Few places in the world have been as rocked by climate change as Kivalina. (Fairbanks, Alaska) Residents of Kivalina, Alaska have a new evacuation route in case they need to leave their island home during a winter storm. The Kivalina School and Road Project. Adak Husky Demolition Waste Dump. The Northwest Arctic Borough School District vehemently opposed the idea and described it as misinformed, ill-timed and potentially in violation of state law requiring competitive bids. Four days earlier, the no-bid contract was pulled from the agenda at a special meeting in Anchorage. At a Glance . Numerous study, concept, and planning documents exist on potential solutions, which range from: erosion protection around the city; to relocation of the entire community; to a new mainland site. by the Northwest Arctic Borough School District, and approved by the community, as a preferred new location for the community school. Kotzebue, AK 99752 She said the contract proposals seemed hurried and were pushed at special meetings called with short notice. Concepts previously studied for their feasibility include construction of an earthen causeway across the lagoon that variously incorporates hydraulic and boat passage options including bridge(s), culvert(s), or both. Anchorage Daily News, Alaska's rural news leader. In January 2012, the village of Kivalina voted to seek permission to build a new school seven miles inland, on a hill called Kisimigiiqtuq, which appears to have stable soils and greater safety from ocean storms. 58.7% of people in Kivalina have completed 8th grade. The feasibility of several potential route alignments were evaluated within a project study area encompassing Kivalina Island, the southern portion of Kivalina Lagoon, and the lower Wulik and Kivalina River drainages in Townships 27N and 28N, Ranges 25W, 26W and 27W of the Kateel River Meridian. document.write(year) "There were a lot of pieces of project process that were being tossed around," he said. The event resulted in "We're back at looking how to move forward following the guidelines established by the state.". According to court documents, while Jayson Knox, aka "Birdie," 23, was a substitute teacher at the Kivalina school, he used social media and text messages to contact 10 young girls asking them . The Kivalina school project is the primary benefactor of the bill, though one other project in the state a new school for the Kenai Peninsula Russian Old Believer community of Kachemak Selo will also earn a break under the change. The proposed road project origin would be at the City of Kivalina, which lies within the Kotzebue Recording District and is located in Section 21, Numerous study, concept, and planning documents exist on potential solutions, which range from: erosion protection around the city; to relocation An informational pre-submittal meeting will be held 2:00pm at Explorer Middle School, 9600 Sharon Dr, Everett WA 98204, on January 27, 2023. Kivalina was a good seasonal hunting camp, but never hosted a permanent settlement. Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities(DOT&PF) officials recently accepted the award. "And we want those relations to continue to be strong, to help get those schools in place that our students need. The new road, bridge and causeway were designed to accommodate all modes of transportation for all seasons, and residents began using the new route immediately after opening. The project was completed in less than four years -which is "incredibly short for a project like this one," Tessen said. Northwest Arctic Borough School District and the Northwest Arctic Borough Village Improvement Fund provided funding for this project. Although all Lynden shipments are important, it's not every day that Alaska Marine Lines transports cargo used to build an evacuation bridge for an endangered Alaskan community. Warmer weather also brings heavy snow storms, and these coincide with increasing numbers of visits to the health clinic to treat high anxiety levels and injuries related to snow clearing. 166 likes. Sea-level rise is predicted to displace 13 million Americans living in coastal regions by the year 2100 . flooding. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 237 airports, 9 ferries serving 33 communities along 3,500 marine miles, over 5,600 miles of highway and 839 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska. Richards, the borough mayor, said the borough was "regathering" on Wednesday and building the 7-mile road was its first priority. (Loren Holmes / ADN archive). The Kivalina Evacuation Route and School Access Site project, completed in 2021, was recognized by the American Association of State Highway Officials for a national Quality of Life award for a medium sized project. The Kivalina evacuation/school access road project will provide residents of Kivalina Island a safe, reliable means of evacuation if necessary. The community of Kivalina has been working for decades with a variety of local, state, and federal agencies to address threats of coastal erosion and flooding. Seven million dollars had been set aside for the construction of a school in Kivalina, and a road to it. O'Brien said she looked forward to the future. Borough Assembly Members Elmer Armstrong Jr. Rising seas and coastal erosion are eating away at the barrier island on which the Alaska Native