The United States Coast Guard will soon begin construction on a mooring project on Japonski Island in Sitka. When it’s finished, there will be room for a new addition to its local fleet – a fast response cutter.

Erin Hale is an environmental protection specialist with the Coast Guard. At the Japonski Island Boat House on May 13, she presented updated construction plans to Sitkans. She said they haven’t started building yet, even though an audience member thought they saw a truck full of construction materials heading that way. 

“So it sounds like we’re going to mobilize at the end of summer. So that big truck you saw shouldn’t have been us,” Hale said.

Hale said construction will likely begin in September, with plans to complete the project sometime in 2028. When it’s finished, the fast response cutter Douglas Denman, which is currently moored in Ketchikan, will make its way to Sitka. It will be staffed by around two dozen Coast Guard personnel.

That means more families coming to Sitka who will be in need of childcare and housing. Here’s assembly member JJ Carlson, who was in the audience, asked if the Coast Guard was planning on additional housing or childcare associated with the project.

“We have a couple projects in the works…to address our housing because we are a little bit deficient, even just to meet current needs,” Hale said.

While Hale said they won’t be providing childcare, they’re currently working on a separate project to refurbish 60 existing units of Coast Guard housing and add 20 new units. 

The new cutter will be homeported next to the 255- foot Kukui, which has been in Sitka since 2018. Community member John Stein asked how operations could change with more boats at the Coast Guard base. 

“With lots of boats in place, will there be lights and sirens and zooming up and down the channel and that kind of thing? Stein asked.

“It’s a little bit smaller and a little bit sleeker, but they generally don’t go zooming around up and down the channel,” Hale responded as the audience of about a dozen Sitkans laughed. “So we should be okay.”

The land next to the new dock will also look a bit different once the project has wrapped. A row of rose bushes will be removed and transplanted elsewhere, and a public swing set will be moved to the adjacent lot. The area will also include historical signage. 

Editor’s Note: John Stein is a member of KCAW’s board of directors.