More than 90 people gathered in the Chilkat Center Friday to listen to New York-based architects present their plan for the Portage Cove waterfront trail.

They intend to build on an existing trail design in a multi-stakeholder partnership headed by the Haines Borough.

In December, the borough assembly contracted Juneau-based engineering firm proHNS to design a waterfront trail, due for completion Sept. 30.

The Chilkoot Indian Association will then use proHNS’ designs to construct the trail with federal grant money.

In May, the Alaska Arts Confluence involved the nationally recognized landscape architecture firm, James Corner Field Operations, with an $86,106 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

James Corner Field Operations principal Tatiana Choulika and associate, Colin Curley traveled to Haines in May on a fact-finding trip, and again last week to present their findings.

“What we did is we took the plans of the trail that proHNS created and we started analyzing them,” Choulika said Friday.

The architects worked to find connection between fragmented pieces of the trail to create a path from Picture Point to Portage Cove campground.

ProHNS’ current designs connect the boat harbor to Portage Cove Campground. The only disconnected segment of the design is between Picture Point and the harbor, an area that intersects private property, said proHNS engineer Lucas Chambers.

“It’s very hard for somebody showing up to understand all that’s here, and this trail has the potential to open that up and create a guide to this place,” Choulika said. “What we worked on a lot is trying to find connections through and across, so somebody who comes off from the state ferry, for example, can leave their car (at Picture Point) and just walk across and discover Haines that way.”

The framework consists of eight connected areas with differing design plans inferred by the use, character, and history of each.

The areas included Picture Point, the former Chilkoot Indian Village on Front Street, downtown, the harbor, the recreational beach area, Fort Seward, the docks, and the Portage “connection to nature” area.

One of their ideas is to relocate the visitor’s center at the abandoned Delta Western structure at the Haines Highway cut off.

“One of the things we’ve heard is that the visitor’s center is in a location hard to identify,” Curley said. He said moving it next to Tlingit Park would “(create) a center of gravity at the midpoint between Fort Seward and downtown” with potential for parking, picnic benches and food trucks.

For now, James Corner Field Operations has completed their work in Haines.

The next step would be a conceptual design– “After that, once the community gets behind the design, then you develop drawings for construction and for communicating with the builders,” Choulika said.

“Right now, we’re just saying this is an idea of something that could happen here,” Curley said. “(The projects) could be phased over ten years; they could be singular.”

Carol Tuynman, Alaska Arts Confluence director, said they will pursue funding opportunity. “We will continue developing support, especially applying for creative placemaking grants,” she said. She estimates the project would take 10 years to complete.

Twenty-nine people filled out anonymous surveys on the framework plan Friday. In rating their level of enthusiasm from one to 10, 19 people answered “very high,” three people answered “very low,” and seven answered between five and eight.

In response to a question whether or not residents think this kind of planning is important, a low reviewer wrote “this is way too much!! Overkill! Why not have natural trails-too much fluff!”

A high reviewer commented “These designers ‘get’ our town. I have faith in their designs.”

Attendee and Haines Economic Developing Corporation member Greg Schlachter said that having an outsider’s perspective is a unique advantage. “It’s interesting to see what we all take for granted on the waterfront,” Schlachter said. “It’s unique to have a little bit of planning and future brainstorming in the eyes of a visitor rather than folks who live here, especially for something that will be for both visitors and locals.”

To submit feedback and input on the project, residents can email Alaskaartsconfluence.org, direct comments to the borough, or join a “Friends of Portage Cove” Facebook group. Tuynman encourages attendees of Friday’s presentation that haven’t submitted a survey to drop by the Arts Confluence to fill one out.

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