Can the Haines Borough dispose of surplus equipment through an online auction site like eBay? As members of the Haines Borough Assembly on March 27 discussed two pieces of equipment – a caterpillar 140H grader with wing blade and a Jeep and water wagon – set for disposal by public sealed bid auction to the highest bidder, assemblyman Steve Vick suggested […]

The future of the annual, Fourth of July fireworks display was in question this week, following a 4-1 vote by the Haines Borough Assembly March 27 against taking on insurance liability for the display. Member Debra Schnabel voted to provide the coverage. Joanne Waterman was absent. Haines Chamber of Commerce president Ned Rozbicki recently told the assembly the business group is […]

Staff turnover reached the top of the Haines Borough this week, as manager Mark Earnest submitted his resignation, effective June 15. “We’re getting good at changing managers, and I don’t want it to be taken lightly,” said Daymond Hoffman of the Haines Borough Assembly. “I think we really need to find out, from Mark, what we can do better, what we can […]

The potential for shipping ore from the Yukon Territory through Haines is slim unless trucks can back-haul liquid natural gas from here on return trips to help power mines, according to a recent Haines Borough report. Residents Darsie Culbeck and Debra Schnabel returned from the Mineral Exploration Roundup in Vancouver with the message that liquid natural gas might help […]

Are security cameras around Haines waterfront locations a good security measure or an example of Big Brother government infringing on the privacy of residents? The question was zipping around the Internet this week, in advance of a resolution before the Haines Borough Assembly to accept a $233,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for fencing […]

The Haines Borough Assembly on Tuesday approved hiring a full-time executive assistant to manager Mark Earnest, a position that would cost an estimated $81,000 annually. “It was a busy workload a year ago, and it’s even busier now,” Earnest said. “We just need to find a person who would fit the criteria and be a good fit, and […]

The Haines Borough Assembly last week approved an ordinance for spot checks of global positioning system data to monitor compliance with helicopter skiing regulations. Assemblymen Daymond Hoffman and Norm Smith were opposed in the 4-2 vote. As introduced in January, the ordinance would have required regular reporting of GPS data, but kept it confidential unless required in an investigation or court […]

The Haines Borough Assembly voted 5-1 on Tuesday to uphold a planning commission decision denying Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures a permit to use its 26 Mile property as a heliport. In a split 3-3 vote in January, the borough planning commission rejected a conditional use permit for a heliport at .6 Mile Chilkat Lake Road. SEABA appealed the decision to the assembly […]

Under a proposed ordinance up for adoption Tuesday, global positioning system data for helicopter skiing submitted to the Haines Borough is public information, but it’s unclear how often that information would be collected. The assembly last week amended the ordinance that would have made the data confidential, unless required in an official investigation or court proceeding. Members […]