The Haines Borough postponed a public hearing on the conditions for a controversial heliport permit near Little Salmon River as it waits for more information from agencies that permit building near salmon streams.
Residents of the area across the Klehini River at Mile 27 have raised concerns about potential noise from a proposed heliport, and say the borough didn’t follow code when it granted a conditional use permit to George and Lynette Campbell in May.
Residents also raised concerns that a log bridge the Campbells built over the Little Salmon was illegal because it was built over a salmon-bearing stream without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
In May, the borough planning commission gave a conditional use permit to the Campbells for a heliport on their general use zone property with some restrictions, including limiting when the helicopters could land and prohibiting building within 25 feet of salmon streams.
Read the conditions of the permit
After neighbors appealed the commission decisions, the assembly agreed to rehear conditions placed on the permit.
But hours before the scheduled meeting Tuesday, manager Annette Kreitzer wrote in an email that she was delaying the rehearing “for a variety of reasons,” including that the borough is waiting for a report from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game after it conducted a site visit last week.
The borough also is awaiting a decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which permits construction that affects wetlands and rivers.
“It looks like borough officials are trying to reshuffle the situation, maybe because they know the heliport CUP doesn’t meet borough law. The only way to make this situation meet borough law is to revoke the illegitimate permit,” said Nicholas Szatkowski, who appealed the borough’s permit.
“I commend the borough for making the call to do the right thing,” said George Campbell of the postponement. Campbell appealed a cease and desist letter the borough sent him in January. Campbell said the postponement is not expected to impact his plans for the heliport, since he has no immediate plan to fly helicopters.
Both the Army Corps and Fish and Game say that so far, the Campbells have been cooperative with their investigation into building over salmon streams. George Campbell applied for a building permit over the Little Salmon River in 2015, but at the time, Fish and Game staff told him he didn’t need a permit, said Greg Albrecht, a habitat biologist for Fish & Game.
Under new administration, the department said that Campbell will need a retroactive permit, but Albrecht doesn’t expect any fines since the construction didn’t appear to harm salmon habitat. The Army Corps said that it would also require an after-the-fact permit for the wooden bridge construction.