Haines Huts, under the Haines Alpine Touring Society, is one step closer to obtaining land to build a travelers’ cabin and may ask for borough support in the future.
Lindsay Johnson and Jessica Kayser-Forster updated the Haines Borough Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee May 23 on the project’s progress.
Johnson said the organization chose land for the hut beyond Chilly Ridge near Tukgahgo Mountain, accessible by the 7 Mile Saddle trail.
“It’s up on a perch with great views of Haines and the canal,” Johnson said.
Haines Huts worked with Manuel Rogers, Larry Larson and Terra Construction and Design in Gustavus to create a conceptual design for the hut, which will be a roughly 500-square foot cabin. Kayser-Forster said the team worked on a plan that would allow for materials to be transported by helicopter and assembled on site.
The hut will cost between $40,000 and $70,000 to build, which Johnson said will be done mostly through a targeted fundraising campaign. The money will also pay for a camera system for offsite monitoring of the property to deter vandalism and catch maintenance issues. Haines Huts has raised about $1,200 over the past several years.
“We’re really hoping to build an aesthetic structure that people will take care of and be proud of and want to seek out,” Johnson said. The hut will be available for locals to rent for a reservation fee.
Haines Huts has applied for a land-use application through the Department of Natural Resources but is now waiting on its federal nonprofit status to be approved before applying for a charitable lease for the land. Johnson said it can take up to a year for DNR to approve a lease.
Johnson said she “might be able to gather the troops and do a solid effort for fundraising,” once the organization knows more about the status of its application in the fall.
Once Haines Huts applies for a lease, they may ask the borough for a letter of support to send to DNR. “DNR might be looking to local stakeholders that support the lease,” Kayser-Forster said.
Committee member George Figdor asked about the possibility of planning for a future hut system, and Kayser-Forster said this first hut will be a test.
“This is a push for local access to our frontcountry for hunting and exploration and education, so I think it’s going to be a community wide effort for a hut system,” she said.