NANA
Red Dog Mine Seeks Feedback from NANA Region Residents
Due to COVID-19 restrictions and the safety of our communities , the 2021 in-person Red Dog Mine operations community meetings were postponed until 2022 .
For 2021 , Teck and NANA worked together to create a special publication that was sent to all regional post office boxes . In the report , you will read about :
How Red Dog Mine is operating through the COVID-19 challenges
How the Teck community response fund supports local organizations
How the accelerated leadership development program increases the number of shareholderemployees in senior roles
Local employment
How water volume management protects water quality and manages shared resources
How Teck is taking action to limit climate change , including permafrost degradation
A life of mine update
The 2021 shipping season
The NANA / Teck partnership
It ’ s also important for us to hear from you . We ’ ve included a feedback form in the publication , as well as information on how you can contact and communicate back to us .
You can also download a copy and fill out the feedback form at teck . com / engagereddog . The deadline to provide feedback has been extended to May 31 .
Questions and comments will be answered in upcoming 2022 engagements , as well as used to guide Red Dog on what communities are interested in learning more about . Your input will help inform community engagement plans for 2022 and beyond .
Alaska ’ s New Election System
The State of Alaska elections have big changes coming to how we vote and what elections look like . In 2020 , Alaskan voters approved an initiative to establish a new voting system . This year , the changes will take effect . The primary election in August will determine which four candidates advance to November ’ s general election . This is different than how NANA , the Northwest Arctic Borough or Northwest Arctic School District do their elections . The change strictly affects elections that include all Alaskans .
What is the top-four primary ? In the primary ballot , all candidates are listed . The top four vote-getters , regardless of their partisan affiliations , advance to the general election . Think of it like the Final Four .
What is ranked-choice voting ? In the general election , voters rank the final four candidates in order of preference . For a candidate to win , they must receive a majority ( 50 % + 1 vote ) of the total votes cast .
Please view https :// www . elections . alaska . gov . RCV for more information and sample ballots .
Election dates and deadlines :
Date |
Note |
Election |
6 / 1 / 2022 |
Filing deadline for all candidates |
Primary &
General
|
7 / 17 / 2022 |
Deadline for voters to register to vote , or update their registration |
Primary |
8 / 1 / 2022 |
Absentee in-person , early vote , electronic transmission and special needs voting begins |
Primary |
8 / 6 / 2022 |
Deadline to receive absentee by-mail applications |
Primary |
8 / 15 / 2022 |
Deadline to receive absentee electronic transmission ballot applications |
Primary |
8 / 16 / 2022 |
Primary election day . Polls open from 7 a . m . – 8 p . m . |
Primary |
9 / 5 / 2022 |
Withdrawal deadline for candidates |
General |
10 / 9 / 2022 |
Deadline for voters to register to vote , or update their voter registration |
General |
10 / 24 / 2022 |
Absentee in-person , early vote , electronic transmission and special needs voting begins |
General |
10 / 29 / 2022 |
Deadline to receive absentee by-mail applications |
General |
11 / 7 / 2022 |
Deadline to receive absentee by electronic transmission ballot applications |
General |
11 / 8 / 2022 |
General election day . Polls open from 7 a . m . – 8 p . m . |
General |
New Homes for the Holidays
In Kiana , five families have new homes , thanks to a partnership between Northwest Iñupiat Housing Authority ( NIHA ) and NANA Construction ( NC ). Though , according to NIHA , 2021 started out with a grim outlook for the housing construction season .
“ Material prices were 250 % higher than previously budgeted for , so the number of housing units for the year were reduced from five to three ,” said Chris Collins , NIHA ’ s president .
Looking for ways to improve construction efficiency to build more homes , NIHA advertised for housing unit proposals . NANA Construction offered a solution , with support from Kuna Engineering ( a NANA company ) and Drake Construction . By building modular
On Dec . 23 , NIHA and NANA representatives traveled to Kiana for a walk-through of the new modular homes built by NANA Construction . From left : Crystal Johnson , NANA board member ; John Lincoln , NANA president and CEO ; Cyrus Harris , NIHA chair ; Chris Collins , NIHA president ; and Fred S . Elvsaas Jr ., NANA Construction general manager .
units , NC helped NIHA stay within budget and deliver more homes .
“ It is tough to build in an already tightly budgeted season , but the NC units essentially stretched the dollar ,” Collins said .
The five 24-by-50-foot homes were designed and fabricated in NC ’ s Big
Lake facility . The buildings then traveled more than 1,500 miles by road and water to their foundations in Kiana , where they were installed and finished .
The 1,500-square-foot , four-bedroom , onebath homes were outfitted with VCT tile flooring throughout , Blaze King Princess wood stoves , fuel oil boilers and water heaters with radiant baseboard heat .
“ The housing units exceeded the insulation requirements for our region ,” said Collins .
On Dec . 23 , after the walk-through , NANA officials handed the house keys to NIHA to then be shared with Kiana families .
“ The shortage of reasonably priced housing in rural Alaska is something that is extremely important to us and our parent company ,” said Fred S . Elvsaas Jr ., NANA Construction ’ s general manager . “ Providing quality housing was a great project to be involved in . It ’ s something that people inside the region can actually see . They can be proud that the homes were built by a NANA company .”
Proposals on NIHA ’ s next housing project , for Selawik , will be advertised in 2022 .
“ Affordable housing is a major need in our region and a priority for NANA ’ s board of directors ,” said John Aġnaaqłuk Lincoln , NANA ’ s president and CEO . “ NANA and NIHA are working together to provide quality housing for our communities , and our first project together resulted in two additional homes that would not have been built without this partnership . I am grateful to the teams at NIHA and NANA Construction for their work this year .”
8 The Hunter | 2022 April