Posted on: Friday, May 9, 2003
Alaska firm gets contract to take over Midway Island operations
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Staff Writer
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has hired an Alaska firm with experience in running military bases to take over maintenance and operations at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.
Chugach McKinley Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Chugach Alaska Corp., was awarded a five-month contract Wednesday, with options to extend on an annual basis after that.
The $3.3 million contract calls for Chugach to run Henderson Field airport and a fuel farm as well as island utilities, communications, waste-management and transportation systems.
It also will be responsible for building, equipment and grounds maintenance, and food and medical services.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is continuing to evaluate Midway's visitor program against "the availability of resources," said Dave Allen, regional director of the agency's Pacific Region.
In addition to being a near-pristine mid-Pacific atoll environment with bountiful fish, coral reefs and nesting sites for seabirds, Midway was the focus of the World War II battle that is viewed as the turning point for the United States in the war against Japan.
It was opened to the public in 1996 for the first time since the late 1930s.
But tourist numbers failed to meet expectations, and the previous contractor, Midway Phoenix, shut down its operations last year, complaining that Fish and Wildlife officials had set restrictions that made it impossible to run a profitable tourism operation on the island.
Since the departure of Midway Phoenix, visitors have been welcomed only by special arrangement or for special events, such as last June's 60th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Midway.
Allen said the agency is still committed to allowing the public to experience the atoll's historic and wildlife resources.
Chugach, which has managed island installations on Wake and Kwajalein atolls in the Marshall Islands, will take over from two temporary contractors: Geo Engineers Inc. and American Airports Corp.
Chugach has more than 5,000 employees worldwide who provide base operation, educational, construction, environmental, information technology, telecommunications and employment services.
