As the Lumberman tugboat continues to sit in the middle of Gastineau Channel, city officials are hoping someone in the community can come up with an idea of how to get rid of it.
The Lumberman has been anchored in the channel near Eagle Creek for almost a year. The City and Borough of Juneau has no legal requirement to move it, but city officials are worried that delaying the removal could cause greater expenses to removing it in the future, according to a news release from the city last week.
The CBJ Docks and Harbors department sent out a Request for Information/Statement of Interest last week to gather ideas and interest from community members on the most cost-effective way to remove the boat. It’s specifically geared toward “salvage or marine disposal operators and/or professionals experienced in providing marine salvage or marine disposal type services to vessels,” according to the request.
The request goes on to say these professionals ideally would be able to help the city, state or federal government in removing the boat. The deadline to send feedback and interest is May 1. People can find the request by going to www.juneau.org/harbors and clicking on “Public Notices” on the left side of the page.
Gastineau Channel is a patchwork of state, federal and CBJ land, which has left it unclear exactly whose responsibility it is to move the boat. The tug is currently on state tidelands. Deputy Harbormaster Matt Creswell told the Empire in February that it’s still not certain who will eventually have to move the Lumberman.
