Borough officials this week said recent efforts to bury view-obstructing utility lines at the intersection of Front Street and Old Haines Highway are “dead.” The state Department of Transportation’s reluctance to work with the borough on burying the lines this far into the project plus the expense involved have effectively “squashed” the idea, said public […]
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Assembly to decide on employee raises
The Haines Borough Assembly will decide July 23 whether to approve a package of raises and health insurance compensation for unionized borough workers which would increase the budget by about $151,000 in the current fiscal year. The cost of the contract would increase over each of the following two years. The Local 71 Union ratified the three-year […]
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Neighbors’ dispute stumps borough
Haines Borough officials this week said they have no legal recourse to remove seven large overturned stumps lining the roadway near the intersection of Lutak Road and First Avenue. The stumps, placed there by property owner Carol Waldo following a dispute with neighbors Keith and Irene Stigen, have been called “unattractive,” “unappealing,” and flat-out “ugly” by residents […]
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Muniplex cost: $8.6 million
An Anchorage-based architect estimates a new “muniplex” including Haines Borough offices, a fire hall, police station and assembly chambers would cost the Haines Borough about $8.5 million to build. The estimate does not include design, construction administration, furniture, fixtures, building permits, geological investigation or hazardous clean-up (if necessary). Jason Gamache, an architect with McCool Carlson Green, provided estimates for […]
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Assembly retains parking rules
The Haines Borough Planning Commission will have to go back to the drawing board to address parking requirements, as the assembly on June 25 struck down an ordinance endorsed by the commission to relax the rules. The ordinance would have allowed commercial business developers to allow adjacent, on-street parking to count toward parking space requirements with the permission […]
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Heli map committee seeks 22 changes
The Haines Borough’s ad-hoc heli-ski map committee is recommending 22 alterations to the current boundaries, including the expansion of areas in the Takhin Ridge and removal of lands in the Kicking Horse area. Of the 22 proposed changes, eight involve contraction of areas due to wildlife concerns and lack of use. Arguments for increased areas […]
Posted inElections, News
Borough adopts roster-style ballot
Elections for positions on the Haines Borough Assembly and school board will no longer pit candidate vs. candidate for specific seats. Mayor Stephanie Scott broke a 3-3 tie Tuesday to establish a roster-style ballot, eliminating the current system in which candidates vie for designated, individual seats. Assembly members Debra Schnabel, Joanne Waterman and Norm Smith supported the change; Dave Berry, Steve Vick and Jerry Lapp were opposed. “This system simply […]
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Culbeck cleared of conflict
Haines Borough attorney Brooks Chandler says assistant to the manager Darsie Culbeck should not be prohibited from working for an exploratory mining company while maintaining employment with the borough. Culbeck is working up to 10 hours per week for the borough while also working as camp manager for Constantine Metal Resources, a company performing exploratory […]
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Borough may offer early retirement
The Haines Borough may offer an early retirement incentive program to its employees in order to recoup some of the lost funding from state and federal sources. The assembly voted Tuesday to forward the draft program plan to the Government Services Committee and Finances Committee for review. The program would be available to employees who have worked […]
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Borough staffers fill in as acting manager
The Haines Borough is playing musical chairs with its top position until July 3, when manager Mark Earnest will return to work from a two-and-a-half week vacation. Earnest left June 17, putting second-in-command clerk Julie Cozzi in the acting manager position. Cozzi, then, left June 25. As the third and final borough officer, chief fiscal officer Jila Stuart would […]