 3,485 pounds!

A special paint was used for the job, and the results are fantastic!

Community Library & Museum

From Injustice to Legacy - The Story of Harry Kawabe and Japanese American Internment:

This exhibit will aim to honor and tell the story of Harry Kawabe and other Japanese Alaskans who were arrested in December of 1941 after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This display will provide a broader context for understanding the impact of Japanese internment during WWII.

On Display August 31 – October 19

Fire Department

Thanks to Glacier Towing for supplying us with vehicles to practice extrication skills last week

Fire Calls Year-to-Date: 350

Building Permits Issued Year-to-Date: 38 permits with building valuation of $3,900,701

Parks and Recreation

The disc golf tournament was a smashing success with Murphy Williams taking home the grand prize!

Kids Ballet has a whopping 25 kids aged 3-12 on Saturdays with Alissa back as teacher!

Parks and Rec has tons of programs, activities and events scheduled for September.

Check out their Facebook page below for a full calendar of events!

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Sorry Everyone! Zudy’s Fun Run scheduled for September 14th has been cancelled.

The AVTEC gym is back open 7 days a week

Electric Utility

Public Notice: Electric Utility Service Requests

Customers who wish to obtain new or temporary service must:

Request service connections no later than September 20.
Have all fees paid
Be ready to receive service by October 4

Service requests received after September 20 are not guaranteed to be completed before freeze-up.

Call the Electric Department for more information (907) 224-4073

Aerial View of Seward, Alaska in early Summer

HARBOR HAPPENINGS

Fall is here and the Harbor will switch to our winter schedule starting the second week of September.

That means we’re closed on Sunday, September 8, and closed every Sunday for the rest of the winter season.

Winter hours Mon Sat 8 30 AM to 4 30 PM Closed Sunday

With fishing closing early, we have experienced a busy lift season on the 300-ton Travelift earlier this year, and yard space is filling fast!

Finance

With the transition of electric billing to the Electric Department, the Finance Department making some exciting internal changes!

Staff are being cross trained to serve customers at the Utility Counter. We want to deliver a consistent and satisfying customer service experience!

The permanent position at the Utility Counter is open, and Finance is looking for a dedicated, customer-oriented person to join the team!

The Army Corp of Engineers included our PW Director, Doug, in a walk-through inspection of the Mud Mountain Tunnel near Seattle Washington. The tunnel was originally built in the 1930s and granite block floor was installed in 2018. It’s a 9-ft tunnel, with many similarities to Seward’s 10-ft diameter tunnel.

Public works

Mud Mountain Tunnel with the granite block floor

Engineers inspecting wear areas along the granite blocks.

Perspective of the height of the stop-logs stack blocking off the water.

Stop-log gate for the entrance to the low tunnel.

Honeycomb water intake and tall, square air vent for the tunnels. The water level is drained very low for the inspection. It is normally up to the rock ledge in the picture. Sometimes over the green treeless area!

Looking down from the top of the cylindrical honeycomb water intake tower to the bottom stop-log gate where we were inside.

Police department

Spay & Neuter Clinic Monday, September 9 at the Seward Animal Shelter

Reserve a spot online at alaskaspca.org. Select “request application” and click “spay/neuter”. In the last question please answer, “Seward outreach.”

The clinic will be accepting SOS (Save Our Seward Pets) vouchers for $100 off dog surgeries and $75 off cat surgeries, the vouchers are available at the shelter.

For more information call (907) 422-7150.

DMV

Road Tests Resume at the Seward DMV

Road tests will be conducted on Friday mornings beginning October 4 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. These are by appointment only. Please call or come by the DMV in City Hall to set your appointment. The fee is $15.00

Things you will need to bring to the test:

Instruction Permit
Registration and insurance of the vehicle
Application (D1) for licenses

Please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment. If you are more than 10 minutes late you will lose your appointment and must pay the road test fee to reschedule.

The new Alaska artistic license plates are here!

Every license plate purchased donates $3.00 to the Alaska State Council on the Arts. Get yours today!

seward animal shelter

Meet Honey!

Shelter Hours:

Tue - Sat; 10 am - 5 pm

601 Sea Lion Ave

(907) 422-7150

Honey is a sweet, loving, 5-year-old female. Little Honey has some behavioral issues like guarding.

She's looking for a home where she can be the only pet, preferably with a fenced yard. But most importantly, she is looking for someone who can understand her.

She loves to play fetch!

If you’re interested in meeting Honey, please come by the shelter or call (907) 422-7150

IT TECH Byte

Community Development Report

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Community development

There will be a KPB Comprehensive Safety Action Plan follow-up meeting regarding the Safe Streets and Roads For All Grant on Tuesday, September 10 in the upstairs library meeting room from 5-7 p.m. Results of their public engagement surveys and meetings will be shared, and an opportunity will be provided to solicit more feedback from the community.

The Planning & Zoning Commission will host a work session on Tuesday, September 17 at 6 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers to discuss housing concerns in Seward. More detailed information to come in the Planning & Zoning Commission work session packet. Please consider attending to be part of the conversation.

The Seward Mural Society is celebrating 25 years of painting murals in Seward, and they are planning a special new mural design this year around The Iditarod Trail with Alaskan artist and musher Jon VanZyle. The new mural will replace the aging wooden Wildflower Garden in Kawabe Park and will be painted September 21-22. Space is limited to help paint the mural. Sign up information can be found here: Seward Muralists: Jon VanZyle Iditarod Trail: Our September Mural (signupgenius.com)

Join our team!

Below are a selection of current openings with the city of Seward. You can see all employment opportunities by clicking HERE.

An application for employment can be found HERE, by emailing HR@cityofseward.net or in the lobby of City Hall at 410 Adams Street (5th Ave & 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, Seward, Alaska 99664.