A village on Alaska's biggest lake gets land for a community hub

Kokhanok, a village of about 150 people on the south shore of Lake Iliamna, is set to gain land for a community building of its own — a hub for gatherings, services, and local projects in a place with little public infrastructure to spare.

Under a proposal the state published Friday, the Alaska Department of Commerce would transfer a parcel it holds in trust for the community directly to the Kokhanok Village Council, the federally recognized tribe, for a multipurpose building serving a public or charitable purpose. The notice opens a window for residents and others to weigh in before it's final.

Kokhanok is unincorporated — it has no city government — so the tribe functions as the local government, and it's the tribe that will receive the land. Reachable only by bush plane or by boat across Alaska's largest lake, some 200 miles from Anchorage, the village leans on a handful of shared buildings; the school is the biggest, and its largest employer.

A few years ago, the community had to move buildings to higher ground when the rising level of Lake Iliamna threatened them.