The Haines Borough appears ready to greenlight a Portage Cove expansion contract next Tuesday to Pacific Pile & Marine for $13.2 million. Last Tuesday, the borough assembly voted 4-3 against holding a proposed public referendum on the scope of the expansion project. That removed the last opportunity to rethink the broad strokes of the project’s first phase. […]
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Posted inNews
Local transportation for the disabled considered
A task force will be created to tackle some summer transportation problems, such as finding rides for tourists with disabilities and people younger than 60. That task force is expected to approach the Haines Borough Assembly about the issue. Several local groups discussed this idea on Oct. 25. Members of the task force will include borough tourism […]
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Questions remain for Heliski committee
Scott Sundberg should not vote on his own seven proposals to expand his company’s heliskiing area, according to a Haines Borough attorney’s recommendation. However, Sean Brownell can vote on his own proposals, according to the written opinion of attorney Patrick Munson of Anchorage, who provided legal advice to the borough on this matter. The nuance is that […]
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Cops using new alert system
A new alert system will instantly notify Haines residents of local emergencies. Dispatch Supervisor Celeste Grimes said the idea for a more efficient notification system was inspired by June’s boil water notice. Staff went door-to-door and made calls to individual residences to deliver the message, but some people weren’t reached because they weren’t home, Grimes […]
Posted inCorrections
Dept. of Corrections shares ideas
State Corrections Commissioner Dean Williams was not the bearer of bad news in a meeting with the Haines Borough Tuesday, despite negative expectations. “It was not the meeting that we had thought it was going to be,” Police Chief Heath Scott said. Although he expected to hear of more budget cuts, Scott said Williams didn’t talk much […]
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Girl Scout activities to return to Haines
Local parents are working hard to get Girl Scout troops going again in Haines. The previous troop faded away two years ago as the girls grew up and moved on. Last year, a Daisy troop for kindergartners and first-graders was founded. This year, girls are being lined up for Brownies and possibly the older levels […]
Posted inNews
Will road work hurt river access?
Questions have been raised about how Chilkat River users – such as rafting companies – will co-exist with several years of work on the Haines Highway. Consequently, the Haines Borough Assembly unanimously approved creation of an ad hoc committee to work on how raft companies, other river users, the public and the state transportation department can co-exist when work […]
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Public ballot sought for harbor project
The clock is ticking on expanding the Portage Cove harbor. Actually, two clocks. Clock No. 1: The Haines Borough opened six bids Tuesday, starting a 60-day countdown to award a contract on the expansion’s first phase to one of the six firms. Those 60 days end Dec. 24. The apparent lowest bid came from Pacific Pile & […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Is the new harbor plan a good idea?
If you are curious about how ugly the giant steel wall going into Portage Cove will be, hold a steel trash can up to your face. (Not kidding.) Financially, it’s a nightmare. Also, when you build a giant steel wall in the ocean, there are maintenance and replacement costs being incurred by Haines Borough (You). It is […]
Posted inNews
Assembly considers how to allocate money for nonprofits
Nine Haines nonprofit groups are seeking $62,600 worth of grant money from the Haines Borough. While the borough has $65,000 set aside to allocate to nonprofit organizations in 2017, the question is whether all nine qualify for specific pools of Haines money. The $65,000 consists of $32,500 from the borough’s general fund, $15,000 from its medical […]