Fairbanks commission may send Assembly a report on SS Nenana restoration

The Fairbanks North Star Borough Historic Preservation Commission could vote Oct. 20 to send the Borough Assembly a report on the restoration of the SS Nenana, the National Historic Landmark sternwheeler at Pioneer Park.

The report would cover the project's status, identified concerns and recommendations, according to the special meeting agenda. The commission will also discuss "communication received from the Administration," which isn't in the published 40-page packet.

What the concerns are isn't fully spelled out in the public record. At the commission's June 2 meeting, Chair Matthew Reckard reported on a lack of response from engineering, the bow's water diverter, accessibility changes, potential federal law and building code violations, fire codes for historic buildings and recent incidents he had observed, according to the meeting minutes. The minutes don't say what the incidents were or which laws or codes might be at issue.

At the same meeting, borough planner Kayde Whiteside reported on recent construction, the start of the warranty period and an inspection planned for spring 2027 to address warranty corrections.

The borough hired Graham Industrial Coatings to repair the waterproofing on the boat's upper decks, along with minor structural and railing repairs. In July 2025, the Assembly Finance Committee voted 4-3 to add about $396,000 to the contract, raising it to about $2.69 million, for work on the bow, where Public Works said "significant decay and rot was discovered."

The commission has said it could take a more active role. In a March 2025 letter to Mayor Grier Hopkins on its priorities, signed by Reckard, the commission said the landmark is a unique borough asset and that "it is inappropriate to treat its repair, maintenance and operation as if it were like any other borough facility."

In March of this year, Reckard relayed a suggestion from the Friends of the SS Nenana that work be supervised by people qualified in historic preservation and that accessibility requirements be met. Commissioners discussed public access to the bow, building codes and strengthening requirements for qualified oversight, but took no action.

More money is coming. In June, the Assembly voted 8-0 to accept up to $485,440 of a $500,000 National Park Service grant awarded to the North Star Community Foundation for wood and coating repairs. Parks and Recreation Director Matthew Boyer wrote that the boat "incurs considerable costs to the Borough tax base," with several million dollars of work planned in the borough's capital improvement program.

Reckard has worked on the project himself. In September 2023, he disclosed that he was a Design Alaska consultant under a borough contract on the boat, and Vice-Chair Patricia Peirsol found a conflict of interest. When he disclosed being under contract on the project again in June 2024, Peirsol ruled there was no conflict. No conflicts were disclosed at the commission's regular March or June meetings this year.