Small Tracts water main goes ahead
Small Tracts is on its way to getting borough water.
The borough approved a contract with HiEx Construction to take on the water-main extension project, which will be funded by a forgivable loan from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
The borough received two bids on the project, one from HiEx at $1,759,860, the other from Southeast Roadbuilders, at $2,071,616.
Special heliski permit denied.
A ski-film production crew’s request for special heli-ski area this winter was denied by the assembly on Tuesday.
Matchstick Productions representative Dustin Lindgren said at the meeting his company wanted to film outside the normally allowed heli-ski area to be away from other skiers, in large part for safety reasons.
Manager Alekka Fullerton, however, recommended the assembly deny the production permit — largely because the Alaska Department of Fish and Game recommended it be denied.
“Code requires I consult (Fish and Game) on their professional opinion,” Fullerton said. “Their clear opinion was that this could be detrimental to our wildlife. I then asked which area would be least detrimental if I were to authorize any of the zones, and they said they couldn’t decide which would be least bad because they would all be very bad for different reasons.”
Both Fullerton and assembly members also raised concerns of fairness.
Assembly member Gabe Thomas said he worried about approving areas outside the heli-ski map, given that the new map had just this past year been developed by the map committee and approved by the assembly.
Assembly member Kevin Forster said he would be more supportive of developing a process in which all operators would have equal opportunity at applying for special ski area.
Twin Coves hut unsupported
If a public-use hut in Chilkat State Park goes forward, it will do so without the assembly’s blessing, at least for now.
Local non-profit Haines Huts and Trails, which largely maintains the borough’s trail system and recently complete a public use hut on Seven-Mile Saddle, is currently working on plans for another cabin at Twin Coves, midway between the end of the Chilkat State Park Road and Ayiklutu Point.
According to state policy, if Haines Huts and Trails, or any other group builds a cabin on state park land, the state will then take on the responsibility of running and maintaining the cabin.
Right now, the group is in the initial stages of that process. “This doesn’t mean Haines Huts and Trails would even be the builder necessarily,” Haines Huts and Trails director Nate Arrants told the assembly. “(Permitting) just allows us, or any other entity, to apply for grant funding to build there.”
The idea for a letter of borough support originally came from the borough’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. But the assembly did not share the view of the advisory committee. When assembly member Kevin Forster introduced a motion to write the letter of support there was no other assembly member willing to second the motion.
Without introduction there was no assembly debate, which meant little rationale for the denial was given.
Assembly member Gabe Thomas said while he broadly supported the nonprofit’s public-use cabin building efforts, he would be “devastated” to see a cabin specifically in Twin Coves — a place he has long gone with family. “I love what you guys do but this spot to me is pretty special,” Thomas told Arrants.
After the meeting, when asked about weighing personal considerations against public interest, Thomas added that he believed there were many other residents who would feel similarly protective of the Twin Coves area.
The other assembly members to speak on the issue were assembly members Eben Sargent and Mark Smith.
Sargent said he abstained from weighing in due to his position on the board of the nonprofit.
Smith’s direct justification was that he believed the project could go forward without the assembly’s support. He also questioned Arrants about whether the non-profit would be collecting money from a potential cabin.
Arrants said the state would be managing and collecting all fees if a cabin was built.
Smith later caught Forster’s ire for his lack of support.
“I think the intention of promoting economic development while repressing recreational infrastructure is short-sighted and antiquated,” said a visibly frustrated Forster, who referenced a previous borough assembly’s decision declining to support the Tukga Hut. “(Haines Huts and Trails) built a hut with local volunteers and has brought hundreds and hundreds of travelers to this town.”
Forster then took aim at Smith’s comments regarding heli-ski permitting earlier in the meeting, where Smith expressed frustration about the borough not being “open for business” in denying the permit.
“We talked about being open for business and this is the least impactful thing that brings in young people, and now we’ve turned it down… Mister ‘open for business,’ I’m talking to you,” Forster said, looking at Smith.
Bulk ore regulations introduced
The assembly will take up an ordinance that could potentially act as a safeguard against environmental contamination from future ore shipments.
The legislation, introduced by assembly members Gabe Thomas and Kevin Forster, aims to require all ore shipped through the borough remain in sealed, watertight containers until it leaves the borough’s boundaries. That will include remaining sealed through any possible loading onto ships at a harbor facility.
There isn’t currently large-scale mining in the Chilkat Valley or ore being exported through the valley. But Thomas said the ordinance was a “first step to protect our valley.”
The ordinance is modeled after one passed in Skagway three years ago. Forster argued that the shared regulation could strengthen its legal standing. “It’s a regionally-unified, full Upper-Lynn Canal standard,” Forster said.
Public hearings are scheduled on the ordinance for the next two assembly meetings.
Porcupine project closed-out
The assembly voted nearly unanimously to end a controversial project to repair and modify Porcupine Road.
The project, originally planned for three phases, ran into trouble with only one phase complete when FEMA found the borough had violated the terms of the agency’s funding for the project. A second appeal late last year cleared the borough of wrongdoing and left the door open for the borough to potentially continue the project. But a range of concerns led the assembly to decide otherwise.
“We just don’t have the capacity to handle an extension of the FEMA 2020 storm event,” assembly member Cheryl Stickler said. “It’s important that we keep focus on the major projects in front of us that we already have funding for.”
Assembly member Eben Sargent also raised concerns about the validity of the project itself, and its use of federal taxpayer money. While the damage has officially been described as stemming from 2020 winter storms, Sargent, and others, have argued the road washout is a chronic spring issue.
Assembly member Mark Smith was the lone vote against closing the project, saying he wanted more public input on the issue before closing the door.
LCC stakeholder request denied
An at-times convoluted, and at-times contentious debate resulted in a straightforward rejection of Lynn Canal Conservation as an official stakeholder in the Lutak Dock redesign.
The conservation organization submitted the request in the hopes of receiving one stakeholder interview with dock consultants Moffatt & Nichol, director Jessica Plachta said.
Plachta to some extent, but largely mayor Tom Morphet, emphasized that the “stakeholder” status already conferred on area tribal governments, shipping and fuel companies, and grocers, conveyed no special power besides the one-off interview with Moffatt & Nichol.
For Morphet, that was a reason to support LCC’s request. “In 2017, the people at LCC understood this project and its process better than the assembly did,” he said.
But outside of Morphet, the assembly was united in limiting the stakeholder interviews solely to the existing group.
“I think we created a problem with this designation of stakeholders,” Sargent said, advocating that only companies doing business directly on the dock receive interviews. “Suddenly we’re paying 350 bucks an hour for (Moffatt & Nichol) to talk to anyone in the borough that has a concern…. The process for anyone is to come to our public process.”
Assembly members encouraged LCC to send in written questions to the official Lutak Dock email address, to then be forwarded along to Moffatt & Nichol. The answers to the questions would be posted on the borough’s public project website, Fullerton said.
On the horizon
Two long running issues should get more meaningful action at the next assembly meeting. On cell-tower regulations, the assembly agreed to bring the legislation as currently written forward for a final public hearing and final vote in two weeks. Simultaneously, the Government Affairs and Services Committee will take up the legislation to continue editing it even after the final vote.
“We need to put the safeguards into place now, and then we need to tighten it up,” Forster said.
The assembly at the next meeting will also review staff proposals for a reimbursement system for local childcare providers. The assembly indicated general support for a program to pay providers for meals fed to students, but are waiting to see the mechanisms to run such a program before voting on official approval. The program is expected to disburse roughly $8,000 over six months, mayor Tom Morphet said.