Assembly rejects boat storage at harbor lot
The borough assembly voted unanimously to ask the Alaska Department of Transportation and Alaska State Troopers to initiate speed studies on two sections of state-owned roads after Cathedral View Drive residents petitioned the assembly to lower speed limits near their neighborhood.
Two residents asked the borough to address reducing the speed limit on Haines Highway from 55- to 35-miles-per-hour from Piedad Road to Cathedral View Road, where a number of houses have been built since the speed limit was first established.
“The speed limit of 55 miles per hour probably wasn’t an issue years ago before urban sprawl and residential expansion on the Haines Highway,” Cathedral View Drive resident Suzy Waterhouse wrote to Mayor Douglas Olerud.
Area resident Vince Hansen also petitioned the borough to reach out to the state to lower the speed limit.
Assembly member Cheryl Stickler said that if staff reached out to the state about reducing the speed on Haines Highway, they should also ask the state to consider Lutak Road as well.
“There are neighborhoods in that area by Picture Point as well where the speed limit is higher than thirty-five,” Stickler said. “We have children entering the road in that area. We have AML trucks barreling past. It really does need to be looked at in the Lutak area as well.”
The stretch of Lutak Road from Picture Point to just beyond the tank farm also has a 55-mile-per hour speed limit.
In other news, the assembly voted 5-1 against a ports and harbors advisory committee recommendation to store commercial boats at the newly constructed Portage Cove Harbor parking lot.
Most of the assembly members voted against the proposal because they were concerned that storing vessels would interfere with private industry. Others cited concerns over potential spills and work-related debris in a parking lot that wasn’t designed for such activity.
“I’m a little torn on the issue,” harbormaster Sean Bell told the assembly. “Those concerns, they can be mitigated. Ruts, pavement damage, you can work to spread the load out to minimize that. You can limit the storage season.”
“I haven’t heard anything that leads me to believe I want to vote for this,” Rogers said. “We don’t want to compete with private businesses.”
Although Gabe Thomas suggested tabling the issue to see if there was substantial interest from vessel owners, he ultimately voted for the proposal.
“I’m going to vote yes just because,” he said. “They’re fishermen. I’ve got to.”