Owners of junk cars may soon have a new place to dump their vehicles.
The planning commission on July 14 approved the second stage of a plan for a scrapyard that would open on four acres of state-owned land across from the Lutak Dock.
“It’s great for town,” planning commissioner Justin Mitman said. “What’s not to like?”
Haines Borough public facilities director Ed Coffland said the borough is still awaiting state approval to lease or buy the lot, but he is hopeful that word will come in the next few weeks. Once the state signs on, Coffland thinks the facility could be ready to begin operation in a month or two. Coffland and his team have already secured $150,000 for site preparation, which will include drainage work, fence installation, clearing and grubbing.
The lot has been used as a gravel pit in the past but has been out of commission for several years.
Coffland, who last winter submitted a request to use the lot as a scrapyard, hopes the state will give it to the borough for free. Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Lorraine Henry said the land is owned by DNR but has been managed by the Department of Transportation since 1969 through an interagency land management agreement.
The need for a scrapyard is pressing, Coffland said: “We’re finding it more and more difficult to get anyone to come to Haines and take the cars away.”
Barge companies have sent ships to Haines no more than once or twice a year to collect junk vehicles and other scrap metal. When a barge wasn’t available, the borough historically would ship cars out on Alaska Marine Lines to sell at a salvage yard in Washington, but “it’s not a money-making deal,” Coffland told the CVN last October.
The last barge came about a year ago, but there’s no regular schedule for scrap metal removal. While the yard won’t change the number of vessels willing to take junk cars, its location is a major perk: the proximity to the Lutak Dock means that loading would be faster. “A barge is not going to wait for you to bring 300 cars out (from town),” Coffland said.
He also hopes that the new scrapyard will free up space and time for the public works department. For the past few years the department has been accepting junk cars for $50, processing them and storing them in its yard.
Processing – which includes removing tires, draining fluids and crushing cars — is a long and involved process, and Coffland said it was taking up too much employee time. “It’s just not a workable solution for us,” he said.
The new scrapyard will accept cars for free, but they will have to come already processed. Coffland doesn’t think this will pose much of a barrier for the average Haines resident. He said many people can process their own old cars.
Brian Clay at Bigfoot, which used to accept junk cars for a fee, said the business no longer processes cars there and he doesn’t anticipate starting up again. “It’s really not worth our time and effort,” he said.