City of Valdez, Alaska - Government

06/17/2026

⚠️Emergency Management PSA ⚠️
The Valdez Glacier has changed ... and not in ways that make it safer.
Since 2020, the glacier has been collapsing into a subglacial river along its eastern terminus. That means hidden crevasses, thinning ice, and caverns you won't see until you're on top of them - and then it may be too late.

If you're heading out:
• Bring self-rescue gear and know how to use it.
• Don't go alone.
• Leave a trip plan with someone who will follow up if you don't return.

It's still an incredible place. Just treat it like the serious glacier it is. 🏔️

Read the PSA: https://bit.ly/ValdezGlacierPSA
View the City's Hazards webpage: www.valdezak.gov/Hazards

06/17/2026

📅 Holiday Office Closure Notice - Friday, June 19
City offices and facilities will be closed on June 19 in observance of Juneteenth.
Essential services (Police & Fire/EMS) will remain on duty, and residential trash collection will continue.

06/16/2026

🚧CONSTRUCTION CORNER 🚧
Two capital projects got underway on Monday, June 15: the Meals Ave Repaving Project (which includes Robe River Dr) and the installation of Well House #5.
🛣️Meals Ave Repaving Project - starting June 15, crews have begun to tear up Robe River Drive from the VHS crosswalk east towards Meals Ave. Robe River Dr is closed, except to local traffic. Please follow traffic control signs and flaggers. Area homeowners will continue to have access to their homes and driveways during construction. Detailed project updates are available at www.valdezak.gov/repaving.

🚰Well House #5 - construction on a new well house has begun next to the Valdez City School District Office. This project is slated to continue throughout the summer. No impact to traffic or school routes is expected. The new well will provide an upgrade to meet the community's water infrastructure needs. If you have any questions on this project, please contact Project Manager Scott Benda at 907-835-5478, ext. 4.

06/15/2026

📢EARLY CLOSURE TODAY - 3 PM📢
City Hall Offices (including Community Development) will close early today, Monday, June 15, at 3:00 PM. Offices will resume regular business hours on Tuesday, June 16.

06/14/2026

🚧 Construction crews are now onsite and gearing up to begin work on Monday, June 15, for the Meals Ave Repaving Project. Work this week will start on Robe River Drive with the first section tearing up and repaving 200-300' from the VHS crosswalk east towards Meals.

❓ Want more details on the scope of this project? Visit www.valdezak.gov/repaving for updates and info.

06/13/2026

There is still more 🎉 celebration 🎉 to be had today for the City's 125th Birthday Celebration!! Join Sound Mental Health this afternoon (4-6pm) at the Valdez Senior Center, Inc. for Puzzle Wars and end the evening at The Valdez Potato for Trivia Night (7-9PM)!!

🧩 TODAY'S THE DAY! 🧩

Puzzle Wars is happening TODAY and we can't wait to see everyone there! 🎉
We've already got some great teams signed up, but we still have a few spots available if you'd like to join the fun.

📅 Today, June 13
⏰ 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
📍 Valdez Senior Center
👥 Teams of 4

In celebration of Valdez's 125th Birthday, come enjoy an afternoon of:
✨ Friendly competition
✨ Community connection
✨ Lots of laughs
✨ Puzzle-induced teamwork (and maybe a little chaos 😂)

Whether you're in it to win it or just looking for a fun way to spend your Saturday with friends and neighbors, we'd love to have you there!

See you soon, Valdez! ❤️🧩

06/13/2026

📸 Can you spot yourself in the 2026 Town Photo? 👀

Here's a sneak peek at one version of this historic photo from last night, as we celebrated 125 years of Valdez together! From longtime residents to first-time visitors, hundreds of smiling faces came together to help capture this moment in our community's story. (Special credit to whoever can count how many people are in this photo!)

The full collection of 2026 Town Photo images will be available for free download at www.valdezak.gov by June 19. *The photo here is the preliminary iPhone picture, not the “official" photo*

Stay tuned... we can't wait to share the final photos and videos with you. 📷✨

📸Thank you to Matthew Osburn, photographer extraordinaire and our IT guru, for taking the 2026 Town Photo!

*Edited 6/13/26 11:28AM with a clarification of photo description.*

06/11/2026

Thank you to everyone who participated in last week's FlashVote on Council Priorities! Taking just a short time out of your day to provide feedback is extremely important and will help shape the Council's future priorities.
🗳️View the full results: www.valdezak.gov/FlashVote

🤔WHAT WE ARE DOING WITH THESE RESULTS:
City leadership and City Council will be conducting their annual strategic planning sessions June 16-19. The results of this survey will be discussed during these sessions to help Council identify and prioritize the greatest needs facing Valdez in the coming year.

👀Look for future FlashVote surveys as we drill down for further feedback on specific high-priority responses.