Board of Directors News

Council board re-elects officers to serve through May 2018

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Left to right: Treasurer Wayne Donaldson, who represents the City of Kodiak; Vice President Thane Miller, represents Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation; President Amanda Bauer, represents the City of Valdez; Member-at-Large Robert Archibald, representing the City of Homer; Member-at-Large Patience Andersen Faulkner, representing the Cordova District Fishermen United; and Member-at-Large Melissa Berns, who represents the Kodiak Village Mayors Association. Not pictured is Secretary Bob Shavelson, who represents the Oil Spill Region Environmental Coalition. (Photo taken in 2016) 

At the recent board meeting in Valdez, the council’s board of directors elected officers for a new term. The elected executive committee, who will serve from May 2017 to May 2018, is comprised of:

  • President: Amanda Bauer, representing the City of Valdez
  • Vice President: Thane Miller, representing Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation
  • Treasurer: Wayne Donaldson, representing the City of Kodiak
  • Secretary: Bob Shavelson, representing the Oil Spill Region Environmental Coalition
  • Three Members-at-Large:
    • Melissa Berns, representing the Kodiak Island Village Mayors Association
    • Robert Archibald, representing the City of Homer
    • Patience Andersen Faulkner, representing Cordova District Fisherman United

The council is very happy to have the support of its many volunteers from all over the Exxon Valdez oil spill region. The new executive committee is an excellent representation of the council.

May 2017 board meeting held in Valdez

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Valdez, AlaskaThe Council’s board of directors held a meeting in Valdez on Thursday and Friday, May 4-5, 2017.

Topics on the agenda included:

  • Presentations regarding the change in Alyeska Pipeline Service Company’s marine services contract provider from Crowley Marine Services to Edison Chouest Offshore – set to take place July 1, 2018 – by Alyeska, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Coast Guard and the council. These services include key oil spill prevention and response assets such as escort tugs, oil recovery barges and associated personnel for service in Prince William Sound.

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Former board member Marilynn Heddell passes

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Marilynn Heddell

Marilynn Heddell, former council board member, passed away on November 18, 2016.

Heddell represented Whittier on the board from 1996 until 2013. She held several positions during her 17 years on the council. She was first elected as member-at-large in 1996. She served as secretary from 1997 to 2001, as vice-president from 2002 to 2004, again as secretary from 2004 to 2008, and was elected to the position of treasurer in 2012.

Heddell was an active member of the council’s finance committee. This committee helps the board to oversee the council’s financial affairs and ensure a balanced budget each year.

Heddell and her husband, Pete, operated a marine charter service, Honey Charters, and a gift shop in Whittier for 22 years. Pete continues to serve as a member of the Port Operations and Vessel Traffic System Committee.

Heddell was very involved in the community of Whittier. She helped start the Greater Whittier Chamber of Commerce and Whittier’s Prince William Sound Museum with exhibits on the history of Whittier and World War II in Alaska. She also represented Whittier on the Prince William Sound Economic Development Council. In 2013, she and Pete were presented with a “Spirit of Alaska” award from the Alaska Travel Industry Association for demonstrating exceptional efforts to support a local community, charity, or other organization outside the travel industry.

Marilynn and Pete Heddell in front of their Whittier shop, the Captain Cook Books and Gifts. Photo by Linda Robinson.

“Marilynn always entered the room with a smile and a hug,” remembered council volunteer and former outreach coordinator Linda Robinson. “When working the booth at Pacific Marine Expo, you could always count on Marilynn and Pete coming by, dropping their coats, and visiting with guests. I never saw her without a warm greeting for everyone,” added Robinson.

Council board meeting held in Anchorage

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The council’s board of directors met on January 19 and 20, 2017.

Topics included on the agenda included:

  • Presentations by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and PWSRCAC regarding the change in Alyeska’s marine services contract provider from Crowley Maritime to Edison Chouest Offshore set to take place July 1, 2018. These services include key oil spill prevention and response assets such as escort tugs, oil recovery barges and associated personnel for service in Prince William Sound.
  • A presentation by council contractor Robert Allan LTD outlining some concerns and recommendations on the new escort and support tugs being built by Edison Chouest Offshore for the marine services transition. Robert Allan LTD is a firm of internationally-recognized naval architects and marine engineers known for their innovative designs for vessels of almost all types, from high-performance tugs to ferries to sophisticated research vessels.
  • A presentation by the co-chair of the Alaska Regional Response Team on their recent activities. The Alaska Regional Response Team is in charge of planning responses to oil spills in Alaska waters.
  • A presentation by council staff on the Alaska Regional Response Team’s public outreach efforts to identify dispersant use avoidance areas. This process is part of the January 2016 update to Alaska’s Dispersant Use Plan for Alaska, and is designed to help identify areas 24 to 200 miles from Alaska’s coastline where the use of dispersants should require additional consideration prior to being used.
  • A presentation from council staff regarding cracking that was found and repaired in the lining of one of the secondary containment systems at the Valdez Marine Terminal. In the event of a spill from a crude oil storage tank, secondary containment systems are designed to prevent oil from polluting surface or groundwater resources.

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