01/23/2024 01:30 PM Senate TRANSPORTATION

         SB 141-NAMING RAYMOND & ESTHER CONQUEST BRIDGE                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:33:09 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAUFMAN announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 141                                                                
"An Act naming the Raymond and Esther Conquest Bridge."                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:33:32 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAUFMAN  announced that  members will begin  by taking  up a                                                              
CS for SB 141 for a minor technical clerical change.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:33:40 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAUFMAN solicited a motion.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:33:45 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  MYERS moved  to  adopt the  committee  substitute for  SB
, work order 33-LS0717\B, as the working document.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:33:58 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAUFMAN objected for purposes of discussion.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:34:08 PM                                                                                                                    
EMMA  TORKELSON,  Transportation  Committee  Aide,  Senator  James                                                              
Kaufman, Alaska  State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska,  explained the                                                              
summary of changes for SB 141:                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
         SB 141 Explanation of Changes, Version A to B                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
         "An Act naming the Raymond and Esther Conquest                                                                       
                            Bridge."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1. Page 1, Line 4: Corrects the bridge number                                                                    
       being designated the Raymond and Easther Conquest                                                                        
     Bridge from "1802" to "1902."                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:34:37 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAUFMAN  withdrew his objection  for adopting the CS  for SB
, work order 33-LS0717\B, as the working document.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:34:42 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAUFMAN  found no further  objection and SB 141,  work order                                                              
33-LS0717\B was adopted.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:35:09 PM                                                                                                                    
SAM  GREELY, Staff,  Senator  Hoffman, Alaska  State  Legislature,                                                              
Juneau, Alaska, read the sectional analysis:                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                       Sectional Analysis                                                                                       
                        SB 141 version B                                                                                        
         "An Act naming the Raymond and Esther Conquest                                                                         
                            Bridge."                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Section I AS 35.40.390.                                                                                              
     AS 35.40 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
          Sec.   35.40.390.  Raymond   and  Esther   Conquest                                                                 
     Bridge. Bridge  number 1902 over the Wood  River between                                                                 
     Dillingham  and  Aleknagik  is  named  the  Raymond  and                                                                   
     Esther Conquest Bridge                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:35:55 PM                                                                                                                    
MR. GREELY paraphrased the sponsor statement for SB 141:                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                       Sponsor Statement                                                                                        
           SB 141 Raymond and Esther Conquest Bridge                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Senate  Bill  141  renames Bridge  1902,  the  Aleknagik                                                                   
     Wood  River Bridge to  the Raymond  and Esther  Conquest                                                                   
     Bridge.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     On March  22 2023,  the Aleknagik  City Council and  the                                                                   
     Aleknagik   Traditional   council    adopted   a   joint                                                                   
     resolution  23-02,  requesting  the  Legislature  change                                                                   
     the name  of the  Wood River Bridge  to the Raymond  and                                                                   
     Esther Conquest Bridge.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     Raymond  Conquest was  born in a  little village  called                                                                   
     Apqa, in  the Bethel region.  His mother passed  when he                                                                   
     was a  young child. He was  raised by an  elderly couple                                                                   
     and later  ended up  in the  Catholic orphanage at  Holy                                                                   
     Cross. He  ran away at  the age of 11  and at age  13 or                                                                   
     14,  caught  a  steamship  from  Bethel  to  Dillingham.                                                                   
     Raymond  was  a hard  worker  and  lived in  a  one-room                                                                   
     shack  with friends.  Later, Raymond  was employed as  a                                                                   
     heavy  equipment  operator   for  the  State  of  Alaska                                                                   
     Department  of  Transporation and  Building  Facilities,                                                                   
     building  a State highway  from Dillingham to  Aleknagik                                                                   
     named  the Lake Aleknagik  Road. The  highway is  better                                                                   
     known as the Gateway to Wood Tikchik State Park.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Raymond later  worked as a caretaker at the  Nerka Lodge                                                                   
     known as the  Second Lake. During that time,  he met his                                                                   
     wife Esther,  who would assist  him with caretaking  the                                                                   
     lodge.   Raymond's  next  venture   was  in   commercial                                                                   
     fishing. He  purchased the  "Ricky T" and shortly  after                                                                   
     purchase a second  boat the "Gypsy". Raymond  and Esther                                                                   
     would  fish  full  seasons   starting  in  Nushagak  and                                                                   
     Kwichak, and  would later in season transfer  to Togiak.                                                                   
     Raymond was  also an avid hunter and trapper,  after the                                                                   
     fishing  season the  two would  hunt for  moose. In  the                                                                   
     spring  Raymond   would  snare  squirrels.   Esther  was                                                                   
     famous for her  parkas and dolls. She was  well known in                                                                   
     the Bristol Bay Region for her craft.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Esther  and Raymond  showed kindness  and generosity  to                                                                   
     all. They  are remembered  for transporting hundreds  of                                                                   
     people back  and forth from Aleknagik to  Dillingham. If                                                                   
     there  was an  emergency, it  was  always the  Conquests                                                                   
     taking  people  to  the  hospital any  time  of  day  or                                                                   
     night.  In  the tragic  case  of  a  loss of  life,  the                                                                   
     Conquests   were  there  to   comfort  people   and  buy                                                                   
     groceries for  them for weeks in times of  need. Raymond                                                                   
     was instrumental  and played a very big  part in getting                                                                   
     the  Aleknagik Wood  River  Bridge complete  in  October                                                                   
     2015.  Raymond was quoted  as saying  "I will fight  for                                                                   
     that bridge  until I die". During the City  of Aleknagik                                                                   
     2015 Bridge  Ceremony, Raymond was honored by  being the                                                                   
     first  one to  cross the bridge  in his  old blue  Chevy                                                                   
     truck.                                                                                                                     
     Raymond  and   Esther's  presence  forever   shaped  the                                                                   
     community of Aleknagik.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     Please  join me in  supporting Senate  Bill 141,  naming                                                                   
     the Raymond and Esther Conquest Bridge.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:37:27 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAUFMAN noted that the committee had no questions for Mr.                                                                 
Greely.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:37:35 PM                                                                                                                    
At ease                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:37:49 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAUFMAN reconvened the meeting and set an amendment                                                                       
deadline for SB 141 on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:38:16 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAUFMAN held SB 141 in committee.