I spend a lot of time in the harbor, and often I see tourists hanging around looking at the boats. Usually there are more tourists around the harbor than there are at Lookout Park. In the current debate about the harbor expansion, people seem to think of the harbor as a blot on the landscape that visitors to Haines will be horrified by, and that’s not true. Harbors are interesting places and people like them.    

There are also a lot of tourists who come into Haines in boats, and there would be a lot more if there was any space for them to tie up. The harbor is an asset for the town’s tourist economy, not just the fishing economy.

I also think the new breakwater’s lack of aesthetic appeal has been blown out of proportion. It won’t be any bigger or taller than the existing rubble breakwater, and in 30 years I have heard no one complain about that being ugly.

Rafe McGuire

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