Unalaska, AK – The City of Unalaska will ask the Army Corps of Engineers to extend a public comment period concerning a large cold-storage facility on Ballyhoo Road planned by Pacific Stevedoring, Inc.

PacSteve plans to build a 125,000-square-foot cold storage facility and warehouse on Ballyhoo Road near the city dock, a project which would involve filling in a small area in Dutch Harbor. The project could begin construction as soon as this spring, and would significantly expand PacSteve's operations in Unalaska. But opponents of the project argue that it would take business away from the city dock, and that its environmental impacts haven't been adequately examined.

The month-long window in which the public can comment on the project to the Corps ends today, and the comment period for the state's Coastal Management Program ends tomorrow. Attendees of last night's city council meeting complained, however, that the project hadn't been adequately advertised to the public, which prompted the council to vote narrowly in favor of requesting an extension.

Most of the opposition to the project at the council meeting came from the International Longshore & Warehouse Union, whose lawyers have also requested an extension of the comment period. During the public input section of the meeting, several members of the union said that they weren't aware of PacSteve's plans before Monday, and argued that the city should have publicized the project and provided a forum to discuss it. City Manager Chris Hladick says that his office had been notified of the application to the Corps, but usually doesn't get involved in private enterprise plans if they don't directly impact the city.

But some council members said at the meeting that the project was news to them, too, and Joanna Aldridge made a motion to have Hladick ask the Corps for an extension of the comment period. The vote came up tied, with members Dick Peck and Kris Flanagan supporting Aldridge's motion and members Rocky Caldero, Katherine McGlashan and Juanita Lewis voting against it. Mayor Shirley Marquardt broke the tie by voting in favor of it. She said she did so because of the number of people who had come to Tuesday's meeting with concerns about the project.

PacSteve representatives weren't available for comment this morning.