July 24, 2014 – Police resurrecting reserves program after decade 

The Haines Borough Police Department is resurrecting its volunteer reserve officer program after more than a decade of dormancy.

The department is starting to train its first reserve officer candidate, Gary Hinkle, said manager David Sosa. “He will be riding and observing over the next few months,” Sosa said.

Reserve officers accompany department officers and help with arrests, traffic enforcement and investigations, crowd and traffic control at events, and emergencies. They also carry firearms and wear uniforms like department officers.

The primary difference between reserve and department officers is that reserve officers are not paid and must be accompanied by a certified department officer.

Police chief Bill Musser said he decided to reactivate the reserve program because of feedback he received from residents and staff during his hiring process.  

“Everybody wanted to see the reserves come back when I was initially going through my selection process. It is something that has remained a theme,” Musser said.

Musser said he wants to “start slow” by training one reserve officer and see how much time and money it costs the department.

“I do not have a good idea on annual costs at this time, in part as it depends on the number of reserves. So starting with one gives me a measure to gauge by,” Musser said. “As to the number of reserves the limit will be on how many we can train, but we could be looking at as many as 10 within a couple of years.”

The borough’s budget for fiscal year 2015, which started July 1, allocated $500 for the reserve program.

Though reserve officers aren’t paid, they are provided with training, uniforms, weapons like firearms and tasers, and other equipment. Borough code also states reserve officers will be provided workers’ compensation insurance.

Former police chief Greg Goodman, who worked as chief for 17 years before retiring in 2008, said the reserve program died out around 2000 or 2001.

“We stopped it for lack of interest. There wasn’t a date we selected to shut it down. It just kind of petered out,” Goodman said. “We advertised it locally in the paper and we got no response.”

At its height, the reserve program had about four officers during Goodman’s tenure, he said.

While he acknowledged the program has “some value,” Goodman said he isn’t necessarily in favor of restoring it. “I have never really been a big fan of reserve programs, because it takes a lot of time and energy and effort and money for what little you get out of it, especially in a small department,” he said.

“When you have such a small department and you assign somebody as a reserve officer trainer or liaison, it takes a tremendous amount of time and effort,” Goodman added.

Still, the program had its benefits. “It was nice to have two people in a car, especially on a swing shift or a graveyard shift. It’s comforting when you’re the only officer on duty to have someone with you to help,” Goodman said.

In addition to providing back-up and helping with paperwork, Musser said the reserve force would provide a recruiting pool for the borough down the road, should a department officer job open up.

Reserve officers will complete field training and have to pass a background check, Musser said.

Musser began his police career working as a reserve officer in Meridian, Idaho. 

July 22, 1999 – Improvements overdue, deferred: City facilities falling behind 

The City of Haines pays harbormaster Jasper Sullivan about $55,000 in wages and benefits, but when nature calls, Sullivan pees into a funnel.

The city’s harbormaster office isn’t plumbed. The funnel system that empties into the harbor was a surprise for city councilor Cheryl Lowden, who toured the harbor last fall. 

“That’s OSHA regulations to have a toilet (in the workplace),” Lowden said at a Sept. 16 council meeting. Councilors at the meeting chuckled, insisting the funnel was meeting the harbormaster’s needs. 

“But that doesn’t take care of everything,” countered Lowden. She called on fellow councilors to address – or at least start planning to address – a municipal infrastructure described by city officials as increasingly decayed and obsolete, or non-existent. 

A toilet for the harbormaster has been on the city’s capital wish list for a dozen years, but so have other projects, city mayor Dave Berry said at the September meeting. 

“Obviously, we’re not getting anywhere. We need to figure it out,” Lowden said. 

The cost of bringing city facilities up to standard for bare-bones maintenance and public safety ranges between $2 million and $4 million, according to city administrator Tom Healy. “Right now, we’re basically at a maintenance or less level.” 

Healy’s estimate doesn’t include the city’s part in the proposed expansion of the Small Boat Harbor, likely to cost more than $1 million. “If that’s something we want to do, it’s going to delay other projects that much further,” Healy said. 

