The Haines Borough will send a letter to Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures informing them that use of a heliport at 26 Mile for commercial helicopter skiing is a violation of the company’s tour permit that could result in revocation. Mayor Stephanie Scott said the letter has been approved by the borough’s attorney. “We intend to hold the line. The terms of […]

Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures is going ahead with plans to use a 26 Mile Haines Highway site as a heliport, relying on a section of Haines Borough code the company says exempts it from acquiring a conditional use permit to stage heli-skiing tours from the site, according to Mayor Stephanie Scott. Scott said SEABA co-owner Scott Sundberg told her Tuesday that SEABA notified borough […]

Haines Borough officials this week said there’s time to develop disposal alternatives in the wake of Community Waste Solution’s decision last week to no longer accept municipal sludge at its FAA Road landfill. In a limited statement this week, company president Tom Hall said he would like to accept sludge again at some later date. “My […]

The Haines Borough would spend up to $15,000 on a Lynn Canal Gillnetters Association study aimed at improving sockeye escapement to Chilkat and Chilkoot lakes, according to an ordinance the assembly advanced last week. J.R. Churchill of the gillnetters’ group submitted the funding request “to review Alaska Department of Fish and Game data and management policies for the past […]

Haines Borough Manager Mark Earnest plans to depart his position within the next two years to further the education of his 9-year-old son, who has completed chemistry and pre-calculus courses. “As many of you already know, my family and I will need to relocate to another community in the not too distant future to accommodate the educational needs […]

Haines Borough meetings will get a new look – including increased opportunity for public comment and more assembly research in advance of meetings – under plans laid out by new Mayor Stephanie Scott at a work session with assembly members Nov. 3. A list of “housekeeping” issues addressed during the session ranged from reviewing the purpose and status of […]

An ordinance to permit off-premises or “sandwich” signs as a conditional use will go to the Haines Borough’s government affairs and services committee, following weeks of assembly discussion about balancing business with an orderly downtown. Members of the assembly and Haines Borough Planning Commission have taken up the ordinance since it was introduced in June and have […]

The Haines Borough Assembly on Oct. 25 approved the first appointments to the new Haines Port Development Steering Committee. Departing Mayor Jan Hill appointed Michael Ganey, Alaska Marine Trucking; Fred Gray, Delta Western; Darwin Green, Constantine Metal Resources; Scott Hansen, Chilkoot Indian Association; and resident Roger Maynard to the committee. The assembly approved all five appointments. The group is slated […]

The Haines Borough Assembly last week voted 4-1 to authorize manager Mark Earnest to hire from a pool of four consultants for the municipality’s “special projects.” Approved consultants include Agnew Beck Consulting of Anchorage and residents Darsie Culbeck, James Kallenberg and Burl Sheldon. “The idea is that we would have assistance on focused attention on some of the priority […]