The Haines Borough Assembly last week approved an ordinance for spot checks of global positioning system data to monitor compliance with helicopter skiing regulations. Assemblymen Daymond Hoffman and Norm Smith were opposed in the 4-2 vote. As introduced in January, the ordinance would have required regular reporting of GPS data, but kept it confidential unless required in an investigation or court […]

A Haines Borough contingent won’t be making the trip to Washington, D.C., this spring. “There are so many things that need to be tended to here in the borough, and I feel an absence from the borough should only be undertaken if it’s absolutely required,” said Mayor Stephanie Scott. She sought assembly approval last week to cancel the annual […]

A “roundtable” discussion with Sen. Lisa Murkowski at the American Bald Eagle Foundation was canceled last month due to weather that prevented her travel. Haines Borough Mayor Stephanie Scott this week said the visit might be re-scheduled for spring or summer. The event, open to the public, was to cover topics such as school funding, borough maintenance conditions, the federal […]

The Haines Borough Assembly voted 5-1 on Tuesday to uphold a planning commission decision denying Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures a permit to use its 26 Mile property as a heliport. In a split 3-3 vote in January, the borough planning commission rejected a conditional use permit for a heliport at .6 Mile Chilkat Lake Road. SEABA appealed the decision to the assembly […]

Commercial fishermen are hoping to enlist broad community support in an effort to reverse a perceived decline in the area’s wild salmon runs, starting with an upcoming meeting with Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials from Juneau. Haines Borough leaders, who sought the meeting and have designated money for research, have joined what area gillnetters […]

Under a proposed ordinance up for adoption Tuesday, global positioning system data for helicopter skiing submitted to the Haines Borough is public information, but it’s unclear how often that information would be collected. The assembly last week amended the ordinance that would have made the data confidential, unless required in an official investigation or court proceeding. Members […]

The Haines Borough Assembly on Tuesday, Feb. 28, will rehear a planning commission decision that denied a company’s request for a permit to use a 26 Mile heliport for commercial helicopter skiing. Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures (SEABA) is seeking a conditional use permit for a heliport at .6 Mile Chilkat Lake Road, across the steel bridge. “We’ve displayed clear intent for […]

Sen. Lisa Murkowski will be in Haines on Tuesday to hold a “roundtable” discussion with borough officials, community leaders and residents. The public is invited to attend the discussion, set for 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the American Bald Eagle Foundation. Some of the topics likely to be discussed are school funding, borough building conditions, the […]

Mayor Stephanie Scott last month appointed six residents to a task force that will examine responses to a “request for qualifications” for community center professional design services. Appointees include Dave Berry, Chilkoot Indian Association; Lenise Henderson Fontenot, Downtown Revitalization Committee; Daymond Hoffman and Steve Vick, Haines Borough Assembly; Rob Goldberg, Haines Borough Planning Commission; and Michael Byer, Haines Borough School District. One more seat […]

Mayor Stephanie Scott on Tuesday twice broke tie votes of the Haines Borough Assembly regarding global positioning system data for helicopter skiing, advancing amendments that would lead to spot checks for compliance that would be public information. The assembly delayed a vote on adopting the amended ordinance until Tuesday, Feb. 28. “What we’re really trying to do here, I […]