A grant opportunity recently renewed the efforts of a local volunteer organization to move the ice rink from the fairgrounds to downtown, but board members are hitting the brake on the initiative, at least for now. Until Tuesday evening, Haines Hockey board members intended to bring the issue before the Haines Borough Assembly in the form of […]
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Heli-ski requests pass cap
Alaska Mountain Guides, a company that has previously conducted its heli-ski operations mainly out of Skagway, is looking to move those operations to Haines. According to its 2013 permit application to the Haines Borough, AMG is seeking 450 skier days. Last year, the company requested and was allocated 200 days, but only used five. AMG is […]
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Borough trims plans for PC Dock
The Haines Borough is scaling back its design plans for the Port Chilkoot dock renovation so it can remain within the $6 million project budget, borough officials reported during a recent meeting intended to update the public and Ports and Harbors Advisory Committee. The borough shaved nearly $260,000 off the renovation by removing two items from the […]
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National heli-ski group focuses on standards
The Haines Borough’s heli-ski season is just around the corner, and in the wake of an accident that killed two people last spring, concerns about safety aren’t going away. Like much of the recreation industry, heli-skiing falls largely outside most state and federal regulations concerning occupational safety and health. Similarly, the borough, which requires heli-ski […]
Posted inNews, Alaska Marine Highway System
Ferry land sale deal finalized
Three Haines Borough-owned parcels near the ferry terminal will be sold to state after months of price negotiations. The state initially appraised the land and offered $302,000, but borough manager Mark Earnest said this sounded like a low-ball offer and brought in an independent appraiser. “We contacted our attorney who worked with an appraiser…and his values were […]
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Barnett water tank to be replaced by summer
A decades-old, leaking wooden water tank on Barnett Drive will be replaced by a new steel tank by next summer. The Haines Borough Assembly recently authorized manager Mark Earnest to engage in a $538,000 construction contract with Southeast Road Builders for the completion of the project, which will include the removal and disposal of the existing pump station and […]
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Three cameras to be installed to watch docks
The Haines Borough will install three surveillance cameras at the Lutak and Port Chilkoot docks as part of a Department of Homeland Security grant requirement. The resolution authorizing borough manager Mark Earnest to purchase the three cameras for $18,075 assures “the borough has not gone camera crazy” in its summary statement. Earnest said the comment was probably added due to an […]
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Schedule for Earnest review
Haines Borough assembly members have received evaluation forms for manager Mark Earnest and will submit the completed forms to the Mayor by Jan. 15. The assembly will meet with Earnest as a committee of the whole on Jan. 22 to discuss the evaluations. The meeting typically occurs in executive session, meaning it is closed to the public, but Earnest […]
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Shakwak funds cut; highway may suffer
Congress’s recent failure to renew funding for a federal road maintenance program could impact tourism and trade in Haines. Funding for the Shakwak Project, a decades-old agreement between the United States and Canadian governments regarding reconstruction and maintenance of the Alaska Highway, was not renewed in this year’s federal highway bill. The U.S. government typically […]
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2012: The Year in Review
The earth moved in 2012 and the shift wasn’t only the “slump” on the side of Mount Ripinsky that cleaved a house and split Lutak Road. Four-term incumbent state Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, aiming to become Speaker of the House, lost his seat to Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a 23-year-old Sitkan seeking his first political office. Klukwan, Inc., once among the wealthiest Native […]