The Haines Borough Port and Harbor Advisory Committee (PHAC) is recommending the assembly abandon current Lutak Dock plans and pursue funding for a new, phased approach to dock construction.
“If we can piecemeal this, it’s like eating an elephant, you take a chunk at a time and not a very big chunk, we’ll just put ourselves closer and closer to the end product that we want to produce for the growth and betterment of the commerce for our community and the interior,” PHAC chair Terry Pardee said at a May 27 meeting.
The old proposal, known as “1A,” which involved demolition of the existing dock face and recapturing the current footprint, was estimated to cost roughly $42 million. The borough has been pursuing grants for the project for several years without success.
The new plan for dock renovations is a phased approach, developed with help from R&M Consultants. Phase one, estimated to cost $7 million, involves filling in tidelands adjacent to the existing dock, next to the new freight ramp Alaska Marine Lines (AML) completed last year. In past interviews, interim manager Alekka Fullerton said phase one, alone, would result in a usable dock.
Subsequent phases of Lutak Dock renovations could include refurbishing the existing dock face and recapturing additional tidelands in front of the parking lot for the state ferry terminal. The total cost, including phase one, is an estimated $26 million.
If the assembly supports the PHAC recommendation, borough staff will pursue grants for the project this summer, including the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant (previously called BUILD and TIGER grants) and the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grant. The borough has applied for BUILD and TIGER grants for Lutak Dock in the past without success.
“The RAISE grant is very, very competitive. It’s about a six percent chance of getting awarded in the past two years. The PIDP, while it’s smaller, is a little more attainable as in a twenty-eight percent success rate, so I think we just apply to both,” borough grants administrator Carolann Wooton said.
The RAISE grant would likely cover the first two phases of Lutak Dock renovations, according to harbormaster Shawn Bell. The PIDP is a much smaller grant that could help the borough with the first phase of dock renovations.
“The max (PIDP) grant in the past is only $4.14 million… That grant is more oriented toward smaller port infrastructure, what we are,” Bell said. The borough currently has $2 million in the Lutak Dock fund that could supplement grants.
In addition to opening up funding options, the phased approach allows the borough to delay decisions about future dock uses, as noted by Haines Chamber of Commerce director Tracey Harmon at the May 27 meeting.
“What I like about what you guys are doing here is you’re separating out the non-controversial parts of expanding this dock. I don’t see what could be controversial about filling these uplands and making it more stable for AML, Delta Western and potentially other user groups… I think that’s smart,” Harmon said. “I think the conversations (about other dock uses) can come later.”
Lutak Dock renovations have been a subject of controversy, particularly the idea of partnering with the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) to rebuild the dock face, which would likely involve construction of an ore terminal.
The prospect of an ore terminal has raised environmental and health concerns for some residents who say there’s no need to seek AIDEA funding for a new dock face since AML’s completion of a freight ramp in 2020 ensures Haines’ supply chain will remain intact.
For others, more extensive dock repairs are key to expanding economic opportunity for Haines.
“If we’re trying to make this dock more feasible, the way it is now, we don’t have anything that industry can use, and if we’re building this stuff for twenty to thirty years down the road, what do we need to think about?” PHAC member Don Turner Jr. said, stating a preference that dock renovations include at least 100 feet of dock face.
This month, the borough will host a series of town hall meetings about the future of the dock. A June 3 meeting will solicit public input on the first phase of dock renovations in preparation for applying for grants this summer. On June 24, the borough will solicit feedback on the overall plan for the dock and potential future uses like an ore terminal.