The Haines Borough Assembly meeting on Tuesday kicked off with an exceptional amount of back-patting, including the presentation of a new award created by police chief Heath Scott.
Scott, who started on the job July 18, gave the first “Exceptional Service in Support of the Community Award” to Don Turner.
“I know I’m the new guy, but as the new guy, you can still represent the department well and endorse those pillars of the community that serve everyone. By setting a good example, they support the police agency,” Scott said.
“This is something we are going to do on a regular basis, picking out people that support the community, support good values, good decision-making and are a friend to all,” he added.
When asked after the meeting about the nomination process, Scott said, “Our nomination is open to everyone. Because we just began the Exceptional Service in Support of the Community Award, most of the nominations have come from borough employees. We have the next two selected and would love to pick up more support for the effort. Final selection is done by myself, the borough manager and the mayor.”
Scott said selections are made based on community members who “provide a good example of service to the borough. Service could be in the form of providing jobs, supporting local government, volunteering, etc.”
In addition to the new award, Mayor Jan Hill read a slew of proclamations praising borough employees. Retired public works director Ralph Borders received a proclamation for his 27 years of service, and Sgt. Josh Dryden also received one for his nine months as interim police chief.
Hill also applauded water/sewer personnel Scott Bradford, Ed Bryant and Dennis Durr for their “hard work” and “swift response” during the recent Lily Lake water line blockage and subsequent water shortage.
She also read aloud a letter penned by Jim Wilcox extolling the helpfulness and courteousness of harbormaster Shawn Bell and assistant harbormaster Gabe Thomas during Wilcox’s recent sailboat trip to the Small Boat Harbor.