Unalaska, AK – Starting this week, Unalaska residents will be able to apply for a TWIC card just by going to the local library. TWIC stands for Transportation Worker Identification Credential, and it gives approved individuals access to high-security, federally regulated facilities and vessels.

A TWIC card is needed for employment at many industrial facilities in Unalaska, but for the past three years, the closest TWIC office has been located in Anchorage. Because the application process takes two trips, the cost of getting a card was huge, says Mayor Shirley Marquardt.

"If you live down south in the Lower 48, it's going to cost you $132.50 to get a TWIC card if you need it," says Marquardt. "If you live in Unalaska, it's going to cost you about $3,132.50."

Since 2008, the city of Unalaska has been lobbying for a TWIC office, and now, the city has managed to set one up at the Unalaska Public Library. It will be open Tuesday mornings and run by trained volunteers. Pacific Stevedoring and UniSea have been involved in the process, and are slated to send in volunteers for training this week. The city will be paying to maintain the service for the next 18 months, until a federal contract related to the TWIC program is reviewed.

Marquardt says that getting a TWIC office out in Unalaska has been a consistent demand from constituents.

"I've had more phone calls about the inability to get a TWIC card here in Unalaska in the last two years than I've ever had about any other issue," says Marquardt. "The calls have been constant."

An open house for the TWIC office will take place this Thursday, March 3. The grand opening will be Tuesday, March 8.