Louie Pusich stood in front of a couple dozen of his family members, gripping both handles of an oversized pair of scissors, ready to honor his father. Decades after his father Mike Pusich’s death, Louie and many of his family members were gathered at Douglas Harbor on Friday, ready to unveil the newly-renamed Mike Pusich Douglas Harbor.
“God bless my old man,” Louie said.
A moment later, he and Mayor Ken Koelsch pushed the handles of the scissors together, cutting the ceremonial ribbon that opened Mike Pusich Douglas Harbor.
Well over 100 people attended the ceremony, including State Sen. Dennis Egan, who shared stories about the friendship between his father (Alaska’s first governor, William Egan) and Mike Pusich.
The harbor was originally built in 1961, thanks in part to Mike Pusich’s efforts. As Port Engineer Gary Gillette explained during Friday’s ceremony, Pusich lobbied the U.S. Corps of Engineers in Washington, D.C., to dredge and create the harbor. Pusich was heavily involved in various aspects of Douglas history, having served as the mayor of Douglas and the chief of the Douglas Fire Department.
Pusich died unexpectedly in 1953 while traveling in Europe, and his granddaughter, Sharon Pusich Gill, said the sudden death played a role in how meaningful the harbor renaming was.
“Unfortunately, due to the location, his body could not be returned to his chosen home,” Gill said. “For this reason, it makes it even more heartwarming to his family, the honor of naming the Douglas Boat Harbor the Mike Pusich Douglas Harbor. His name will be forever linked to the community he took so much pride in and was his chosen forever home.”
The harbor has been open since April following a long, frustrating process. For more than 10 years, the city has been trying to get this harbor renovated, focusing on dredging the harbor, updating the floats and constructing a retaining wall. Port Director Carl Uchytil said there were times when the project seemed like it was “dead in the water” due to the difficulty of getting permits for dredging.
Eventually, Docks &Harbors was able to get the permits approved, and construction started in late 2015. Trucano Construction was awarded the bid and completed the project this spring. Jeff Trucano, a representative for Trucano, said he’s pleased to see the harbor now in use.
“I’d like to thank all the harbor patrons who were displaced for the last year and a half, for having patience with our construction crew,” Trucano said. “It’ll be nice to be back now.”
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at alex.mccarthy@juneauempire.com or 523-2271.
Sen. Dennis Egan cracks a joke during the Mike Pusich Douglas Harbor ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday as Port Director Carl Uchytil watches. The city completed renovations on the harbor this spring, which now carries the name of the former Douglas mayor who first advocated for the harbor. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)
