The Haines Borough Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on Tuesday approving capital project and state funding priorities.
Completing improvements to the sewage treatment plant, securing moorage floats for the boat harbor expansion and re-building Second Avenue between Main Street and Mud Bay Road topped the list.
Debra Schnabel said that the list of six capital budget items was prioritized “as the staff sees the need.” The list will be used as reference for legislators and potentially bureaucrats interested in knowing Haines’ community planning, she said.
Public facilities director Brad Ryan said that the Lutak dock dropped in importance to the borough pending an arrangement where Alaska Marine Lines would lease part of the property the dock is on from the borough to build its own roll-on-roll-off dock.
Ryan said that the estimated $1.7 million capital improvement to the wastewater treatment facility phases would add a variable-speed pump, improving efficiency.
Assembly member Tom Morphet said his one concern with the list is the low ranking of American Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades to public buildings, listed under future funding priorities. The public safety building, Chilkat Center and Haines Sheldon Museum are all non-compliant with ADA standards.
“It doesn’t look particularly good for us or for our sensitivity towards people that might have handicaps,” Morphet said. Assembly member Stephanie Scott agreed with prioritizing ADA needs and making the list more topical instead of project-specific.
Ryan said that capital funding requirements call for a specific scope of work and budgets associated with them. “While I agree ADA issues are an important topic to address, I don’t think that (staff) can manipulate ‘ADA accessibility’ into a topic (the state’s criteria),” he said.
Currently, Ryan said that the Haines Sheldon Museum is the only non-compliant building with a scope of work attached to it.
Lende said she sees topical discussions more in the vein of strategic planning and long-term work and the listed projects “are things that we have got ready for (the legislature) to write a check for if the spirit moves them,” she said.
Assembly members Brenda Josephson and Sean Maidy agreed with the ordering of the list, though Maidy said perhaps more attention should be given to improving the fire hall replacement design, given the Dunleavy administration’s focus on public safety.
State priorities outlined by the staff include full funding for education, improved Alaska Marine Highway ferry service and funding of the Alaska State Troopers.