Aleuts create a home away from home

News Source: Anchorage Daily News
Publish Date: December 01, 2006

Aleuts create a home away from home

What: The design and construction cost for the three-story, 40,770-square-foot Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association building along Campbell Creek is $12.2 million, the association said. The structure will be a steel-braced frame. Exterior finish will be granite tile and insulated vision glass units. There will be a decorative two-story glass atrium and lobby/entry area with a water feature, and one elevator will service the building, said Terry Casdorph, APIA director of development and facilities.

Where: 1131 E. International Airport Road, between the Seward Highway and the Old Seward Highway.

Who: Koonce Pfeffer Bettis designed it, with Neeser Construction as general contractor. Major subcontractors are Klebs Mechanical for the HVAC and plumbing and Megawatt Electric as the electrical subcontractor, said Glen Kohlberg, APIA project superintendent with Neeser Construction.

Why: “Over the years, increasing numbers of our people have, for many reasons, moved out of our region to the Anchorage area, causing a separation from their roots. Our wish is to have our facility provide a long-needed gathering place for the Aleut people to proudly celebrate their heritage, a sense of being home while being away from theirs, a place to visit that feels like home,” said Dimitri Philemonof, chief executive of the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association. APIA contracts with federal, state and local governments to provide services throughout the Aleutian Pribilof Islands region. These services include health, education, social, behavioral health, employment and vocational training, public safety, environmental and cultural heritage.

When: Planning on a July 2007 completion due to a late-season start, said Glen Kohlberg of Neeser.