Haines Borough staff estimate that the phases one through three of the Lutak Dock renovation project will cost about $26 million — approximately $6 million more than the borough secured through a federal grant in November.

The grant alone likely is enough to cover most of the first two phases of the four-phase project, according to borough staff, but additional funds are needed for part of the second phase and all of the third phase, which is geared to make the dock more suitable for a variety of vessels and cargo.

The dock has been on the verge of failure for years. Having secured $20 million for the project in November through a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the borough has set aside $2.4 million from the enterprise fund and has requested $3.2 from the state.

While the borough assembly voted last week to support full funding for the project in board terms, there is question about how to proceed with budgeting and permitting — whether to separate the first two phases from the third phase or combine all three. The latter would be more expensive up front but would save money in the long run. On its own, phase three would cost about $5 million, harbormaster Shawn Bell said.

The first two phases would ensure the dock’s stability and functionality, according to borough staff. Those stages involve design and prep work, filling in tidelands next to the existing dock to create more space, demolishing the old dock face and constructing a bulkhead. The third phase would elevate the platform and dock.

In 2014, engineering firm PND conducted an in-depth study on the dock and found the facility had outlived its credible service life. The dock face closed in 2020 after Alaska Marine Lines (AML) completed construction of a new freight ramp to keep Haines’ supply chain intact.

In other ports and harbor news, harbormaster Bell said supply issues have left some uncertainty around how to replace the Small Boat Harbor gangway float, which was damaged in January. A major manufacturer in Washington state is either out of business or temporarily shut down, Bell said, and the creosote pilings needed to build the float as designed are currently unavailable. Bell said the borough is investigating other ways to source materials and might need to adjust its design.

Bell also said he has been in conversation with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game about using the harbor parking lot for commercial boat storage. There is concern that storage might impede sportfish use and violate terms of the agreement between the borough and state, which funded construction of the lot. At a Jan. 27 ports and harbors meeting Bell said the borough would allow long-term boat storage at Letnikof Cove and only short-term storage for immediate repairs at the harbor parking lot.

A Fish and Game representative told the CVN last month that commercial vessel storage—short-term or long-term—would be permissible in the harbor lot as long as it didn’t interfere with use of the lot by sport fishermen.

In other news, work will begin at the end of March or beginning of April to repair the Small Boat Harbor icehouse coils. The borough assembly approved spending $43,125 on the fix, which staff say is needed to provide ice for fishermen this summer.