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THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA
RESOLUTION NO. 751
WHER BAS; the multi-million dollar Alaska Railroad Dock facility at the Port of
Seward, Alaska, which was opened to use on November 15, 1965, as a replace-
ment for facilities destroyed by tidal waves generated during the Good Friday
Earthquake of March 27, 1964, now sits idle and serves primarily as a berth-
ing facility for the U. S. Coast Guard Buoy Tender Sorrel; and
WHER EAS; all attempts of officials of The City of Seward to encourage the
Alaska Railroad to seek increased Port activity by installing a sea-train slip at
the dock have met with statements undocumented with proof from Alaska
Railroad General Manager John Manley that operations through the Port of
Seward have been since the earthquake and are now uneconomical to the Railroad
and would continue to be uneconomical to the Railroad after the construction of
a sea-train slip at the dock, and further statements by Mr. Manley give no
cause to believe that the Alaska Railroad has any plans to utilize this now idle
facUity because, as Mr. Manley states without qualification, the dock constitutes
a financial drain on the resources of the Railroad; and
WHER EAS; The City of Seward is struggling ceaselessly to preserve its shipping
industry against overwhelming odds posed by the government-owned and Alaska
Railroad operated Port of Whittier, with its modern facilities for rail-barge
freight, and in this struggle The City of Seward is utilizing the remnants of the
heavily damaged former Alaska Railroad Dock facilities at the foot of 3rd and
4th Avenues, restoration of which would cost several million dollars; and
WHEREAS; restoration of this facility at such great cost seems incomprehensible
and indefeasible to the citizens of Seward and to their representatives on the
Common Council since such costly restoration would constitute a needless and
wasteful duplication of an idle dock facility which now stands as a monument to
lack of insight and planning by the Alaska Railroad.
NOW, THER EFOR E BE IT R ESOL VED that the Common Council of The City
of Seward, Alaska, respectfully petitions the Alaska delegation in Congress to
initiate and the Congress to enact legislation to grant to The City of Seward a
long-term lease, revocable only during a declared" national emergency, to the
Alaska Railroad Dock with all of its facilities and approaches, which are located
at the North End of Resurrection Bay within the corporate limits of The City of
Seward; such lease to be in return for the consideration of the sum of One ($1.00)
Dollar, payable annually to the Treasurer of the United States of America, and
be it agreed in such lease that The City of Seward through its Port Commission
will operate and maintain these facilities in their present condition, holding
them in trust for the people of the United States of America; and
BE IT FUR mER R ESOL VED that copies of this resolution be sent to the
Honorable Richard Nixon, President of the United States; to the Honorable Mike
Gravel, United States Senate; the Honorable Ted Stevens, United States Senate;
and to the Honorable Howard W. Pollock, Member of Congress from Alaska;
to the Honorable John Volpe, Secretary of Transportation; to the Honorable
R. N. Whitman, Federal Railroad Administrator; and to the Honorable John
Manley, General Manager of the Alaska Railroad. .
This Resolution shall be effective upon the date of passage and approval.
Passed and approved by the City Council of The City of
2 3aay of June, 1969.
ArrTEST: ) 4 .'
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~es . Filip J
City Clerk- Treasurer
E. G. Skinner
Mayor
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, ATTACHED TO AND MADE A PART OF THE MINUTES OF THE SEWARD CITY COUNCIL
VOL 14 - Page 38
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THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA }~ A .::f~}
\ James R. Filip,
RESOLUTION NO. 751 , City Clerk-Treasurer
WHEREAS; the multi-million dollar Alaska Railroad Dock facility at the Port of
Seward, Alaska, which was opened to use on November 15, 1965, as a replace-
ment for facilities destroyed by tidal waves generated during the Good Friday
Earthquake of March 27, 1964, now sits idle and serves primarily as a berth-
ing facility for the U. S. Coast Guard Buoy Tender Sorrel; and
WHER EAS; all attempts of officials of The City of Seward to encourage the
Alaska Railroad to seek increased Port activity by installing a sea-train slip at
the dock have met with statements undocumented with proof from Alaska
Railroad General Manager John Manley that operations through the Port of
Seward have been since the earthquake and are now uneconomical to the Railroad
and would continue to be uneconomical to the Railroad after the construction of
a sea-train slip at the dock, and further statements by Mr. Manley give no
cause to believe that the Alaska Railroad has any plans to utilize this now idle
facility because, as Mr. Manley states without qualification, the dock constitutes
a financial drain on the resources of the Railroad; and
WHER EAS; The City of Seward is struggling ceaselessly to preserve its shipping
industry against overwhelming odds posed by the government-owned and Alaska
Railroad operated Port of Whittier, with its modern facilities for rail-barge
freight, and in this struggle The City of Seward is utilizing the remnants of the
heavily damaged former Alaska Railroad Dock facilities at the foot of 3rd and
4th Avenues, restoration of which would cost several million dollars; and
WHER EAS; restoration of this facility at such great cost seems incomprehensible
and indefeasible to the citizens of Seward and to their representatives on the
Common Council since such costly restoration would constitute a needless and
wasteful duplication of an idle dock facility which now stands as a monument to
lack of insight and planning by the Alaska Railroad.
NOW, THER EFOR E BE IT R ESOL VED that the Common Council of The City
of Seward, Alaska, respectfully petitions the Alaska delegation in Congress to
initiate and the Congress to enact legislation to grant to The City of Seward a
long-term lease, revocable only during a declared" national emergency, to the
Alaska Railroad Dock with all of its facilities and approaches, which are located
at the North End of Resurrection Bay within the corporate limits of The City of
Seward; such lease to be in return for the consideration of the sum of One ($1.001
Dollar, payable annually to the Treasurer of the United States of America, and
be it agreed in such lease that The City of Seward through its Port Commission
will operate and maintain these facilities in their present condition, holding
them in trust for the people of the United States of America; and
BE IT FUR THER R ESOL VED that copies of this resolution be sent to the
Honorable Richard Nixon, President of the United States; to the Honorable Mike
Gravel, United States Senate; the Honorable Ted Stevens, United States Senate;
and to the Honorable Howard W. Pollock, Member of Congress from Alaska;
to the Honorable John Volpe, Secretary of Transportation; to the Honorable
R. N. Whitman, Federal Railroad Administrator; and to the Honorable John
Manley, General Manager of the Alaska Railroad.
This Resolution shall be effective upon the date of passage and approval.
Passed and approved by the City Council of The City q:C9~ard, Alaska, this
23 day of June, 1969. ) /;:;
E. G. Skinner
Mayor