Alaska Legislature.
Borough manager Robert Venables said items were drawn from a six-year
capital improvements plan and not listed in order of priority, but represented projects
that were timely, with a range of costs. "We’re not expecting money for
everything on our list; this is just a list of things that are important."
Presenting the Legislature with projects of varying costs sometimes
makes it easier to get funding, Venables said. "Sometimes they find little pockets of
money."
The borough broke down swimming pool repairs into three parts: $85,000
to replace gutters and circulation pipes, $195,000 to renovate shower rooms, lockers and
floor drains and $95,000 to replace lighting.
Most of the money for dock repairs would go to repair the original
trestle, a section that didn’t see work when the dock was extended in 1994. According
to an assessment conducted in May, a number of lateral support braces are rotten or
missing. Pile cap ends, which attach the pilings to the deck surface with a steel pin,
are split and deteriorating.
The inspection revealed fungal growth on stringers and pile caps,
indicating original creosote coating is no longer protecting wood. Also, the ground
beneath the trestle is settling for unknown reasons and warrants monitoring, said
engineers who estimated $647,900 for trestle repairs.
An additional $85,000 was recommended to upgrade what the report calls
"original design details and construction deficiencies that present potential safety
concerns," of the newer section of dock.
A new dispatch console for the Haines Borough Police Department’s
emergency dispatch would cost $150,000. "The dispatch console is old. The police
department wants to replace it so it is E-911 compatible," Venables said. The console
will help emergency responders pinpoint a caller’s location.
Local telephone company manager Bruce Messerschmidt said the new
console would give police and fire departments a quicker response time. "E-911, or
Enhanced-911, updates the phone numbers in the database and can give police the direction
to a house."
The new console also would cut down the number of unidentified 911
calls. Police must call a phone company employee when they receive unidentified 911 calls,
and after business hours that often causes delays.
Other funding options on the legislative priority list this session are
$400,000 for replacing a sewer main between Beach Road and the treatment plant, $1,086,000
for local road construction and $185,000 for roads outside the town site, $65,000 for
sidewalk repairs, $140,000 for a new backhoe, $870,000 to retire the debt incurred in
improving the Port Chilkoot Dock, and $85,000 for an emergency exit ramp and a new sound
system at the Chilkat Center.
Development of downtown borough properties, including the old schools,
was listed for $50,000, and $35,000 would buy an emergency generator at the water
treatment plant.
The borough listed the development of a Haines senior assisted living
center, continued development of the American Bald Eagle Foundation, and the restoration
of the Port Chilkoot fire hall and barracks buildings as priorities without price tags.
Venables said the borough wasn’t requesting specific amounts of
money for these projects, but said putting them on the priority list showed the
borough’s "conceptual support." The gesture of support had helped bolster
the fundraising efforts of organizations in the past.
