As a next step toward power restoration on Beach Road, the Haines Borough has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for excavation down to the old road surface. AP&T will host a meeting with neighborhood residents on June 10 to begin planning the project.
Houses at the end of Beach Road have been without road access and power since a Dec. 2 landslide tore through the neighborhood, destroying several homes and killing two people. Geologic stability concerns, lack of power and limited road access have been the primary obstacles for residents wishing to return home.
In late May, improvements brought the neighborhood’s temporary access road to a point where ambulances and fire trucks could cross, a prerequisite for restoring power, according AP&T officials. But other obstacles remained, including signage posted at the entrance to the neighborhood stating that the “area is geologically unstable and dangerous.”
“(The) sign still states ‘area is dangerous,’” AP&T Haines power operations manager Lance Caldwell said in an email to Beach Road residents on June 4, explaining why the company hasn’t begun installing power.
Over the weekend, the borough took down the old sign, replacing it with a new one that says, “Caution. Landslide area. Temporary one-lane road. Motorized access open for Beach Road residents and essential service providers only.”
Caldwell said after the signage changed, AP&T employees were cleared to enter the area to evaluate road access.
“All the recent documentation has been turned over to corporate for review as of (Monday),” he said.
While Caldwell waits for corporate approval to restore power, he is organizing a meeting with Beach Road residents to consider details including a safety plan, steps needed to restore power to individual homes, and best days and times for road closures.
Although AP&T is starting prep work, it’s unlikely power restoration will begin before the end of the month, according to Caldwell.
“(I) have heard the road is being returned to its original base soon. We will most likely not be putting power across the slide area until the road is taken down to its original base,” he said.
The borough’s RFP for Beach Road debris removal, which includes hauling the rock and soil to Community Waste Solutions landfill, has a June 22 response deadline.