The State of Alaska, which has abandoned Mosquito Lake campground, can’t fix the Chilkat State Park road, gave up on management of brown bears along the Chilkoot River and aggravated the situation there with a poorly designed, raised roadbed, now wants to end camping at Portage Cove campground, one of our town’s gems.
The State of Alaska has $80 billion in the bank but under the administration of Gov. Michael Dunleavy, it has its head so far up its own patootie it can no longer distinguish between its liabilities and its assets.
Ironically, the Haines Borough has taken over many of the state’s liabilities in recent years, including the 25 Mile bridge and small boat harbor.
With RVs and independent traffic to town surging, there’s too much at stake to continue down the path our state has led us down. It’s time for the borough to consider taking over some of the Haines assets that the state can’t or won’t maintain.
Here’s an idea for our local assembly members: Pass a resolution offering the State of Alaska $1 each for Portage Cove and Mosquito Lake campgrounds. Offer the folks at Mosquito Lake Community Center the revenues from the campground there in exchange for maintaining it. The borough’s public works department can keep up Portage Cove.
We’re a tourist town with fantastic parks. If the state can’t maintain those, the Haines Borough can and should. In revenues returned to Haines cash registers, local parks more than pay for themselves.
Tom Morphet