Anchorage, AK – Nov. 4, 2008 – Aleutians East Borough (AEB) Mayor Stanley Mack is pleased to announce the Borough has appointed Sharon Boyette as the new Borough Administrator, effective January 1, 2009. Boyette will be promoted from her current position as the Borough’s Community Development Director, a job she has held for 17 years. Among her many accomplishments as Community Development Director, Ms. Boyette has been instrumental in shepherding the development of harbors and other infrastructure projects within the AEB communities.

“Sharon is the ideal candidate to fill this key position,” said AEB Mayor Mack. “Her extensive knowledge of the needs of our rural communities combine with the high quality of her work to make her the obvious choice. We are fortunate to have someone of her caliber taking the reins.”

Washington, D.C. – Sept. 11, 2008 – Native and community leaders from King Cove, Alaska and the Aleutians East Borough are praising Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski for pushing to get S. 1680 in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for a mark-up today. The committee unanimously approved the bill by voice vote. It's now ready to move to the Senate floor for a vote. The Izembek Enhancement Act proposes increasing the size of the Izembek and Alaska Peninsula Wildlife Refuges by more than 61,000 acres in exchange for a small, narrow road corridor leading from King Cove to an all-weather airport in Cold Bay, Alaska. The legislation would provide King Cove residents with a long-term solution to their transportation access problem by creating a planning process which will lead to a decision on how to build a road.

“We are grateful to Senator Murkowski and her staff for the tremendous amount of work they put into this bill,” said Stanley Mack, Aleutians East Borough (AEB) Mayor. “The senator recognizes the significant challenges residents face in this remote community. This issue is extraordinarily important for the health, safety and the quality-of-life of the residents of King Cove. Senator Murkowski sponsored this bill and has stood behind the residents while supporting their efforts to get a road to Cold Bay’s airport. We also want to thank Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Committee Chairman, for his bipartisan work with Sen. Murkowski, which got the bill to mark-up,” Mayor Mack added. “King Cove also received key support from Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and Hawaii Senator Daniel Akaka, both of whom are co-sponsors of the bill and have pushed hard for its passage.”

Cold Bay, AK – Sept. 9, 2008 – The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Cold Bay is moving into its new digs this month near the city’s airport runway. The new NWS quarters are in a facility that could soon be transformed into a first-class transportation hub for the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands. The Aleutians East Borough (AEB) began construction of a new 11,400-square foot airport and hovercraft terminal building near Cold Bay’s all-weather runways in June of 2007. Construction of the first floor was complete in February 2008. Second floor tenant improvements were completed last month.

“The goal of the new facility will be to serve the center point of Cold Bay’s regional airport terminal,” said AEB administrator Bob Juettner. “It will also serve hovercraft passengers traveling between King Cove and Cold Bay.”

Sand Point, AK – Sept. 3, 2008 – Aleutia, a local marketing association for harvested seafood within the Aleutians East Borough, was recently recognized by the State of Alaska as a Regional Seafood Development Association (RSDA). Aleutia is the first RSDA in Alaska to represent two Fish and Game management areas: the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. On June 6, 2008, Emil Notti, the Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce Community and Economic Development, approved Aleutia’s RSDA application. 

“When applying to become a RSDA, we were informed by the Office of Economic Development that our application was unique because we were applying to represent two management areas, rather than just one”, said Tiffany Jackson, Aleutia Operations Manager.

Sand Point, AK – July 29, 2008 – Aleutia, a local marketing association for harvested seafood within the Aleutians East Borough (AEB), has reached an agreement with Peter Pan Seafoods, Inc. to acquire processor quota shares (PQS) of Bristol Bay Red King and Bairdi Crab. The agreement, finalized on July 18, 2008, was completed just in time for the 2008 crab fishing season. Aleutia owns and manages the PQS, and will have Peter Pan Seafood in King Cove custom process and assist in marketing the crab.