Village of Kivalina rests. The plaintiffs argued there was a disparity in how the Legislature treated rural schools, and that the state was not meeting its constitutional obligation to educate students in villages. The awards are sponsored by the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Kivalina incorporated as a second-class city in 1969. Under the No-Action Alternative, an evacuation road would not be constructed from Kivalina to K-Hill. Olson says the Senate Finance committee is now trying to restore some of the funding for the project, but there has been resistance to paying for the road. Erosion and wind-driven ice have resulted in plans to relocate the village to a new site 2.5 miles away. The Kivalina Evacuation Route and School Access Site - which provides residents with a road to a refuge site at the new school in case of a catastrophic storm - was completed in 2021. Ice cellars in the community that provided a year-round freezer for whale meat and caribou have begun to melt at unusual times of the year (see also the Taking Action storyIupiaq Work to Preserve Food and Traditions on Alaska's North Slope). He hopes the road will eventually lead to the new site of the village of Kivalina. Kivalina Evacuation and School Site Access Road This project involved ROW mapping for the acquisition of ROW for a new eight-mile road from the coastal village of Kivalina northeasterly to higher ground. The Northwest Arctic Borough Assembly held an unprecedented meeting 2,000 miles away in Seattle last month, where it narrowly shot down a proposal by the borough mayor to award a no-bid project management contract for a new school near the climate-stressed village of Kivalina. According to a borough announcement in the legal section of The Arctic Sounder newspaper, the mayor's new chief of staff, Patrick Savok, was hired to work with the mayor, local communities and the school district "to develop consensus on projects and issues moving forward. The total project budget is $63.1 million, with $50.5 million funded by a state grant from the Department of Education and Early Development and $12.6 million by the borough bond funds, Christy said. Kivalina wind generator. The Arctic Sounder - Serving the Northwest Arctic and the North Slope - A publication of Tegan Hanlon was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News between 2013 and 2019. Wick Communications. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. While in the past year, the community did not have a need to evacuate, the road has been used for access to construct the new school, said Danielle Tessen, DOT information officer. The project terminus at K-Hill is located in Section 19, Township 28N, Range 25W, of the The evacuation route provides residents with a safe and reliable road to a refuge site in case of a catastrophic storm. The costof the road project could range from $40 million to $70 million, according to the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. Kivalina is a safe and resilient community. "In this region it's important that we work together," she said. In this photo taken in Sept. 2005 and provided by Millie Hawley, Kivalina, an Inupiat Eskimo village is seen in on a barrier island off the coast of northwest Alaska. . Kivalina has begun a multistage process of relocating the community to a new site several miles inland. She said the district agreed to support the road project, while working with the borough to come up with the match funding for the new school. While the school is a new beginning for the students, it's the culmination of a long planning process and a lighting-paced construction process for both the school, which will serve as the community's emergency shelter in the event of a storm or flooding, and the eight-mile evacuation road that connects the Kivalina community to its school. After evaluation, four potential sources This content supports the highlighted step. Background. agencies; those Engineering Manager, ADOT&PF Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Senator Ted Stevens helped sponsor legislation to authorize erosion control projects in several affected communities. For over a decade, Kivalina and the NAB have evaluated the feasibility of numerous road routes, lagoon crossing options, and material source locations New Project Engineer jobs added daily. Kivalina's environmental problems aren't restricted to the coast: as permafrost thaws, the nearby Wulik River washes away large chunks of streambank, and increased river sediment has caused difficulty in treating the community water supply. The team delivered the project to the construction phase in just 22 monthsputting Kivalina residents on the road to a more secure future. Road Route Alternatives: Three preliminary route options (Northern, Southern, and Combined Route A) were independently proposed by Kivalina and the However, until homes are built at the relocation site, the school children in Kivalina will ride their new bus out the dark snow-covered newly constructed gravel road to attend school. 2010). K-Hill is an active . The new road, bridge and causeway were designed to accommodate all modes of transportation for all seasons, and residents began using the new route immediately after opening. Adak Aleut Corp T1470 C&D. Adak Finger Bay Landfill. 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