Trust land near Control Lake would become a store, laundromat and fuel stop. Comments close Oct. 9.

Control Lake Junction is where Prince of Wales Island's road system comes together. The paved road from Klawock meets the road east to Thorne Bay and the road running north toward Coffman Cove and the top of the island. Almost everyone driving on Prince of Wales passes through it, and there is nothing there.

Shannon and Victoria Bosdell want to change that. They have applied to buy 5.762 acres at the junction from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Office and put in a fuel station, a convenience store, a laundromat and spaces for RVs. The office decided Wednesday to sell it to them.

The couple applied in March and offered $128,000, roughly $22,200 an acre. The office is selling through a negotiated sale rather than putting the parcel out for competitive bid, and its written decision concludes the offer is above fair market value and that continuing to hold the lot is not cost effective.

Fuel is part of what makes the location matter. The state tells drivers on the island to watch the gas gauge, because fuel is available only in Craig, Klawock, Naukati, Thorne Bay, Coffman Cove and Whale Pass. Thorne Bay sits 34 miles from Klawock, with the junction between them.

Money from Trust land sales goes into the Mental Health Trust Fund, which pays for programs serving beneficiaries across the state: Alaskans living with mental illness, intellectual and developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, Alzheimer's disease and related dementia, or traumatic brain injuries.

Comments are due Oct. 9 at 4:30 pm, to the Trust Land Office in Anchorage or [email protected].