The Sawmill Cove board on Monday (12-12-11) decided to replace a defective light on the old mooring buoy in Silver Bay.

The buoy was formerly used by the APC mill to moor barges. It is now partially submerged. According to Sawmill Cove director Garry White it was last inspected in the 1990s. He estimated that it would cost $72,000 to replace the custom-built buoy, as well as raise the 10-ton anchor and attach new chain.

The buoy is currently stationed in 220-feet of water. Board members decided to hold off on fully replacing the buoy until determining if it was needed by a park tenant. The board is expecting to hear from prospective bidders for Sitka’s Blue Lake dam expansion about the possibility of staging materials at the park. Board members anticipated that a viable barge mooring would be useful for the hydro project.

The board also listened to ideas offered by the public for the park’s future. Several residents who attended emphasized the need to expand Sitka’s marine services industry. The current haul out at Halibut Point has a capacity of 88-tons – an average-size seiner. Many larger boats were forced to leave town for bottom work.

Members of the public who testified urged the board to consider a haul out with a capacity over 200 tons.

One additional idea was related to Sitka’s power shortage. Although the Blue Lake expansion is scheduled to come online in 2017, current projections show Sitka once again running short of hydro capacity by 2021. A member of the public suggested that the board consider building a power plant using a sea-water heat pump. Just such a plant was already operating in Sweden, and had a long track record. Sawmill Cove’s proximity to both sea water and Sitka’s electric distribution system were reportedly ideal for similar facility, which could be expanded incrementally to meet Sitka’s future power needs. The cost would be in the tens of millions of dollars. Preliminary estimates for additional hydro capacity at Takatz Lake, on the other hand, are in the neighborhood of $400-million.

The Sawmill Cove board plans to take all ideas into consideration as it develops its next strategic plan.