Borough to Replant in Chiniak with Carter & Carter Enterprises

Land in Chiniak. Photo by Wade Wahrenbrock
Land in Chiniak. Photo by Wade Wahrenbrock

Kayla Desroches/KMXT

The Kodiak Island Borough Assembly recently agreed to award a contract for the planting of spruce tree seedlings on Chiniak land burned in the Twin Creeks fire.

At last week’s regular meeting, the assembly okay’d the agreement with Alaska-based Carter & Carter Enterprises and, before the assembly passed that contract, the borough staff explained measures it took to ensure that the company carries out the work as expected.

Borough Manager Michael Powers said staff included a monitoring program in the document.

“We believe for the long-term health, and for making sure that the seedlings are planted properly, that a simple monitoring program is needed. There are quite complex monitoring programs out there. We elected not to go that route. We were willing to keep something that was really simple and straightforward.”

Resource Management Officer Duane Dvorak said that in-person monitoring would help bolster the borough’s confidence, especially since the borough hasn’t worked with the company before.

“The contract’s been written with some checks and balances to ensure we’re getting the product that we’re paying for and that monitoring is intended to be done in the field in real time so that feedback can go back to the planting crew on a day by day basis. So, we’re not going to do a final inspection, we’re going to have our person out there day by day moving with the crews.”

Powers expressed confidence that the borough could reach an agreement with the contractor should weather get in the way of the replanting or other issues should arise.

Carter & Carter’s bid was for roughly $186,300 and replanting is scheduled to begin in April.

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