A look back—and the week ahead in the Chilkat Valley.
Have a meeting, public comment period or something else you think Chilkat Valley residents should weigh-in on? Submit it here. |
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Duly Noted: A birthday, Big Gay Croquet, and an annual migration to a Canadian bluegrass festival |
(Courtesy/Charlene Jones)
Priska Neely attempts to ward off mosquitoes during a recent visit to Haines, Alaska. |
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Journalist Priska Neely of Birmingham, Alabama visited friends in Haines recently. This was Neely’s first visit to Alaska. She said the highlights of the trip were kayaking on Chilkoot Lake, operating a stick-shift vehicle for the first time in five years, whale-spotting, picnicking on Battery Point Trail, and having the best nap of her life. Neely took her legendary snooze on the fluffy grass in Fort Seward at the very same time Mayor Tom Morphet was also spotted enjoying a midday nap. Charlene Jones of the Chilkat Valley News writes about Neely’s visit and more in this week’s Duly Noted.
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For those of you starting your week in the Upper Chilkat Valley, the Haines Highway construction project has added a traffic light in the Wells Bridge area. During non-working hours, traffic on the replacement bridge will be restricted to one-way only. |
Tuesday, June 23
5:30 p.m. the borough assembly’s personnel committee will meet to schedule annual evaluations for:
- borough manager, Alekka Fullerton
- finance director, Jila Stuart
- borough clerk, Mike Denker.
6:30 p.m. the borough assembly’s regular meeting agenda is relatively light, including:
- a second hearing on a measure that would change the fee structure for commercial helicopter ski tour permit holders once they’ve added second and third helicopters to the permit.
- The borough manager reports that litigation with Turnagain Marine over Lutak Dock work is ongoing and the company has not responded to a settlement offer from the borough.
- She also detailed a borough decision to hire an immigration specialist attorney to help with an H-1B via application for the borough planner.
- A report from Haines fire chief Zac Overmyer on the worsening structural cracks and building movement in the public safety building.
- A presentation from the Chilkoot corridor working group, including recommendations for a moratorium on new commercial tour permits.
Thursday, June 25
Noon, the Tourism Advisory Board is set to meet. The only thing on this week’s agenda is a conversation about the potential relationship between the borough and Global Ports Holding.
6:30 p.m. The Planning Commission will consider a permit for the Takshanuk Watershed Council to add structures at its site near Jones Point. |
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4 p.m. the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority is looking for beneficiaries and their caregivers to talk about their experience receiving health and disability services in Alaska. Zoom details here. Comments will be taken through September 12th, written ones can be submitted to [email protected].
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Deadline to comment on renewal of Hecla’s Greens Creek Mine reclamation plan. This is the company’s plan for returning its land to “safe, stable, near-natural conditions” once mining is complete. The mine is located near Hawk Inlet on Admiralty Island, about 18 miles southwest of Juneau.
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Deadline to comment on the state’s plans for the Alaska Clean Water Fund and Alaska Drinking Water Fund. The draft plan identifies funds available and projects eligible to receive low interest loans. The Haines Borough has several projects ranked on a list for potential funds from the Alaska Clean Water Fund. Those include a wastewater collection system project that would repair or replace 100 manholes and fund a visual inspection of the entire sewer system. The borough has requested $1.6 million for that work, as well as $80,000 to recondition the Haines wastewater treatment plant and $75,000 for Beach Road sewer main rehabilitation. Requests through the Alaska Drinking Water Fund include $2 million for the engineering and design of a new 500,000 gallon steel tank to replace the existing Tower Road tank, $1.8 million for Piedad water treatment plant improvements, $75,000 to develop a water system management and operations plan for the borough’s public water system and $100,000 to develop a hydraulic model of the water system. Public comments can be made online here.
Have a meeting, public comment period or something else you think Chilkat Valley residents should know about? Submit it here.
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