The Haines Borough Assembly limited the number of days a controversial heliport at Mile 26 Haines Highway can operate and added new requirements for a year-end renewal process. Under the new restrictions, the heliport, which belongs to George and Lynette Campbell, can operate only 12 days per year, and no more than three days in a row. The planning commission […]
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Posted inNews, Alaska Marine Highway System
Winter ferry schedule proposed
Haines would get ferry service between four and five times per week under a winter draft schedule by the Alaska Marine Highway System. Community leaders this week praised the schedule, which includess more stops than at any time since 2019. “That should allow people to go for medical appointments and everything else, as long as […]
Posted inNews
Does assembly have hearing problem?
The Haines Borough Assembly borough has recently developed a serious hearing problem. Too often they have not responded to, or acted on, issues that are clearly supported by a large number, if not a majority of Haines residents. Hundreds of residents asked for more time to consider and comment on Constantine’s “amended” permit – an amendment so […]
Posted inNews, Local News
Heliport decision under scrutiny
Residents of Mile 27 of the Haines Highway and borough officials shared clashing accounts of how a controversial heliport permit was granted ahead of a planned meeting to review the conditions of the permit next week. The rehearing was originally scheduled for June 27, but was postponed to July 11. The hearing will start at 6 p.m. […]
Posted inNews
Haines challenges Census Count, with millions on the line
The Haines Borough is challenging the U.S. government’s official count of its population, saying the Census Bureau undercounted the town’s population by about 20%. The money threatens millions of dollars of federal funding over the next decade. The 2020 Census reported Haines’ population as 2080, down from 2,508 10 years earlier. That immediately raised red flags for […]
Posted inNews, School Board
School district budget passes, with big draw from savings
Haines’ school board passed its final school budget for the upcoming fiscal year at a special meeting last week that required the district to pull $167,900 from its savings account. The state’s enrollment-based funding decreased from $3 million to $2.7 million in part because the school anticipates two fewer students with intensive needs. Each intensive student is […]
Posted inNews
Controversial heliport decision postponed
The Haines Borough postponed a public hearing on the conditions for a controversial heliport permit near Little Salmon River as it waits for more information from agencies that permit building near salmon streams. Residents of the area across the Klehini River at Mile 27 have raised concerns about potential noise from a proposed heliport, and say the borough didn’t follow […]
Posted inNews
Borough, DNR talk about state parks
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources commissioner John Boyle met with Haines Borough Manager Annette Kreitzer and Mayor Douglas Olerud on June 19 to discuss challenges facing state parks. The Chilkat Valley is home to five state park facilities: Chilkat State Park, Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Site, state campgrounds at Portage Cove and Mosquito Lake, and the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle […]
Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Tourism tax may lose designation
A proposal that would do away with restrictions on how two local sales taxes are spent could face voters in the fall. Currently, the Haines Borough levies a 1% sales tax that can be spent only on tourism and economic development and a half-percent tax designated for emergency medical service. Last year, the borough collected about $677,000 […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted
Nearly 100 people attended the fundraiser for Rita Brouillette and Frank Hickman Saturday at the Senior Center. Rita and Frank are expecting a child they believe will need open heart surgery. There was an “amazing amount” of people who supported and donated for the event, organized by Aimee Jacobson and Shanah Kinison. The event raised almost $5,000. It included moose stew and […]