By Jessica Edwards
Haines Borough Mayor Fred Shields broke a 3-3 tie Tuesday to retain
borough ownership of the former primary school.
Also, at a joint meeting of the assembly and the school board, borough
staff reported contractors saved enough money to fund more than $400,000 in school capital
improvements.
Deborah Vogt made a motion to remove the primary school property from
an ordinance authorizing the sale of other borough properties. Assembly members Steve Vick
and Norm Smith voted with Vogt in favor of the amendment; assembly members Doug Olerud,
Pete Lapham, and Jerry Lapp were opposed.
Following the vote, Lapham asked about the status of decision-making
about the primary school property. "So where is this now? Is it just back in
limbo?"
"I pulled it out, so a plan could be come up with," Shields
said, adding, "If there is no plan forthcoming, then I think the property should be
sold."
Vogt said she would like to see borough facility needs inventoried and
a master plan made for the area before any further decisions. She said creating the plan
was beyond the function of the assembly or of the planning commission, but would require a
request for proposals or "some sort of staff work."
"I would ask the manager to investigate what it would take to come
up with a plan for the downtown corridor," she said.
"To put prime real estate into government offices or schools or
parks…seems stupid to me," said Olerud. "There’s other development
that could generate a lot more revenue to the borough."
Smith said selling the property would represent only a short-term gain.
"Main Street property values are not going down."
Lapp asked if the borough was going to hold the building until it fell
down like the A&P.
During the joint meeting of the assembly and school board, borough
staffer Debra Schnabel said that money for capital improvements at the school, in an
as-yet uncertain amount, was available as a result of contractor savings. "(Dawson
Construction) has informed us that residual accounts…exceeds $500,000 but not $1
million."
The funds will allow an estimated $421,800 in capital improvements,
including replacement of the aging utilidor and sprinkler systems, extending the public
announcement system, adding acoustic paneling for the gym and wainscoting throughout the
school, and addressing the siding and accessibility of the vocational education building.
Shields also said the borough may be able to meet up to half the amount
of the school’s lost secure schools funding.
