Planning commission meeting lists ten permits and agreements, swears in two members; vote outcomes not recorded

The Northwest Arctic Borough Planning Commission met June 11, 2025, at the Assembly Chambers in Kotzebue. Deputy Clerk Johnson swore in Elsie Sampson and Samuel Camp as commission members, and Planning Director Noah Naylor offered a welcome.

Chairman Billy Lee called the meeting to order at 1:05 p.m. and opened the session with a boating-season safety reminder, saying, “Tell someone where you’re going and plan on returning; wear your safety devices.” Member Elsie Sampson also urged the audience to watch for young children.

During roll call the commission recorded members Billy Lee, Elsie Sampson, Samuel Camp, Darlene Hadley, Tilman Foster and Kevin Moto as present; staff and guests introduced included Noah Naylor, Katelyn Piper, Johnson Greene and Thomas Baker. Samuel Camp moved to approve the proposed agenda; Kevin Moto seconded and the motion passed unanimously, according to the transcript (individual roll‑call votes were not recorded). Kevin Moto then moved to approve the Planning Commission minutes from Feb. 21, 2024; Samuel Camp seconded and that motion also passed unanimously in the record.

The agenda lists ten resolutions (PC Resolutions 25‑01 through 25‑10). The items, as presented in the transcript, are: 25‑01 — Kikiktagruk Inupiat Corporation (KIC) conditional‑use permit #112‑08‑24 for the Village Connect Project and bulk fuel storage; 25‑02 — OTZ Telephone amended major use permit #110‑03‑23 (Village Connect Project, bulk fuel storage) (Chairman Lee said he will recuse himself from the OTZ item because he sits on that board and that Elsie Sampson will chair that portion of the meeting); 25‑03 — Drake Construction conditional‑use permit #104‑03‑24 for Hotham Peak gravel extraction and bulk fuel storage; 25‑04 — KIC conditional‑use permit #105‑04‑25 for the Village Connect Project and bulk fuel storage; 25‑05 — State of Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities conditional‑use permit #101‑04‑25 for Buckland Airport & Access Road Improvements and bulk fuel storage; 25‑06 — City of Kivalina conditional‑use permit #104‑04‑25 for replacement of the existing "Wasetria Building" (spelling as in transcript); 25‑07 — recommendation to approve a lease with OTZ Telephone Cooperative, Inc. for a telecommunications facility; 25‑08 — recommendation to approve an easement with the Native Village of Kiana for a community drainage project; 25‑09 — recommendation to approve a lease with Maniilaq for a clinic housing project in Kiana; and 25‑10 — recommendation to approve a sublease with AVEC for temporary power generation facilities in Noatak.

The transcript lists those resolutions on the agenda but does not show motions, votes or final outcomes for the numbered resolutions themselves. Where the record shows formal action, it recorded (a) Camp’s motion to approve the agenda (seconded by Moto) and (b) Moto’s motion to approve prior minutes (seconded by Camp), both noted as passed unanimously; and (c) Member Haviland‑Lee moved to adjourn and Member Hogue seconded, with the meeting adjourning at 4:55 p.m. Individual roll‑call votes for the agenda items and the listed resolutions are not specified in the transcript provided.

No members of the public offered comments during the audience-comments portion of the meeting, according to the transcript excerpt. Staff comments and planning commission comments were listed on the agenda but not detailed in the transcript excerpt provided.

What comes next: the planning commission indicated that during the next regular meeting it will conduct reorganization (Chairman Lee noted reorganization will occur at the next regular meeting). The transcript does not record subsequent procedural steps, vote schedules, or the commission’s final action on the ten listed resolutions.