Landscape architects for Corvus Design made their first recommendation for a Portage Cove trail and park Wednesday, based on five designs drawn up by citizens the previous three days. The proposed one-and-a-half-mile mix of sidewalks, trails and paths would extend from Portage Cove Campground to Picture Point. Landscape architect Chris Mertl said the route would […]
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Police Report
Monday, May 6 A business on West Fair Drive reported vandals had broken the windows of a business vehicle. Officers are investigating. A large boulder was reported in the road at 2 Mile Lutak Road. Police investigated a two-vehicle collision near Second Avenue and View Street. One car had backed into another, causing minor damage and no […]
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. […]
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. […]
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 […]
Commission: Raise building height limits
The Planning Commission last week voted to recomend raising the building height restrictions in Haines. The measure was introduced by commissioner Brenda Josephson, who said a review of other towns in Southeast Alaska and elsewhere showed that 30-foot height limits put Haines’ code out of step. “I asked myself why we have a 30-foot height […]
Stronger contamination regulations could affect sites
The State of Alaska has adopted new regulations governing cleanup of contaminated sites – most of them more stringent. The new cleanup levels potentially mean more work, time and money for cleanup efforts at the former Army tank farm at Lutak and other sites around Haines. Adopted Nov. 6, the state’s new regulations are the first changes […]
Volunteers keep recycling happening
Haines Friends of Recycling would like to recognize the extraordinary volunteers who sustain downtown recycling pickup to benefit the public. Year in and year out, volunteers dedicate several hours weekly to collect and transport recyclables from around town to the HFR recycling center on Small Tracts Road. While out and about, residents and visitors can […]
Police should read Alaska statutes
I recently submitted a public information request to receive the police report/blotter in its entirety. First I got an e-mail from the dispatcher who said the request had been forwarded to the borough attorney. Then I got an email from the department saying from its perspective, the police report in its entirety is being released […]
Assembly members dig into how to fix budget
Amid another troubled season of state budget slashing, the Haines Borough Assembly held a sometimes-tense workshop Monday night to target its budget priorities for the next fiscal year. Unlike years when Alaska oil was king and state money flowed, the fiscal forecast is ominous. “We’re going to have to redo the way we run our government,” said […]
