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WINTER HARBOR— Nome’s small boat harbor is frozen over and serves as a highway for snowmachiners to get out on the sea ice. Photo by Diana Haecker C VOLUME CXVI NO. 8 February 25, 2016 Council considers City ownership of White Alice site By Sandra L. Medearis The council did introduce two ac- The tariff revision raises port rates cold war communications. In return, more. No one needed to bring a sleeping tion items into first reading, which by 10 percent across the board. Pre- Sitnasuak would receive the vacant In past discussions, tower advo- bag to Nome Common Council’s according to Roberts Rules of Order, vious rate increases in the past sev- lots in Block 63 at the corner of War- cates have cited the monoliths as im- regular meeting Feb. 22 as the brief could not be discussed until second eral years have excluded fuel and ren Place and West C Street, across portant landmarks for air, snow agenda allowed council and audi- reading and public hearing pending cargo. The council will consider the from CarQuest. Then the City would machine and vehicle travel. ence to leave when some evening re- final passage: an ordinance adopting tariff revisions for final adoption fol- lease the land back from Sitnasuak. The council asked for more infor- mained. the revised Port of Nome tariff for lowing second reading and public During citizens’ comments, John mation, maps and history of negoti- The short agenda contained no the upcoming shipping season and hearing at its next regular meeting. Handeland rose to advocate saving ations concerning the land swap. unfinished business, no ordinances an ordinance authorizing City of The land exchange would allow the White Alice site as having “pre- Handeland said he could oblige. up for second reading, public hear- Nome to purchase and lease real the City to take ownership of the 11 sent, past and future importance to In response to a local newspaper ing and final passage, no lengthy list property from Sitnasuak Native acres at the top of Anvil Mountain Nome.” He was glad to see White editor’s thimble thumps to their of communications to be rendered Corp. by a property exchange agree- that hold the remnants of the local Alice on the agenda, he said, “an or- heads concerning public notice for respectful lip service. ment. White Alice site, a strategic piece of dinance that may eventually put to upcoming meetings, and at a sug- rest the White Alice towers, an off- again-on-again issue for 20 years or continued on page 4 NJUS tags Vitus to ferry fuel at a savings By Sandra L. Medearis riod around the time barges load fuel The Nome Joint Utility System plus an additional lump sum added Board of Directors has OK’d a 3- per gallon for the barge company’s year contract with Vitus Energy of transportation fee that includes Anchorage to barge fuel to feed profit, insurance and cost of a pour- Nome’s power generators. The con- point additive. tract pared transportation expenses The pour-point additive maintains set by a previous three-year contract. fluidity of the fuel at Nome’s lower A consortium of Western Alaska winter temperatures. utilities belonging to the Western “The contract locks in the trans- Alaska Fuel Group solicited bids as portation ‘adder’ at 27.7 cents for the a unit and selected Vitus Energy, but next three years,” Handeland told the WAFG members will contract indi- board members, “compared to 33.85 vidually with the marine transporta- cents per gallon set in the previous tion firm to barge fuel to their contract.” storage. In signing the contract early in the Nome Joint Utility System could year, the utility and the supplier use realize a savings over last year’s the oil price effective the day of price for fuel to run its generators, signing as a placeholder, then dink John K. Handeland, utility manager, with the numbers adding or subtract- predicted at the Feb. 18 board meet- ing fractions of cents in a tug fuel ing. The contract sets the terms for cost adjustment based on the up or delivery of 1.6 million to 2.2 million down price per gallon settled later Photo by Keith Conger gallons, depending on fuel inventory when the product goes onto barges. FIRST INTO NOME— Tyler Aklestad and Tyson Johnson arrived in Nome at the half-way point of the Iron remaining in NJUS the tank farm. Again, the full contract price per Dog Snowmachine Race on Tuesday at 3:34 p.m. They have averaged 52 mph for 1,108 miles since leaving Big The contract price per gallon de- gallon will equal an average daily Lake on Sunday. pends on an average price over a set price for the month in mid-summer number of