Am I the only person in Haines that feels resentment about the huge increase in cruise ship visits without a corresponding increase in infrastructure? It is routine on ship days to have calls dropped, or be completely unable to make calls. While a ship is in, the internet has two speeds—very slow and stopped. I feel like a child who gets sent to bed without supper when the family has dinner guests because there’s not enough food to feed both the children and the guests.
Is anyone looking into a solution? Maybe our Mayor could spend some time trying to solve this instead of being the official “Walmart greeter” of Haines. Is it true that the ships have their own dishes which jam our local towers? If true, couldn’t the ships be required to shut them down while in port? Or would that even help? I haven’t heard that Skagway or Juneau has these problems. The FCC won’t let me operate a cellphone jammer in a public place. But as Bob Dylan said, “Money doesn’t talk, it swears.” I can ignore the other minor inconveniences, but the telecommunications situation is so irritating that I cannot support current levels of ship visits. I really hope that the cellphone issue doesn’t affect the 911 system.
I realize local artists and merchants profit from the additional visitations. Tourism is fine, but not when it comes with a major decline in the quality of life of residents.
Rob Miller, Beach Road, Haines