Residents expressed concerns about fuel deliveries, lack of heat and issues with a new eight-plex unit during the North Slope Borough Assembly meeting last week.
During the village concerns section of the meeting, North Slope Borough Assembly Member Douglas Whiteman shared with the council that Atqasuk residents are running low on fuel. Construction of a new power grid is underway in the village, Whiteman explained, and is expected to last for at least two summers. As a result, the village is now conserving diesel.
“We’re blessed to get a new grid upgrade,” Whiteman said, “But it brought us a little skinny on diesel. We just hope it’s been noted and flagged because we might be a little bit skinny next summer too.”
While the village is conserving diesel for vehicle use, home heating fuel is not rationed, said Scott Danner, borough director of Public Works.
“We are not rationing home heating oil. What you’re seeing is we are limiting people to ensure that they’re not filling up their diesel vehicles and burning diesel,” Danner said. “We will fly in fuel to ensure that there’s home heating oil, and we’re working on the early delivery of the rolagons for fuel delivery.”
In Point Lay, former housing specialist Danny Pikok spoke to the assembly about his concerns regarding the new eight-plex unit built by the borough. Pikok said that the unit is not being cared for properly, the heater duct might be leaking and there is a danger of the fuel tank spilling fuel over the tundra.
Mariam Aiken, acting director for the housing department, told Pikok that her department would look into his concerns to address them as soon as possible.
Wainwright residents said the village is experiencing issues with heat and electricity. North Slope Borough Mayor Josiah Patkotak said that the Public Works department planned to send people to the village to address the issues.
In his monthly status report, Patkotak shared that the borough hosted Thanksgiving feasts in every village, serving more than 5,000 meals. Additionally, the Health and Social Services department delivered 675 bags with crackers, teabags and fruit snacks to the seniors in the villages in celebration of the Inuit Day and in honor of Eben Hopson Sr. last month.
The borough is working to complete the temporary gym in Kaktovik, Patkotak said.
“There were some issues we were able to address right off the bat to get the heat going,” he said. Now “we’re going to be looking at, I think, some electrical work that needed to be done.”
A new Alaska House representative for District 40, Thomas Baker, addressed the assembly during the meeting. Borough Mayor Josiah Patkotak said he plans to collaborate with Baker, especially regarding game management rights. Baker asked the borough officials to set up a meeting and share their priorities with him so he could focus on achieving them at the legislature level.