Fairbanks borough mayor to allow federal funding for SS Nenana after assembly vote

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU/KTVF) - The historic riverboat SS Nenana may see $500,000 in federal maintenance funding come through after the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly voted 5-3 to request borough Mayor Grier Hopkins to allow the group Friends of S.S. Nenana to accept the money.

At Wednesday night’s special meeting, the city Assembly passed a resolution asking Hopkins to either allow the maintenance funds to be accepted or to lease the boat — currently owned by the borough — to Friends of S.S. Nenana by June 30.

According to Kaitlin Wilson, a borough public information officer, the office of the mayor drafted a letter of support for the North Star Community Foundation.

This was so that the group had everything needed to put the application forth.

“Going forward,” Wilson said, “we’ll continue to work with the Friends of SS Nenana, the Assembly, and the North Star [Community] Foundation to find a sustainable solution for the SS Nenana.”

Patricia Schmidt, President of Friends of SS Nenana, confirmed that the necessary paperwork has been filled out and submitted, along with the mayor’s letter.

“It had to be in by [May] 31st, and we got this approval on the 30th, so it was down to the last wire,” Schmidt said, adding that “it was like being able to take a deep breath again.

“We didn’t have to keep fighting this,” Schmidt said.

The money will help provide a facelift to the historic boat, a wooden-hulled, western rivers-style sternwheel passenger boat, according to the National Park Service. The agency’s website also says the boat is “one of only three steam-powered passenger sternwheelers of any kind left in the U.S. and [...] provided access to Interior Alaska long before roads could be built.”

In May, Schmidt explained that the funding will go toward giving the SS Nenana a new paint job, making its wood less vulnerable to the elements.

Hopkins, on the other hand, had previously indicated that he was not interested in accepting the funding, citing what he viewed as too many strings attached. He also said Friends of SS Nenana had sought these funds without borough input.

He echoed these misgivings at the special meeting, saying the grant required the borough to match its funding.

Schmidt said this is incorrect, and that the particular funding type being utilized — while part of the Save America’s Treasures program — does not have a matching requirement.

“The Save America’s Treasures Grant does require a match per statute; if you go and look it up online, it will say that,” she explained. “However, this is not a Save America’s Treasures grant. It simply is the Historic Preservation Fund Congressional Directed Spending grant, which is completely different and so that’s, that’s where the confusion was coming in.”

Schmidt added that the group did not apply for a grant, but for an appropriation through Congress.

Co-sponsor Tammie Wilson discussed the option in the resolution for the borough to lease the boat if they do not accept the funds.

“The bigger elephant in the room is, does the borough want to maintain this boat?” she said.

Assembly member Scott Crass, who ultimately voted against the resolution, cited nearly $4 million in recent years that have been allocated by the borough for maintenance of the boat, saying the borough is currently taking care of the site.

“I think having federal support in those efforts is a great idea,” Crass said. “I have some concerns about, sort of, the details here.”

He mentioned Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility on the SS Nenana and responsibility for the grant money as items needing clarification.

Wilson, Barbara Haney, Brett Rotermund, David Guttenberg, and Mindy O’Neall voted in favor of the resolution, while Crass, Liz Reeves-Ramos, and Kristan Kelly voted against it.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

Copyright 2025 KTUU. All rights reserved.