Haines’ two mayoral candidates and four of the five assembly candidates squared off on economic development issues for the first public candidates ‘forum on Friday, hosted by the chamber of commerce.
Candidates sparred over the borough’s involvement in infrastructure projects and presented different visions of how the borough should promote economic development.
The questions about Lutak Dock created a clear ideological schism between candidates who viewed the dock as an infrastructure project that needed immediate boots on the ground, and those who were more hesitant to rush into the multimillion dollar project without more community input and information.
The Lutak Dock, constructed in 1953 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, services most of the community’s freight and fuel. In 2014, a consulting engineering firm, PND Engineers, Inc., concluded that the dock had “reached the end of its credible 60-year service life.” In 2022, the borough applied for and was approved for a $20 million grant from the federal government. In February of this year the planning commission approved the 65% Design of Lutak Dock presented by Turnagain Marine.
“This needs to be everybody’s top priority and we need to put aside all of the suppositions that are out in the public right now. We need to repair the Lutak dock so we can get our weekly barge,” said Jan Hill, one of the mayoral candidates. Her sense of urgency was echoed by Lapp. “We need to get it repaired before it falls into the ocean because if we lose that dock, we not only lose that dock, we lose the RO/RO too,” he said.
Assembly candidates Natalie Dawson and Kevin Forster reigned in the urgency by flagging concerns on how the public process has unfolded for the project thus far, and drew attention to the undefined maintenance costs and ongoing permitting process.
“There’s big questions involved in this. Ultimately we need to put energy into planning for the future that’s based on our shared values,” said Forster.
Some of the concerns are summarized in the white paper published by Lynn Canal Conservation. The white paper claims that the community is already well-served by other ports and harbor facilities, and that the borough painted a misleading picture of the costs of the dock, omitting long-term maintenance costs, construction cost overruns, contamination and cleanup costs, among others. There are also concerns that the dock will be used as an ore terminal for the Constantine mine.
Assembly candidate Diana Lapham, who currently serves on the planning commission, assured the audience that “For all of you that think it’s an ore terminal, it’s not an ore terminal. There is no ore terminal infrastructure being built on that dock.”
Mayoral candidate Tom Morphet drew attention to the fact that while the Lutak Dock is partially owned by the Borough, it is primarily used by two multinational shipping companies, Alaska Marine Lines and Delta Western.
“I would like to see every ounce of energy and every dollar that is being spent on this dock spent on trying to recruit a second freight company and a second fuel company, so we can have some competition and bring down the prices of gasoline and freight here in our community,” he said.
Many candidates echoed the concern that high costs of freight and fuel are hindering business growth in Haines.
Candidates had a range of other proposals for spurring economic development. Dawson supported more resources for small businesses to invest in retail spaces, Hill argued for better internet and cell service, Jerry Lapp advocated embracing hydroelectric power, and Forster emphasized the importance of affordable housing.
The candidates’ visions for Haines’ year-round economy were a bit more polarizing. While everyone had the shared vision of a viable, sustainable economy, different industries were spotlighted in their responses.
Morphet had his hopes set for young newcomers to the town. He said a sustainable economy in Haines is one that meets demand. “We can have a mill for four years, we can have a mine that comes until the mineral prices die. Let’s find out what people who are showing up here want to do for a living and encourage them and find incentives and ways to make those things happen,” said Morphet.
His opponent Hill instead shifted her focus to established industries in the community.
“In addition to finding out what newcomers want to do in Haines, we need to find out what the local residents who live here and have lived here want to do here,” she said.
Dawson supported investing in the recreation economy, Forster supported attracting more remote workers to Haines through affordable housing and access to wild places, and Lapp said it was up to the community to decide what year-round economy they wanted to see.
In a 2018 survey by the McDowell Group, residents were asked to express their support or opposition to growth in ten different economic sectors. The sectors with the strongest support were commercial fishing, winter tourism, and seafood processing. The sectors with the highest opposition were mining, timber harvest, and large cruise ships, however these sectors all had majority support as well.
At the conclusion of the forum, audience member Eben Sargent, who is married to Natalie Dawson, asked candidates if there was anything the Haines Borough was not currently talking about or taking government action on. Hill said that no one was talking about homelessness, and the borough was not doing much to address bears in the townsite. Morphet said that the king salmon runs were in danger of disappearing, and he was also concerned about increased surveillance in the town.
Lapp mentioned community waste, Lapham said she could not think of anything and that the borough is in crisis mode trying to take care of its failing infrastructure, Forster emphasized the importance of making policies through the lens of a shared vision, and Dawson said the borough should talk about how it’s working with tribal governments. The next candidate forum will be held in the former Mosquito Lake School at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.