What's up with that?

Q: Why are the doors that go from the Federal Building lobby to the post office closed and locked up?

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A: The doors were shuttered for a couple of weeks due to a heightened nationwide security alert - level "orange" - issued by the federal government. As you've probably noticed by now, the doors have been reopened as the security alert level has dropped down to a more mellow "yellow."

Interim building manager Doug Weller said on Sept. 20 that the order to close the doors had come 10 days earlier.

"The attorney general of the United States, on Sept. 10, issued ... an alert level orange," he said. "Under that alert level orange are things that federal entities - buildings - have to do.

"One of those things is to limit building access to the absolute minimum."

While they are part of the same complex, the tall office tower and the squat post office annex - administered by the federal General Services Administration - are treated differently. There are no plans to limit or hinder access to the post office through its entrance off the plaza. But the process of long-term security upgrades to the rest of the Federal Building has begun.

John Murphy, security manager in Alaska for the GSA's Federal Protective Service, said the most noticeable planned change is a relocation of the security screening station. That station is in front of the elevators to the upper floors of the tower, allowing free access to the lobby, federal credit union, art exhibit and several other first-floor areas. Murphy said the plan is to place the security checkpoint much closer to the main entrance.

"We'll be screening everyone coming in," he said, including credit union customers.

There will also be key-card locks installed on several back and side doors, he said.

Juneau's Federal Building is designated by the government as a "Class 4" building, Murphy said - the highest classification that exists in Alaska. That designation is based on, among other factors, building population and the offices located there. Anchorage's Federal Building, for example, is designated Class 4 because it contains a federal courtroom - all other factors aside.

A Class 1 structure, Murphy said, might be something like a standalone parking garage.

For more information about orange, yellow and the rest of the rainbow of security levels, take a look at the U.S. Department of Justice Web site at www.usdoj.gov.

Q: I was looking at a map of North Douglas and I wondered about some names. Who is the Ben Stewart that the mountain near Eaglecrest is named for? What about Mount Meek, Mount Anderson and the Hilda of Hilda Creek?

A: We'll get started on the origins of North Douglas place names with Mount Meek this week, then move on to other names in future columns.

According to "The Centennial Gazetteer: A Guide to Juneau, Alaska Place Names," Mount Meek is named in honor of Joseph Robert Meek (1909-1954), who served as a Juneau-based pilot for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Mount Meek has an elevation of about 3,000 feet and is at the northwest end of Douglas Island.

Q: Anyone know of a Scrabble club or players group in Juneau?

A: According to the roster of the National Scrabble Association (www.scrabble-assoc.com/), there are no sanctioned clubs anywhere in Alaska. If anyone knows of a local players group, drop us a line and we'll pass along the info.

And on the topic, congratulations to - get this - "professional Scrabble player" Joel Sherman, 40, of the Bronx, N.Y., for winning the 2002 National Scrabble Championship in San Diego in August.

According to an NSA press release, Sherman's winning word lineup included vug (a small cavity in a rock), helicoid (a type of geometric surface) and the Greek letter mu.

Also noted among unusual words used at the national tourney was a term familiar to many Alaskans - qiviut, the wool of the undercoat of the musk-ox. Without any bonuses, it's worth 18 Scrabble points.

Andrew Krueger (10 and 12 Scrabble points, respectively) can be reached at akrueger@juneauempire.com. Send What's Up With That questions or comments to whatsup@juneauempire.com.