Residents looking for ferry service to and from Juneau have an opportunity twice this month after the Haines Borough Assembly voted unanimously to take responsibility for two charters with Allen Marine on Feb. 23 and 29. The public can make reservations by calling Allen Marine on dates that as of press time were still unspecified. Tickets are […]
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Planning commission approves Constantine heliport permits
On Thursday, Feb. 13 the Haines Borough Planning Commission approved conditional use permits for two Constantine mine heliports that are currently in operation. “The heliports are already constructed and in use. We are looking for permission to operate them as they are,” Liz Cornejo, Constantine’s Vice President of Community and External Affairs, said. Cornejo explained that the […]
Posted inNews, Alaska Marine Highway System
Borough-subsidized ferry untenable, assembly says
The Haines Borough Assembly voted to send a letter requesting the legislature allocate funds to cover service gaps after the breakdown of the Matanuska, the last state ferry serving many Southeast communities. The decision emerged from a discussion about the possibility of borough-subsidized ferry service at the Feb. 11 assembly meeting. Borough manager Debra Schnabel said she added the […]
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Funding for port repairs remains elusive
“We got too many pigs for the tits,” Port and Harbor Advisory Committee chair Terry Pardee said, summarizing the dilemma facing committee members at a joint meeting with the Tourism Advisory Board on Feb. 6. The two groups had gathered to discuss Port Chilkoot Dock renovations in the broader context of renovations needed at other […]
Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Assembly members propose library, museum consolidation
While Government Affairs and Services Committee members were disinclined to include an assembly chamber in the public library’s expansion project, two expressed interest in consolidating the museum or the visitor center with the library. “I think the borough needs to think of consolidating more,” GAS committee member Gabe Thomas said during a meeting this week. […]
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Capital budget requests deemed futile
There was a palpable lack of enthusiasm at the Haines Borough Assembly’s meeting to discuss project priorities for the state’s capital budget. Every year, the legislature asks the borough to submit a list of projects it would like the state’s help financing through the capital budget, borough manager Debra Schnabel said at the start of the meeting. This process […]
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Should th borough have a role in child care?
Affordability and availability of child care is a big issue for some Chilkat Valley residents. Haines Economic Development Corporation (HEDC) has been studying the problem and its board is expected to take up the subject Thursday, Jan. 30. “There is not enough child care to meet the needs of the community,” states a HEDC report […]
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Public safety commission to develop charter amendment
Assembly member Paul Rogers has created a draft Haines Borough Charter amendment that adds emergency police response outside of the townsite to the borough’s charter. Rogers summarized the amendment to the public safety commission last week, the body that will grapple with an issue that’s been simmering since 2017. The emergency police power is effective “only in […]
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Haines breaks record with heavy snowfall
Sunday’s 23.5-inch snowfall was a 24-hour record for the Chilkat Valley, according to NOAA forecaster Caleb Cravens. The previous record was set in 2004 with 22 inches. Downtown Haines received more than 50 inches of snow over the weekend and into Monday, which prompted the borough to issue a “public safety emergency” and close the […]
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Bear task, force to look, at code changes
Building or buying bear-proof commercial dumpsters, drafting new code to regulate them and a push from some to kill bears who habitually feed at the landfill were among the topics discussed during Monday’s first Bear Task Force meeting. Borough manager Debra Schnabel created the task force last fall after an increase in town bear activity. Dusty Trails […]