Terrace Review — Wednesday, June 13, 1990 AS.

WELL RECEIVED — Terrace representatives got a warm reception on their four-

Shames Mountain Ski Corporation president Gerry Martin, Terrace economic

day trade mission te southeastern Alaska. Part of the welcoming committee in development officer Peter Monteith and Brad Benson from Benson Optical. An

Juneau were the ladies from the "Gold Nugget Revue", shown here saying ‘hi’ to

equally enthusiastic group — the Shady Ladies — greeted them in Wrangell.

by Betty Barton

Terrace’s trade mission to south-
easter Alaska during the first
week in June was a whirlwind
tour, covering Ketchikan, Juneau
and Wrangell in four days. Peter
Monteith, economic development
officer for the City of Terrace,
says this is just the beginning.

Monteith observes that the
Alaskan perspective of northwes-
tern B.C. has always been oriented
to Prince Rupert, and although
many - Alaskans have _ travelled
through Terrace on their way to
Seattle and points south, few have
spent any time here. "We need to
fill them in on what we have to
offer — shopping, services, medi-
cal. facilities and. recreational
opportunities, including the Mount
Layton Hotsprings and Shames
Mountain.” says Monteith.

In cooperation with the Cham-
bers of Commerce in Ketchikan,
Juneau. and Wrangell, the City of

Terrace hosted receptions for their

‘host business communities and

made presentations on what. Ter-

race has to offer the residents of
southeast Alaska. The reception

was warm —— especially from
Wrangell’s "Shady Ladies" who
met the Terrace contingent at
Wrangell airport.

Represented in the group were
Monteith, Terrace alderman Darryl
Laurent, Debbie Spearn from the
Inn of the West, Terrace Inn man-
ager Robert Q. Smith, Terrace
Health Care Society CEO Michael
Leisinger, Gerry Martin and Grant
Piffer representing the Shames
Mountain Ski Corporation, and
Brad Benson of Benson Optical.
‘Each of the Terrace representa-
tives also had business meetings
with people in the three commun-
ities in southeast Alaska to deter-
mine the needs in ‘their area and
how Terrace resources might
address those needs. The object

-was (0 increase trade, transporta-

tion and tourism for the Terrace
area, .

In Ketchikan, residents are
excited about prospects of the
Northern B.C. Winter Games to be
held in Terrace next February. And
the Ketchikan city manager is an
avid skier and looking forward to
the opening of Shames Mountain
Ski facility.

Ketchikan has a golf club with
over three hundred golf members
— but no golf course. Many make
regular trips to Prince Rupert to
golf; a lot of them even belong to
the Prince Rupert Golf Club. They
now know that Terrace has the
Skeena Valley Golf and Country
Club.

Alaskan government officials
were interested in environmental
reviews and how they're done in
B.C. The environment is a major
issue in Alaska, particularly with
their interest in industrial develo-
pment. At the present time, envi-
ronmental impact siudies in Alaska

are a lengthy and bureaucratic
process. Alaskans feel the other 49
states think of their state as the
US.’s last pristine wilderness, and
want to keep it that way, at the
expense of Alaska residents.

One of the major economic initi-
atives in southeastern Alaska at the
present time is the Bradfield Canal
road, which Alaskans hope will
eventually be linked to the new
Iskut resource road. Construction
on the Iskut resource road is
expected to be tendered by the end
of June, with construction to com-
mence in early August. The road
will probably be contracted in
sections, according to Crown
Lands Minister Dave Parker. Road
completion is expected by th
summer of 1991,

Mayor Don House of Wrangell,
Alaska calls this current project a
"terrific spirit of cooperation", He
related the beginnings of the
Alaska State Ferry System as one
example of the two countries wor-

king together, "Thirty-one years
ago, we talked about building ferry
boats and putting in a ferry system.
Negotiations took place with the
B.C. government and we worked
together to see it happen. I know
we can do this again with the
road."

Through historical agreements
signed with the British and the
Russians, both B.C. and Alaska
have treaties for a transportation
corridor guaranteed to the sea. This
treaty is reviewed every 10 years.
With this agreement in place, the
Whittier Tunnel/Bradfield project
on the Alaska side of the ‘border
has been signed into law by the
government, pending an environ-
mental impact statement. Represen-
tative Robin Taylor is optimistic
that they will be breaking ground
on this project within three years,

Once the Iskut resource road is
complete and the Bradfield Canal
road is built, there will still be a

- Continued on page A7

a4