Residents urge Sitka to pave Price Street, cite dust health risks and business impacts

Several residents used the public-comment period at the Jan. 9 Sitka City and Borough Assembly meeting to press for paving of the gravel portion of Price Street and to raise related safety and infrastructure concerns.

“From where the blacktop currently ends on Price Street, there's approximately 24.4 acres of privately owned properties served by this gravel road,” resident Jeremy Twaddle told the assembly. He said the area contains “53 commercial Price Street” lots with a mix of commercial and residential uses and about “98 residential dwelling units consisting of manufactured homes, apartments, single family, and multifamily dwellings.”

Twaddle said frequent grading to maintain the gravel road produces dust that residents breathe and that similar circumstances on Indian River Road previously led the city to pave when officials concluded airborne dust carried a health risk. He cited occupational-safety guidance during his remarks: “Per OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Granite Rock … is comprised of 10 to 40% silica,” and added that repeated grading breaks surfacing into small particles that become airborne.

Local contractor Tyler Cropley, superintendent for CCON, told the assembly his firm has worked with public works on paving projects and encouraged the city to consider an area‑wide maintenance or asphalt program, noting other Southeast Alaska cities put such work out to bid annually. “I encourage you guys to think about building a maintenance program,” Cropley said, offering the contractor’s experience on municipal paving work.

Resident Nicholas McGraw suggested low‑cost crowd‑management options at a nearby blind corner and proposed exploring shore‑power for cruise ships to reduce generator emissions and local carbon output: “If we could run power to the cruise ships, then, of course, that would lessen the carbon footprint.” McGraw also praised recent street-crew work near Swan Lake and urged consideration of temporary flagging practices for safety.

Why it matters: Staff have noted a long queue of capital maintenance needs across the borough; Price Street was identified in earlier capital planning but was not funded for paving in the current draft proposals. Residents told the assembly the neighborhood contributes property and sales taxes and seeks equitable infrastructure upgrades.

What the assembly can do next: Staff said neighborhoods may also pursue a local improvement district (LID) for initial paving when property owners wish to accelerate a project; the city’s risk-scoring process currently places some other roads ahead of Price Street on the priority list.

Ending: Assembly members urged staff to provide information on timing, LID options and cost estimates as the FY26 budget process continues.