Borough plans to sell 8 lots
Eight properties in the Haines Borough will soon be available for purchase through a sealed competitive bid process. On Tuesday, the Haines Borough Assembly authorized interim manager Alekka Fullerton to move forward with the plan.
The eight lots include three at Chilkat Lake, three at Chilkat Acres in Swanson Harbor, one at Excursion Inlet and the borough’s old Human Resources Building. Minimum bids will be 50% of the lots’ assessed values, ranging from $400 for the remote lots at Chilkat Acres to $73,500 for the human resources building lot.
Each lot will be awarded to the highest bidder. In the event of a tie, the winner will be chosen by drawing a name from a container and $1 will be added to their bid, according to borough code. Sealed bids must be accompanied by a deposit worth 5% for the bid.
Pool manager resigns
Pool manager RaeAnn Miner will not be returning when the pool reopens later this year. Under the budget approved by the assembly in June, the facility will open in September and operate through the following May. Staff were laid off during the summer closure.
“We will be advertising for a pool manager shortly,” interim manager Alekka Fullerton said at Tuesday’s assembly meeting. In an interview Wednesday, Fullerton said the timeline for the hire is this week.
Miner did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
In addition to hiring a new pool manager, the borough is taking other steps to reopen the facility, which closed in March, initially due to pandemic concerns. At the time of the closure, the pool was drained to save costs and allow for repairs.
Fullerton said the pool has been re-filled and is currently being heated. The borough is working on a COVID-19 mitigation plan for the facility.
Assembly approves online-only meetings
The Haines Borough will hold Zoom-only assembly meetings for the foreseeable future.
Assembly members agreed that the all-Zoom trial run at the July 28 meeting went better than expected.
Interim manager and borough clerk Alekka Fullerton said the feedback she received was that the public could hear the assembly better with everyone participating via Zoom and each assembly member speaking into their own computer microphone.
Prior to July 28, as a COVID-19 mitigation measure, assembly meetings had been limited to 10 in-person participants, including assembly members and borough staff, with online participation available to everyone else via Zoom.
Although the assembly supported the decision to continue with online meetings, several lamented the loss of in-person interactions and the inability to read other members’ body language.
Members decided to allow committee meetings to be held via Zoom at the discretion of individual chairs.