An anonymous donor has agreed to buy a 1.7 acre plot along the Haines Highway for Haines Friends of Recycling to get started on a new center.
“We were thrilled,” said HFR board president Melissa Aronson on Tuesday.
The plot, located on the east side of the Haines Highway across from Bigfoot Auto, is currently empty. The nonprofit hopes to complete work by the end of summer 2025 on the new center, where it will have more space to hold recyclables under a roof, and will be able to install an onsite plastic upcycling machine.
The acquisition of the new property — expected to be signed in mid-May — comes after months of attempts to get land transferred from the borough. Previous sites were identified near the landfill and at the site of the public safety building, but never made it through the political and bureaucratic hoops of the assembly.
Aronson said the realization of how long it might take to finalize a property transfer led the group to get frustrated. A glut of federal infrastructure money over the past years was running out. After talking to planners and assembly members, the group realized that they could be looking at a protracted public process with the borough.
“We met with borough staff to find out what we needed to do to get through the assembly, and judging by our past experience, it was probably going to take another two years,” said Aronson, “And what we hoped would be donated to us was probably going to cost us $60,000 to $70,000.”
The costs were for installing a septic system and chlorine water treatment, even though the site was right next to the water treatment plant. The proposed land transfer was approved by the planning commission and forwarded to the assembly, but never got a vote.
“Working with the borough was difficult,” said Aronson.
Aronson said the new site has some advantages. For one, it is visible along the Haines Highway, near frequently used gas stations and near a proposed composting site at Takshanuk Watershed Council.
“It’s going to be very visible and very convenient for everybody,” said Aronson.
She said she hasn’t heard any concerns about the aesthetic of a recycling center in town, and said there wouldn’t be any visible refuse since it will be stored indoors. Eventually, the group plans to make a “pocket park” with picnic benches from upcycled plastic lumber, dryer drums as planters, and other displays about the recycling center. The site is also close to the school, and Aronson foresaw field trips to learn about recycling processes.
The area is zoned as light industrial, so HFR won’t require a permitting process through the planning commission. The plot was assessed at $123,000 last year, and is currently owned by Harry and Genevieve Rietze
Friends of Recycling has raised about $41,000 for the project, but anticipates putting up the building itself could cost about half a million dollars, according to vice president Kate Saunders. That includes fill for the lot, plus design and building materials.
Aronson said she was working on an email to start a new fundraising campaign, as well as a dive into grant writing including a federal Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling fund, as well as seeking funding from the Alaska Community Foundation and Denali Commission.
She said Friends of Recycling members had already volunteered to help with grant writing.