Haines Borough Mayor Stephanie Scott has won a temporary victory in the fight to retain overnight parking space for Haines residents at the ferry terminal.
Scott received an email Dec. 9 saying the borough’s request for a waiver of the ferry system’s no-overnight-parking policy has been granted for the time being.
Richard Leary, the ferry system’s business development and enterprise manager, said people can park overnight at the terminal until construction on the terminal and Lutak Dock is complete.
“At the conclusion of the construction project, AMHS will revisit this request, not necessarily for pursuing a yes/no decision to the request, but to ascertain whether the short-term solution is still the best policy,” Leary said.
Vehicles less than 25 feet long will be considered for overnight parking privileges for up to five days, Leary said. “Vehicles in excess of 25 feet will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but the probability of non-acceptance is greater,” he said.
Due to impending construction, terminal manager Fuzzy von Stauffenberg has the ability to determine parking capacities, vehicle limitations and parking locations, Leary added.
“Once the construction starts going, things may change, because I don’t know what it is going to look like… We may have to look at other places where people can park,” von Stauffenberg said.
People leaving their vehicles at the terminal should let terminal employees know they intend to leave their vehicles there, von Stauffenberg said. “This is the best solution we can come up with so we don’t have people leaving their cars here for months at a time,” she said.
The rebuilt terminal will be surrounded by a locked fence under Homeland Security regulations.
Public facilities director Carlos Jimenez said state work on the terminal is slated for next summer.
Scott has been wrestling with the issue since late March, when several residents complained they were told they couldn’t park their vehicles overnight at the terminal.
“Given that I do not anticipate that our needs will have changed post-construction, we will ask again for a waiver from the no overnight parking regulation,” Scott said.
The ban on overnight parking is the result of a systemwide crackdown to minimize liability and reduce the number of vehicles abandoned at terminals statewide.