The Haines Borough Assembly approved a major spending package Tuesday, including $41,300 to study helicopter noise, $22,000 to study the police department and $100,000 for planning toward Lutak Dock improvements. The assembly voted 5-1 to approve the package, with assembly member Ron Jackson opposed. Mayor Jan Hill broke the tie in favor of including the noise study in the spending package, […]
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Cost of helicopter noise study soars
The cost of a noise study to monitor the impacts of a heliport near 26 Mile Haines Highway has ballooned from a Haines Borough staff estimate of about $7,000 to nearly $52,000. The borough assembly voted in April to solicit bids for a helicopter noise study after it voted to overturn a planning commission decision and approved a conditional use […]
Posted inNews
Crime, weather left mark on 2014
The Haines Borough, its school and police department, came under new management in 2014, a year marked by lopsided weather patterns, infrastructure worries and chronic crime. Acts of courage brightened a townscape clouded as much by economic uncertainty as by months of rain. Luke Marquardt ran back into a house fire to save a friend. Novice […]
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Planners approve 3 helipads at 10 Mile
The Haines Borough Planning Commission last week approved a conditional use permit for the installation of three helipads at 10 Mile Haines Highway, despite the developer’s refusal to provide details on plans for the landing site. The commission voted 5-2 to approve John Floreske’s permit. Commissioners Heather Lende and Lee Heinmiller were opposed. When asked what he […]
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Borough legal bill $70K last year
The Haines Borough spent about $70,000 on legal services in the past year, including $11,500 on the 2013 election investigation and $7,000 on the appeal of a conditional use permit recently issued by the borough for construction of a heliport near 26 Mile Haines Highway. Borough attorney Brooks Chandler presented a breakdown of the fiscal year 2014 costs to […]
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Chilkat Lake Road rezone petition found to be flawed
Discussion of a possible rezone of 72 acres of property near .6 Mile Chilkat Lake Road ended abruptly last week when the rezone petitioner stormed out of the planning commission meeting. Scott Sundberg in May submitted a petition to rezone 15 lots on the west side of Chilkat Lake Road from general use, the most […]
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Planners want consideration
Several members of the Haines Borough Planning Commission asked for more support from the assembly during a joint meeting of the two bodies last week, citing overturned decisions and unheeded recommendations that caused discontent. Commission chair Rob Goldberg said he would like the assembly to “take the planning commission seriously,” and give the group’s decisions “the weight […]
Posted inNews
Borough to solicit bids for helicopter noise study
At the direction of the Haines Borough Assembly, manager David Sosa will begin soliciting bids for noise studies estimated to cost between $6,000 and $7,500 aimed at monitoring the impacts of a heliport near 26 Mile Haines Highway. The assembly voted 5-1 to pursue bids for the studies, with assembly member Joanne Waterman opposed. After Sosa and executive assistant to […]
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Assembly postpones helicopter noise plan
The Haines Borough Assembly Tuesday postponed directing the manager to craft a plan for monitoring the impact of helicopter operations near 26 Mile Haines Highway, claiming it wanted to see an estimated cost for the plan first. The assembly recently overturned a borough planning commission decision and approved a conditional use permit for Big Salmon Ventures, sister […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Sorry for helicopter intrusion at lodge
I want to apologize to Mosquito Lake residents who were surprised and upset about a helicopter landing at the Funny Farm on Monday. First, we appreciate your support in the last decade of the heli-ski industry here in Haines. Secondly, Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures and Last Frontier Air Ventures do not condone any helicopter activities […]