FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU) – The S.S. Nenana may not see a new paint job this summer after the Fairbanks North Star Borough opted to decline a $500,000 appropriation from the federal government for that purpose, citing provisions binding the borough to future maintenance.
And the group Friends of S.S. Nenana Inc. is asking the community to speak out against this refusal.
The 237-foot-long sternwheeler, currently located at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks, operated along the Tanana and Yukon Rivers from 1933 until 1954, and was declared a National Historic Landmark 35 years later, in 1989.
“It is now the last remaining wooden hull sternwheeler in the nation. You cannot find another one,” said Patricia Schmidt, President of Friends of S.S. Nenana.
According to Schmidt, the group secured the $500,000 appropriation through the Save America’s Treasures Grant under the National Park Service.
The sternwheeler, she said, badly needs new paint.
“Unfortunately, the last time it was painted, they used latex paint instead of oil-based paint, and if you’ve seen the boat, that’s why it all the paint is peeling off the boat and there is raw wood exposed to the elements … it’s going to rot, and it’s causing destruction, and this is this will prevent it,” Schmidt explained.
Borough Mayor Grier Hopkins said the group secured these funds on their own without partnering with the borough, and that the specific funding system involved attaches strings to the money.
Within the period from 15 to 25 years, we must ensure that the vessel meets the criteria set forth by this grant. This involves adhering to precise specifications regarding the kind and shade of paint used,” he explained. “Each instance involving a consultant requires approval from the Department of the Interior.
Hopkins stated his desire to provide the borough with the ability to keep the sternwheeler in optimal condition through flexible maintenance approaches.
“Accepting this grant raises our concern that we might be breaching Alaska’s constitution by binding future legislative bodies to fund and maintain that vessel, thereby restricting their ability to make necessary decisions down the line,” he explained.
However, Schmidt argued that this reasoning falls short since by rejecting the funding, the administration will “leave these upcoming assembly members responsible for raising the money needed to fix the issues caused by not accepting these funds to repaint the boat.”
She argued that because the borough owns the S.S. Nenana, future assemblies will be responsible for maintaining the boat anyway, saying the borough’s past neglect has caused the damage currently seen to the historic sternwheeler.
On the contrary, Hopkins mentioned that the borough has consistently supported the restoration and conservation of the S.S. Nenana throughout the years. They have collaborated with Friends of S.S. Nenana to find funding opportunities and at times utilized borough resources via the Capital Improvement Program.
According to Schmidt, since the mayor indicated his intention to decline the money, Friends of S.S. Nenana has reached out to the borough assembly to garner support for accepting this appropriation, adding that the deadline for the paperwork to be completed is the end of May.
This summer, Hopkins anticipates that the work on the boat will conclude by this summer, with plans to relaunch it for tourists later in the season.
The project encompasses renovations at the bow of the vessel, supported by $500,000 from the borough’s Capital Improvement Program, along with refurbishments at the rear and its propeller, financed through funds gathered by the Friends of the S.S. Nenana.
Nevertheless, he anticipates that the renovation and preservation of the S.S. Nenana will have no concluding date.
“It’s an aging vessel grounded and continually decaying; regardless of the effort invested, it’ll remain a persistent financial burden for years to come,” he stated.
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