Landscape architects for Corvus Design made their first recommendation for a Portage Cove trail and park Wednesday, based on five designs drawn up by citizens the previous three days.
The proposed one-and-a-half-mile mix of sidewalks, trails and paths would extend from Portage Cove Campground to Picture Point.
Landscape architect Chris Mertl said the route would not go through private property but his firm would like to hear from people who want to be “willing partners” in the project. The firm’s recommendations currently stay on Haines Borough property and rights-of-way.
The recommended route would follow a new Beach Road sidewalk from Portage Cove campground west to existing sidewalks, straddle the water side of the cruise ship parking lot, and at Portage Street connect with a parallel beach walk leading to an uplands park adjacent to the new harbor parking lot.
The route from Portage Cove includes a parallel beach walk starting at a cliffside lookout at the campground and leading to the cruise ship dock, sidestepping a short section of privately owned beach east of the dock.
From Harbor Park, a new sidewalk would extend along the water side of the harbor parking lot, connecting with existing harbor sidewalks. A route also would lead onto two rubble mound breakwaters, possibly extending a walkway onto the planned metal sea wall.
The route may include a trail fronting Roger Schnabel’s Front Street property, but otherwise would follow new sidewalks north to Lutak Road, where a beach trail would lead to Picture Point.
The recommendation includes “nodes” – widened areas for for interpretive elements to “tell a special story” to differentiate Haines from “any-town USA,” Mertl said. “Our waterfronts in Southeast really define who we are.”
Mertl suggested the community think out of the box for interpretive elements, saying static signs are just the beginning of options to highlight unique, or historic, facts about Haines and the waterfront.
He also suggested creating districts in the townsite, calling them a historic district, downtown district and waterfront district to allow for some continuity in signage and message.
Mertl briefly surveyed the crowd at Wednesday’s meeting on what theme they would prefer for the new Harbor Park. By a show of hands, a “working waterfront” or gathering space structure ranked above a Native culture theme or Mariner’s Memorial. Others thought those themes could be combined.
Mertl said this was the firm’s “first swing” based on what they heard from more than 50 community members who gave their input over two days. “This is not written in stone,” he said. “I think you’re making wise choices, I really do.”
Interim Borough Manager Brad Ryan encouraged meeting attendees to continue providing comments to him, Interim Public Facilities Director Shawn Bell and Corvus.
Corvus will visit Haines again in six to eight weeks with a more detailed plan of how the new trails, sidewalks and park would look and what kind of interpretation will be included.
The firm also will put up a website early next week with the designs, and opportunities for more comment.