School District Hopes to Upgrade High School’s Boat

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT

Upgrades might be on the way for Kodiak High School’s teaching vessel. The 42-foot K-Hi-C is owned by the Kodiak Island Borough School District and used for teaching maritime courses during the school year. The boat is shared with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and used by the organization May through September. A cooperative agreement between the district and fish and game says the department can use the boat and is responsible for annual maintenance and upkeep.
But now vessel needs more than annual maintenance. Fish and Game would like to make significant upgrades to the boat, but it can’t really do that, or at least fund it with state dollars, if it doesn’t own it.
On Monday the School Board gave the district’s attorney the go ahead to meet with Fish and Game’s attorney and work on some sort of agreement.
School Board President Katie Oliver said the hope is that they pursue a contract that continues shared use, but gives the department what it needs to fund the upgrades. She said that contract, when created, will return to the school board for approval.