June 18, 2026 by Kat Sorensen

Big news for our community this week!

On June 11th, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that Seward has been selected as the homeport for a third Arctic Security Cutter, joining two others that will be based inKodiak. This is something we’ve been working hard to advance at the federal level, and it’s a huge milestone for Seward’s future role in Arctic operations and national security!

The first cutter is expected to arrive in Kodiak in 2028, with Seward’s cutter coming once we have the infrastructure in place to support it. The Coast Guard is already moving forward on planning for the housing and infrastructure the crews will need, and we know there’s a lot of work ahead to make Seward the next great Coast Guard community. We’re up for it!

This is the result of years of advocacy, including our recent trip to D.C. with Vice Mayor Osenga. A big thank you to our entire federal delegation, Rep. Nick Begich, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and especially Sen. Dan Sullivan, who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries, for helping make this happen!

We don’t have a lot of additional detail yet beyond the official announcement, but we’ll share more as planning details come together, and the City will stay closely engaged as the Coast Guard moves forward here in Seward.

In other news, the RFP for the Harbormaster Constructor closed on June 18th, and proposals will be reviewed the week of the 22nd.

We’re also still working closely with the Borough on a lease agreement for the middle school building, and hope to bring something to Council soon.

Lastly, with the 4th of July weekend coming up, Emergency Operations planning is underway. We have meetings scheduled with the Chamber and the Race Director to talk through this year’s events, and we’ll also be meeting with our Emergency Operations partners to discuss scenarios and coordinated responses.

We’ve got a lot of exciting work ahead of us, but moments like this are exactly why we do it. Here’s to Seward’s next chapter!

Ksorensen@cityofseward.net

Kat Sorensen

View Agenda Packet

What’s on The Agenda?

The City Council meets on Monday, June 22. The meeting opens with two presentations, from the National Weather Service on tsunami alerts and from the Seward Senior Center. The consent agenda includes a resolution accepting $2,000 in grant funding from the Seward Community Foundation and Alaska Community Foundation. Legislative business includes a public hearing on Resolution 2026-056, authorizing a land swap with Afognak Logging in the Forest Acres Afognak Subdivision, and two new business resolutions supporting KPBSD pool operations and authorizing
additional dozer repairs following ocean immersion. Council will also discuss shifting PACAB term expiration dates and mandatory trash collection.