Following a current policy of annually allocating $220,000 in city sales tax for capital projects, paying for current projects could take 10 to 20 years, varying with the amount of help from state and federal government sources. 

Said Healy: “Very quickly it gets beyond our financial means to do it. We’re in a bind for adequate revenues to do a lot of the projects we need to do.” 

Talk of improvements is a sensitive issue for city leaders, who have prided themselves in holding down the municipality’s taxes. Remarkably, in an era of declining federal and state support of local government, the city reduced property taxes. 

The current property tax rate of 5.89 mils has held steady since 1995. But during the 10 years prior to that, the mil rate averaged 8.2 mils. And the city’s sales tax rate hasn’t increased since 1987. 

“One of the problems is this community is so conservative that we rely a lot on state funding that’s not there to rely on,” Berry said at the September meeting. 

In recent months, however, Lowden has been joined by other councilors in a growing chorus for improvements. Besides the potential for costing more in the long run, deferred maintenance and upgrades make the city an easy target for critics, according to councilor Brian Lemcke. 

“Is that our philosophy in this town, to let everything go to hell in order to keep taxes down? Not fixing things to save money is not the answer,” Lemcke said at a May 10 budget meeting. 

Mayor Dave Berry this week refused to allow a news reporter to photograph the harbormaster’s makeshift urinal, fearing it would embarrass the city. But the situation already made some officials nervous when a woman applied for the harbormaster’s job this spring. 

Other projects Healy identified as pressing capital needs include: paving pocked and crumbling roads, replacing rotting timbers on the Port Chilkoot Dock, rebuilding sheet piles at Lutak Dock ($550,000), replacing the city’s cramped and substandard maintenance shop ($350,000 – $400,000) and adding sidewalks along Second and Third avenues and Haines Highway. 

The list also includes making a range of improvements to bring the city into compliance with disability access requirements, replacing structure, picnic tables and benches in city parks, and a $182,000 city contribution to a water tower planned for FAA Road. 

The Lutak Dock serves as an example of the difficulty with the current capital funding. The city depleted its entire capital budget for two years paying for wooden fenders for the dock, but another $550,000 will be needed for work on the face of the 45-year-old structure. 

“There’s a real need there. It’s falling into the water,” Healy said. 

One solution to speeding up improvements is dedicating a larger percentage of city sales tax for capital needs, a change that would require a public vote. Currently the city dedicates less than 1 percent of its 4 percent sales tax on capital needs. 

Until the early 1980s, the city spent a larger percentage of its annual income on capital projects. The share was reduced at a time when oil revenues were gushing and the Legislature was generous with grants to municipalities. 

“That may be a contributing reason why the city hasn’t been able to get its head above water since the state grants got cut back,” said Healy. 

Shifting more money to capital projects may be a solution but the city can’t consider raising taxes without also considering possible new taxes being proposed by the borough, council Gregg Richmond said this week. 

The city also has been hoping for more than 10 years to pave First Avenue, Richmond noted. “Is it coming to a point where there’s going to be changes? Yes. But I’m not ready to say what those changes should be.” 

“All of us can see these issues (but) it’s going to be tough,” Richmond said. 

Former mayor Frank Wallace said the city grew fat on state revenue sharing and probably should reexamine how it gets projects done. But he’s philosophical about the harbormaster’s funnel arrangement. 

“Hell, it’s better than standing on the float, pissing in the water. That’s what they used to do.”  

July 18, 1974 – Lots of entertainment slated for S. E. Fair

There will be lots of good, interesting, wholesome family entertainment at the Southeast Alaska State Fair next month.

According to Fair Manager Dorothy Fossman, ventriloquist Darby Moore – who just happens to be this year’s Miss Alaska – will be a featured performer. Ms. Moore, who comes from Kenai, will be only one of several performers. 

Gib Richards, clown and magician, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, will also appear, following appearances at the Calgary Stampede. 

Another drawing card will be the ever-popular St. Paul Singers of Juneau who are scheduled to perform during the fair weekend August 9, 10, and 11. 

A bicycle will be given away each day to some lucky youngster, Ms. Fossman said. 

Chambers of Commerce throughout Southeastern Alaska have been asked to enter a float in the fair parade to represent their areas.