After several deadly drownings, Alaska Legislature votes to require harbor safety ladders

Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, speaks Wednesday, May 8, 2024, connected nan level of nan Alaska House of Representatives. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Harbors owned and operated by Alaska’s cities and boroughs will beryllium required to instal information ladders usable by personification who falls into nan water. 

On Wednesday, nan Alaska Senate approved House Bill 345, which requires nan ladders successful each harbor projects that person money from nan state’s harbor installation assistance fund. 

Before nan Senate voted 19-1 to walk nan bill, it amended it to see portion of a disaster-recovery measurement from Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau.

Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, sponsored nan original bill. Speaking May 8, erstwhile nan House voted 38-1 to o.k. nan bill, she said she introduced it astatine nan petition of a constituent whose worker died successful 2021 aft being incapable to climb backmost connected a dock aft going successful nan water.

“This measure is astir redeeming lives,” she said.

Last year, nan Alaska Section of Epidemiology released a study concluding that 20% of nan state’s 342 drowning deaths from 2016 done 2021 were owed to falls from a dock aliases boat. 

One of those deaths was Anna Foltz of Juneau, who died successful October 2021. In testimony submitted to nan Legislature, 1 of Foltz’s friends said nan personification who investigated Foltz’s decease concluded that had a ladder been present, she would not person died. 

“My constituent felt that if location had been information ladders connected nan dock, Anna would person been capable to prevention themselves,” Story said.

She said nan request will travel astatine nary costs to nan authorities because municipalities will salary for nan costs of nan information ladders retired of nan grants they’re already receiving.

If bought successful bulk, Story said, nan ladders costs astir $210 apiece, and she believes nan costs is not prohibitive.

The conception of nan measure added by nan Senate allows condo owners who person authorities disaster assistance to usage that money for collectively owned property, specified arsenic nan instauration of a shared condo building.

Kiehl included that conception in a larger disaster-aid bill that nan Senate passed but nan House grounded to walk earlier nan extremity of nan legislative session.

Kiehl’s measure included nan condo-related connection aft a glacier-caused flood heavily damaged respective Juneau homes, including a group of condos, successful 2023. 

Kiehl’s measure besides would person accrued nan authorities headdress connected disaster aid, but that proviso was dropped because of costs concerns, he said.

That near nan condo-related language, which guarantees adjacent curen successful authorities rule betwixt condo-owners and nan owners of single-family homes, Kiehl said.

That was “the astir basal part,” he said.

HB 345 goes to Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who whitethorn veto it, motion it, aliases let it to go rule without his signature.