All three remaining Haines Borough manager candidates have advanced to the next interview round. On Tuesday, the Haines Borough Assembly held half-hour interviews with borough clerk and interim manager Alekka Fullerton, Department of Defense contractor Robert Rouse, and Tennessee resident and real estate investor George Zoukee, before voting unanimously to ask all of them to participate in more in-depth […]
Search results
Posted inNews
Borough reverses mask mandate
As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issues new masking guidance for vaccinated individuals and the state opens up COVID-19 vaccinations to everyone 16 and up, Haines is loosening its pandemic restrictions. On Tuesday, the Haines Borough Assembly met in-person for the first time since last summer, and on Monday, interim manager Alekka Fullerton reversed […]
Posted inNews
Popely to lobby for Haines for remainder of 2021
Lobbyist Ted Popely will represent the Haines Borough through the end of the year for $48,000. In keeping with a Government Affairs and Services (GAS) Committee recommendation from last week, the full Haines Borough Assembly voted 5-1 at a March 9 meeting to hire Popely. Assembly member Caitie Kirby was the sole “no” vote. During GAS Committee discussion, Kirby […]
Posted inNews
AIDEA to consider decommissioning Skagway ore terminal, seek alternative location
The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) is considering looking for a new location for an ore terminal to serve Yukon mining interests, which would leave Haines as the practical alternative. The board voted unanimously on March 3 to study the costs associated with modernizing the Skagway ore terminal versus decommissioning it. A resolution […]
Posted inNews
Upper Lynn Canal saw 16-20% decline in bear population in 2020
The Upper Lynn Canal Fish and Game Advisory Committee voted in support of the reduced brown bear harvest limit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) announced last week. The new, seven-bear limit is designed to help regrow the population after Game Management Unit 1D, which includes Haines and Skagway, experienced an estimated 16-20% population decline […]
Posted inNews
Assembly narrows down manager applicants to four
Schnabel doesn’t make the cut Four Haines Borough manager candidates have advanced to the preliminary interview round after the Haines Borough Assembly met Monday in executive session to pare down a list of 12 applicants still under consideration. Former borough manager Debra Schnabel, who was fired without cause in May, applied for the position, but was rejected for an interview. […]
Posted inNews, Public Safety
Assembly funds avalanche center monitoring
The Haines Borough Assembly approved $8,680 to fund a Beach Road landslide area stability monitoring effort by the Haines Avalanche Center. Center staff Erik Stevens and Jeff Moskowitz have been involved in monitoring the area for signs of instability on a volunteer basis since Dec. 2. “When the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) started its response to the […]
Posted inNews
Assembly says public safety building plan too extravagant
The Haines Borough Assembly unanimously rejected Wednesday morning a proposal by architects and public facilities director Ed Coffland to pursue designs of a new 26,000 square foot public safety building south of the existing facility, characterizing the plans as too extravagant. Principal of Bettisworth North, Roy Rountree, presented a range of options to the assembly during a […]
Posted inNews
Study suggests borough to owe $500,000 if museum separates
The Haines Borough has received a report from the Haines Sheldon Museum PERS termination study conducted this winter. Based on the study, chief fiscal officer Jila Stuart estimates the borough will remain on the hook for roughly $500,000 over the next 18 years if the museum’s board of trustees moves forward with the plan to turn the […]
Posted inNews
GAS committee recommends lobbyist hire
The Haines Borough Assembly is taking steps to hire longtime lobbyist Ted Popely to represent the community’s interests in Juneau for somewhere in the $40,000-to-$90,000 range. At a meeting Tuesday night, the assembly’s Government Affairs and Services (GAS) committee voted 2-1 to recommend the full assembly take action to secure Popely’s services. Members Cheryl Stickler and Gabe […]