Haines Borough Facilities Director Brad Ryan is once again interim manager. Mayor Jan Hill broke a 3-3 assembly deadlock Tuesday, giving Ryan the position left vacant following the Dec. 14 firing of manager Bill Seward. Assembly members Margaret Friedenauer, Mike Case and Ron Jackson supported Ryan, who served six months as interim manager last year. Members Tresham […]
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Assembly OKs sewer plant upgrade
The Haines Borough Assembly voted Tuesday to approve a $1.9 million contract with Wolverine Supply of Wasilla for upgrade of the sewer treatment plant. The project consists of removing and replacing a 75 x 85-foot pre-engineered building, installing a new screening/grit removal system, and removing and replacing siding and roofing on a 20 x 42-foot building. Electrical […]
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Firefighters elect Clay to lead department
The Haines Volunteer Fire Department this month elected Brian Clay as its new chief in a close vote between two veteran finalists. Clay defeated opponent Darwin Feakes in a vote of 32 fire department members. The winner prevailed by two votes. Clay, who assumes his new post on Jan. 9, inherits ongoing state budget cuts […]
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Preferred alternative near for Lutak Dock
An engineering consultant hired by the Haines Borough last week offered cost estimates on possible plans-of-action to overhaul the badly corroding Lutak Dock. John Daley, a senior engineer with R&M Consultants, Inc. of Anchorage, held two public meetings explaining three options, each of which has a 50-year lifespan, which he called the industry standard. A preferred option, based on […]
Posted inThank You Letters
Offer our police department your support
I would like to state appreciation and support for the current Haines Borough police presence. Haines has a host of volunteers who give a piece of themselves to promote community life. I have volunteered on the fire department/ambulance crew, wildland firefighting, community events and other actions for others’ sake. It sure is a comfort to know the […]
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Seward weighs lawsuit; recall effort in works
Bill Seward, who was fired as Haines Borough manager in an emotional assembly 4-2 vote last week, is pursuing legal action against the borough for wrongful termination. A U.S. Coast Guard veteran with no municipal experience when he was hired in May, Seward on Tuesday hired Isaac Zorea, an Anchorage-based employment law attorney with 16 years’ experience. […]
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Year in Review: Art, public projects dominated Haines news
Advances in the arts and public projects marked much of the news in 2016, and combined, for some novel exchanges. At a Sept. 8 Haines Borough Planning Commission meeting dominated by critics of the proposed harbor expansion project, commission chair Rob Goldberg suggested a 630-foot steel wall breakwater planned for Portage Cove might someday be an attraction. […]
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Assembly sets priorities at retreat
The Haines Borough Assembly met on Dec. 11 for a four-hour retreat at the public library to outline what members believed were their biggest priorities. Crafting a workable budget for the upcoming fiscal year and better assembly member communication – with both the public and each other – topped their ranking. Haines Mayor Jan Hill also took part in the […]
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Group decides goals for solid waste plan
At its first meeting Monday, the Solid Waste Working Group agreed the Haines Borough has no backup plan for waste management. What happens if Community Waste Solutions, a private firm, goes out of business tomorrow? Group members ultimately set a goal to work toward writing a solid waste management plan for the borough. The group – which […]
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Homeless in Haines: Help sparse for indigents
By John M. Glionna Nobody really knows how Ken McDowell ended up in Haines, or precisely when he got here. His pup tent was spotted following the mid-October snowfall, pitched at Portage Cove wayside. A longtime resident checked on him, bought him a cup of hot chocolate, listened to his story and loaned him a […]