A task force will be created to tackle some summer transportation problems, such as finding rides for tourists with disabilities and people younger than 60.
That task force is expected to approach the Haines Borough Assembly about the issue. Several local groups discussed this idea on Oct. 25.
Members of the task force will include borough tourism director Leslie Ross, Margaret Sebens and Sierra Jimenez of Southeast Alaska independent Living, Cindy Jackson, manager of the Haines Senior Center, and Gail Fenumiai of Catholic Community Services.
Several people agreed at the meeting that the current transportation service for seniors – provided by the Haines Senior Center – has recently become more reliable. But Ross said nonexistent public transportation and no taxi service for people year-round below age 60 cause problems for everyone.
“This summer was pretty awful…It’s a huge need,” Ross said. “It’s very embarrassing to not have any options for people.”
The borough contracts with a local company to provide shuttle bus transportation every 15 minutes for tourists to and from Port Chilkoot Dock and other locations in the community on cruise ship days in the summer months. It is paid for by cruise ship passenger tax money. Those buses cannot accommodate people in wheelchairs.
Ross said people with disabilities aren’t getting off the cruise ships. Meanwhile, Haines is aiming to have three large cruise ships stop each week instead of one.
The Senior Center has two wheelchair accessible vans. But because they are funded through grants from the Alaska Department of Transportation, every rider has to fill out a registration form before he or she can get on.
Jackson said she is concerned about that paperwork if the center’s drivers were to give regular rides to and from the Port Chilkoot Dock. It may also take away from transportation for resident seniors.
Ross and others proposed giving the forms to the cruise ships so people with disabilities needing transportation can fill them out ahead of time to hand to the driver for possible on-demand pickup.
“I’m definitely willing to do what we can to get people into Haines,” Jackson said.
SAIL presented a proposal in search of DOT grant money to get a new accessible van to drive seniors to recreational activities. Plus, the borough could use the vehicle for summer transport. Fenumiai presented a Catholic Community Services request for money to continue after-hours transportation for seniors and rides for people with disabilities of all ages. The CCS grant will get priority for the grant money.
Fenumiai said the grant application is due to DOT on Dec. 16. Funding is expected to be awarded by March 2017.