When Scott Haston, a 1980 Haines High School graduate, returned to town this May after 35 years away, his first reaction was, “Everywhere you look, there’s a ‘For Sale’ sign.”

Walking down Main Street and its transecting avenues, it’s easy to see how Haston got that impression. More than half a dozen downtown businesses are for sale, with others scattered around Fort Seward and out Haines Highway.

A recent survey administered through the Haines Chamber…