The Haines Borough is extending its Board of Equalization process in order to accommodate a flood of property assessment appeals. About 420 appeals were filed before the April 15 deadline. Contract assessor James Canary said due to the volume of appeals, the borough will not have inspected many properties before Monday’s scheduled Board of Equalization (BOE) hearing. […]
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Efforts will brighten Main Street
Efforts to beautify downtown Haines are coming together to give Main Street a facelift before the beginning of tourist season. In addition to art installations in seven Howsers windows, displays commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Alaska Marine Highway will be mounted in windows of the Coliseum Theater building and at the ferry terminal in the […]
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Panel seeks price tag on new muniplex
An ad-hoc committee charged with prioritizing the fate of public facilities in the Haines Borough is investigating how much it would cost to design and build a new structure containing the fire hall, jail, dispatch center, assembly chambers, government offices and possibly the visitor’s center. The building would go in the area of the existing public safety […]
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Fireworks set off dispute at Mosquito Lake
Resident complaints about late-night fireworks in the Mosquito Lake Road area have troopers instituting new rules about firework use in the neighborhood. Several residents recently complained to Haines Borough officials and troopers about fireworks exploding as late as 2 a.m., set off by area lodge owner Bruce Bauer and customers there. Gely Diaz de Sutcliffe, who lives […]
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Assembly scratches $2,300 for new chairs
For assembly members, sitting around at meetings won’t be getting any easier. Members on Tuesday narrowly struck $2,300 from next year’s borough budget for new chairs around the dais. The assembly split 3-3 on the budget item, with Mayor Stephanie Scott breaking the tie with her vote to nix them. Members Steve Vick, Debra Schnabel and Joanne Waterman voted against the chairs; assembly […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
‘Respect’ turnout shows town cares
I would like to thank everyone that participated in the recent “Choose Respect” march. Your presence made a statement that our community does care! I would like to thank our guest speakers, Kevin Worley from Gov. Sean Parnell’s office, Amy Williams, assistant district attorney, former Mayor Jan Hill, and Joe Hotch. Each of you presented powerful messages […]
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Lowe gets $53K in payout, paid leave
Haines Borough Police Chief Gary Lowe will receive three months of paid leave plus a $36,000 payout as part of a “negotiated separation agreement” with the Haines Borough. The agreement, signed April 8 and released Tuesday, was negotiated between manager Mark Earnest, Lowe and attorney Brooks Chandler. It allows Lowe to remain on paid leave until June 17, when […]
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Office java makes the cut
For now, coffee appears to be safe in the Haines Borough budget. In discussion of the public works budget Tuesday, assembly member Joanne Waterman said she would like to see coffee removed from the budgeted list of expenses. “Coffee is a personal item. It’s not a borough expense. Borough money should not be used to pay for employee coffee,” […]
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Library addition stirs discussion
The Haines Borough Public Library Board is pursuing plans to construct a 600-square-foot addition to the library, but whether borough funds will be used to design the project is under debate. Library board chair Anne Marie Palmieri said the group has been talking about the addition for the past two years but recently approached the borough, asking […]
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Assembly reverses bear tour vote
After denying a former Haines bear monitor a permit to conduct small-scale bear-viewing tours along the Chilkoot River, the Haines Borough Assembly reversed its decision and voted unanimously to award the permit at its April 9 meeting. The assembly split 3-3 during its March 26 meeting on whether to issue the permit to the Great Bear Foundation, […]