days in the calendar pe- continued on page 4 Forty-one snowmachine teams blast off in Iron Dog 31 By Maisie Thomas Records were almost broken be- was competing in his first Iron dog. Last weekend, 41 teams started fore the race even started this year. Pomrenke is originally from Min- the Iron Dog snowmachine race in According to Executive Director nesota, but moved to Nome as a the pro class section. The Iron Dog, Kevin Kastner, 42 teams signed up teenager. Pomrenke’s partner is known as the world’s longest and for the pro class, tying the record set Amos Cruise of McGrath, also a toughest snowmobile race, runs in 2008. Checkpoints can be up to rookie. Though neither competitor 2,031 miles from Big Lake to Nome 120 miles apart, so each team has has completed the Iron Dog, both to Fairbanks. The race has been run two members and two snowma- have experience in other snowma- consecutively since 1984, except for chines for safety reasons. The field chine races. The team is driving Arc- 2003, when it was cancelled due to includes last year’s winner, Scott tic Cat snowmobiles. The team rain. Faeo, son of the seven-time Iron Dog scratched on Monday in McGrath. champion John Faeo. John Bahnke of Nome is racing in Three of the teams have one team number 34 alongside Christo- On the Web: member from Nome. Mike Morgan pher Collins of Kotzebue. Bahnke, is in team number 10 driving a Po- who has been racing snowmachines www.nomenugget.net laris Switchback. Morgan, 30, has since 1994, has started six Iron Dogs E-mail: completed the race five times, and and has completed three. Bahnke [email protected] placed in the top five in four of his owns and operates Wilderness Ski- races. Two-time champion Chris Doo in Nome. Both competitors are Olds is Morgan’s partner. The team’s driving Ski-Doo Renegades. top sponsor is Polaris Industries. The Only 41 teams made it to the start- most popular brand of snowmachine ing line, and one team scratched just in the Iron Dog this year is Polaris. five hours into the race. Kastner said Polaris snowmachines have won the Photo courtesy of Matt Waliszek/Orzelphoto.com race five of the last seven years. continued on page 5 TEAM 34– John Bahnke of Nome and his teammate Christopher Collins Nome’s Shawn Pomrenke, 40, of Kotzebue started the Iron Dog snowmobile race in 30th position. 2 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016 OPINION THE NOME NUGGET Letters Dear Editor: tions and SNC can do the stroyed the trust in our corporation Sitnasuak Native Corporation same. SNC shareholders will vote for transparent and fair should never allow discretionary for three candidates at the upcoming elections. Please do not vote a dis- proxies to be used for annual elec- June 2016 annual meeting. In 2015, cretionary proxy for the 2016 annual tions. SNC mislead its shareholders Discretionary Proxies altered the out- meeting. Show those who have used when they indicated that DP’s are a come of the popular vote of out- discretionary proxies in the past that right protected by State Law in the standing shares. Please don’t re-elect it will no longer corrupt our annual notice of special meeting for Jan 7, those who support Discretionary meeting or our annual 2016. Proxies. The SNC BOD are lead by elections. Please do not vote a dis- Discretionary Proxies are not a a group of six that voted to prohibit cretionary proxy. Thanks to all. right protected by State Law, in fact, otherwise eligible candidates from Austin Ahmasuk several ANCSA corporations no being listed on the corporate ballot Nome, Alaska longer allow DP’s for annual elec- and have tarnished SNC and de- Iditarod Trail: Proposed pipeline to Donlin gold mine would ruin a Photo by Sandra L. Medearis IT'S THE FREIGHT?—Student-friendly local store in Nome offers a spiral notebook containing 150 pages for a mere $17.99. piece of history By Dan Seavey fits as shareholders (royalties) and as three 41-acre gravel pits, eight pipe It was that Northland poet, Robert workforce via preferential hire and storage yards and exchange of the Service, who wrote: “There are other goodies. Donlin sets the em- historic (and storied) Happy River Editorial strange things done in the midnight ployment level at 3,000 during a Steps for a 24-foot-wide construction sun by the men who moil for gold.” four-year construction phase and road of which 15 in all are planned The latter-day moilers in this case are 1,400 to keep production wheels to intersect the historic trail. When Rude Beggaring two private corporations, namely turning. Regarding the gas pipeline, all is said and done, a primitive road Donlin Gold LLC and Calista Corp.