Unalaska, AK – Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Alaska Department of Transportation will brief the community on their assessment plans for Unalaska's airport at tomorrow's City Council meeting. Although the presentation isn't a public comment session, it's part of an ongoing dialogue about the Unalaska airport master plan, which city officials hope will ultimately lead to making the airport adequate for larger aircraft.

Mayor Shirley Marquardt says that the city is considering the possibility of widening the runway and moving the terminal, with the ultimate goal of alleviating the bottleneck in cargo shipping that Unalaska is currently experiencing.

Although Marquardt says she doesn't expect jet service to return to Unalaska, she hopes that expanding the airport could provide incentive to airlines to fly larger, 60-seat propeller planes to the community.

The city, the department of transportation and the FAA will also be providing an update on the airport master plan at Unalaska Elementary School on Wednesday, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.

Other issues on deck for Tuesday's council meeting include an adjustment to the plan for breakwaters to be built by the Army Corps of Engineers in conjunction with the small boat harbor project. The Corps wants to shift the location of the breakwaters out from shore by 15 meters, an adjustment that would cut down on dredging costs for the project. Funding for the Army Corps construction is still pending in a bill that will be taken up by the new Democratic-led Congress in Washington when it returns next month.

On Tuesday the City Council will also look at reallocating funds within its tsunami warning sirens project, and expects to vote on a measure to extend bar and restaurant liquor-serving hours on New Year's Eve, which falls on a Sunday this year.