In your article describing opposition to the harbor project (8/4/16), I was identified as the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce. In that position, I am responsible to the chamber board of directors and the membership, and I am careful to identify when I represent the chamber. My quoted statement was obviously personal. I do not use my position to advance my opposition to the harbor design.
My opposition to the harbor expansion design has been public since 2014 when, as a member of the Haines Borough Assembly, I opposed it. My initial opposition was based in my belief that the maintenance costs of this design would be too high and its impact on public lands too imposing. As I observe the estimated project costs growing from $27 million to $37.5 million and the estimated completion date moving from 2017 to beyond 2023, I am increasingly opposed. I want the project reset to a design that satisfies the community, that we can afford and complete in the nearer future.
In my tenure with the chamber, the board of directors has been supportive of the harbor expansion project, as I am, but neither the design nor financial issues have been scrutinized. My opposition to this design is my own creation.
Debra Schnabel