The Haines Borough Assembly this week heard a proposal to move the Visitor Information Center from the aging log structure at Second Avenue near Willard Street.

Some borough officials say visitors might be better served by a room in the public library or museum. The assembly forwarded the question to its Tourism Advisory Board for further discussion.

Interim Borough Manager Brad Ryan said staff shared “considerable conversation” about what to do with the building, writing in his manager’s report that it is, “inefficient, in need of some serious repair and potentially not located in the best location for visitors.”

“It is somewhat timely in that both the library and the museum are exploring expansion options and, if a decision was made to pursue one of these locations, (a visitor facility) could be incorporated into the designs,” Ryan wrote in his monthly report to assembly members.

Assemblyman Mike Case disagreed, saying that ample parking, especially for large RVs at the visitor center’s current location makes it the most accessible.

“The location, to me, has always seemed to be a good one,” Case said. “Has there been any consideration of just taking that building down and putting a new one in there?”

Ryan advocated for moving the center near the library administration area, saying it could be a good fit as the library plans to expand to host more people in the building.

Assembly member Heather Lende, who serves as the assembly liaison to the library board, said the board is “interested in looking into the possibility” and working with the borough.

“To me, putting it in the library area is putting it on the back-burner for tourism,” assemblyman Tresham Gregg contended. “I would think twice about moving the visitor center,” he said, adding that many businesses that cater to tourists are centered around the current location.

Assembly members first discussed sending the issue to the planning commission, but the group voted 5 to 1 – with Case dissenting – for the Tourism Advisory Board to start discussion of moving the visitor center to the library, the museum or keeping it where it is.

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