Thanks to the Haines Chamber Economic Development Committee for your dedication assessing our borough’s current strengths and weaknesses! Your commitment and concern for the economic welfare of all Haines residents is sincerely appreciated. You recognized that without a solid, strong and diversified economy, our community will no longer be able to support the local infrastructure and amenities we have all grown to appreciate.
You have dedicated many hours researching, evaluating and discussing our current and potential future for Haines from an honest, non-biased and no-nonsense perspective. These discussions have identified the negative and positive assets of our local business climate which then should enable our borough assembly to plan and take action ensuring our community’s economic future.
It is now their choice to ignore or accept these assessments and incorporate them into their outdated master plan. Federal, state, and private grants that have paid for most of our essential community service improvements and social programs may become difficult to sustain based on our national debt and Alaska’s declining oil production.
Personal thanks to committee members Annette Smith, Bill Rostad, Doug Olerud, Jim Carnahan, Joan Carlson, Judith McDermaid, Ken Waldo, Lenise Henderson, Randy Szymanski, Robert Venables, Roger Maynard and Royal Henderson.
Joe Poor