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Improvements to the NPS 5th Avenue & Mission Street Property in Kotzebue, Alaska
Western Arctic National Parklands » Improvements to the NPS 5th Avenue & Mission Street Property in Kotzebue, Alaska » Document List
The National Park Service (NPS) is proposing additional development of a NPS owned property located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Mission Street in Kotzebue, Alaska. The 2.61-acre site currently contains a shop, warehouse, bunkhouse, two fuel storage tanks, and ten conexes. The additional proposed development would include moving the maintenance shop near the warehouse, moving the bunkhouse east approximately 50 feet from Fifth Avenue, adding a sewage lift station, building a garage near the warehouse, adding two or three single family housing units, and adding two fourplex housing units. The purpose of the project would be to design and construct an employee housing and maintenance facility on the Fifth and Mission property to meet current and future needs for the Western Arctic National Parklands (WEAR). The following needs are not being adequately met by existing facilities on the site.
" Western Arctic National Parklands (WEAR) is not able to provide suitable housing for the Kotzebue staff.
" There is no heated garage for vehicle maintenance.
" The current sanitary system at the Fifth Avenue and Mission Street property does not function adequately to cope with the facilities currently on the sight
In the Kotzebue housing market there are few homes or apartments available for sale, lease or rental. Houses that meet basic building codes are the exception and almost never come on the market. There are few lots with clear title available for new construction. There are no local contractors in Kotzebue who construct housing, and the cost of bringing in a contractor and building in the arctic is extremely expensive, generally beyond affordability for employees at the current NPS wage scales. The NPS has had difficulty recruiting and filling essential professional positions in Kotzebue and Nome due to the housing shortage. Federal government salaries are not equivalent to most local wages, and it is difficult to retain lower graded local hire employees who must pay high costs for all essential goods
At the present time the NPS leases four homes from the local housing market at rates that are 300% higher than the rates established in Quarters Management Information System (QMIS) for housing in similar character. Safe, comfortable, efficient and affordable housing for employees is necessary for the NPS to achieve its mission goals, particularly in Arctic communities where darkness and extreme winter temperatures force people to spend a great deal of time indoors. It is the goal of WEAR to improve inadequate housing through rehabilitation or replacement, and to effectively maintain adequate housing in order to help recruit and retain a professional, positive and productive staff
The existing sewage system for the housing and maintenance infrastructure at the Fifth Avenue and Mission Street site has failed. Frost has jacked the system to a point where gravity flows are no longer possible, leaving sewage in the lines, freezing and reducing the capacity. The park has installed a temporary holding tank for the bunkhouse, which is pumped as needed, however there are weekly occasions where the tank overflows, spilling raw sewage onto the ground, adversely effecting the area and violating local & state health codes. The system is a serious health and safety issue for NPS housing residents and park maintenance staff, as well as the public who occasionally walk through the area
Currently there is no NPS available heated garage space for maintenance of the WEAR vehicle fleet. The vehicle fleet includes approximately eight trucks, ten snowmobiles, six four-wheelers and three boats. Do to the long cold winters adequate vehicle maintenance cannot be performed without a heated space to work. In addition, current WEAR maintenance facilities cannot provide space for a welding station and a heated battery storage space. All of the stated needs will be addressed with the construction of the proposed maintenance facility.
" Western Arctic National Parklands (WEAR) is not able to provide suitable housing for the Kotzebue staff.
" There is no heated garage for vehicle maintenance.
" The current sanitary system at the Fifth Avenue and Mission Street property does not function adequately to cope with the facilities currently on the sight
In the Kotzebue housing market there are few homes or apartments available for sale, lease or rental. Houses that meet basic building codes are the exception and almost never come on the market. There are few lots with clear title available for new construction. There are no local contractors in Kotzebue who construct housing, and the cost of bringing in a contractor and building in the arctic is extremely expensive, generally beyond affordability for employees at the current NPS wage scales. The NPS has had difficulty recruiting and filling essential professional positions in Kotzebue and Nome due to the housing shortage. Federal government salaries are not equivalent to most local wages, and it is difficult to retain lower graded local hire employees who must pay high costs for all essential goods
At the present time the NPS leases four homes from the local housing market at rates that are 300% higher than the rates established in Quarters Management Information System (QMIS) for housing in similar character. Safe, comfortable, efficient and affordable housing for employees is necessary for the NPS to achieve its mission goals, particularly in Arctic communities where darkness and extreme winter temperatures force people to spend a great deal of time indoors. It is the goal of WEAR to improve inadequate housing through rehabilitation or replacement, and to effectively maintain adequate housing in order to help recruit and retain a professional, positive and productive staff
The existing sewage system for the housing and maintenance infrastructure at the Fifth Avenue and Mission Street site has failed. Frost has jacked the system to a point where gravity flows are no longer possible, leaving sewage in the lines, freezing and reducing the capacity. The park has installed a temporary holding tank for the bunkhouse, which is pumped as needed, however there are weekly occasions where the tank overflows, spilling raw sewage onto the ground, adversely effecting the area and violating local & state health codes. The system is a serious health and safety issue for NPS housing residents and park maintenance staff, as well as the public who occasionally walk through the area
Currently there is no NPS available heated garage space for maintenance of the WEAR vehicle fleet. The vehicle fleet includes approximately eight trucks, ten snowmobiles, six four-wheelers and three boats. Do to the long cold winters adequate vehicle maintenance cannot be performed without a heated space to work. In addition, current WEAR maintenance facilities cannot provide space for a welding station and a heated battery storage space. All of the stated needs will be addressed with the construction of the proposed maintenance facility.