The Haines Borough’s Parks and Recreation Committee is trying to pick up where the inactive Downtown Revitalization Committee left off by resurrecting plans to create a “town square” space at the corner of Third Avenue and Main Street.
Nearly two years ago, the downtown revitalization committee identified that corner lot as a “downtown green space” and approved a borough-conceived plan to spend $5,000 on a consulting firm to design a concept. Former executive assistant to the manager Darsie Culbeck later reported that plan was off the table.
The issue has been stagnant since, but was revived by the Parks and Rec committee during its January and February meetings.
“We thought it would be nice to have a town square in the downtown area, a place where people could hang out. Benches, picnic tables, maybe a covered storage area where people can park their bikes,” said committee member Thom Ely.
The area would also include a trail connecting the park to the school, a water fountain and some other amenities, he said.
One of the location’s strong points is its unobstructed view of the Chilkat range, which will attract tourists, Ely said.
Interim manager Brad Ryan said he supports preserving green space in the municipality. “I’m a fan of it. If the assembly supports it, I’d be into it for sure,” Ryan said.
The first step is determining whether that lot is zoned for recreation and, if not, getting that rezone through the Planning Commission, Ely said. From there it is site design and coming up with a funding plan.
“We’ll hopefully get some grants for some of the facilities. That’s the plan, to not just demand money from the borough,” Ely said.
The next Parks and Rec meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday at the library.