Following more than an hour of comments at a Haines Borough Assembly public hearing Tuesday, members advanced a revised helicopter skiing ordinance that would permit up to three operators to share a 2,600 skier-day limit. The ordinance will have at least one more public hearing, its fifth, set for Tuesday, March 8. The assembly advanced the amended […]
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Major heli-ski issues up in air
With less than a week until possible adoption of a revised helicopter skiing ordinance, a mayor-appointed work group has yet to reach consensus on its most controversial elements, including numbers of skier days, a map of permitted areas, and allowing a third operator. “These are all contentious issues that will require a lengthy public process,” […]
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More skier days, 3rd operator proposed; Plan would up skier days to 2,600, incorporate ‘photographer days’
Resident Rob Goldberg said he stopped answering his phone following a proposal to more than double the Haines Borough’s heli-skiing skier-day limit to 2,600. Goldberg, a member of a mayor-appointed heli-skiing work group, has worked on a revised helicopter skiing ordinance with borough manager Mark Earnest and borough attorney Brooks Chandler. At Tuesday’s Haines Borough Assembly meeting, Goldberg explained […]
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Heli group still seeks consensus
A proposed helicopter skiing ordinance is set for a third public hearing at Tuesday’s Haines Borough Assembly meeting. The heli-skiing season opened this month, but a mayor-appointed heli-skiing work group has yet to reach consensus on recommendations for the assembly’s ordinance. The most recent draft of the ordinance included reference to a heli-skiing map that would designate […]
Posted inThank You Letters
Avalanche course thanks
Last week, 13 Haines School students completed a three-day, Level 1 avalanche course. Students learned to evaluate snow avalanche hazard by recognizing terrain, weather, and snow conditions contributing to avalanches and to perform specific tests to assess snow stability. They practiced avalanche rescue using beacons, probes, and shovels. These students are to be commended for their […]
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Assembly renews SEABA permit
The Haines Borough Assembly on Tuesday voted 6-0 to renew a commercial permit for Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures (SEABA) following lengthy discussion on how the business should be penalized for exceeding its skier day limit. In lieu of a penalty or probation, the company will have to come before the assembly again for its 2012 permit. SEABA must submit […]
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Assembly ranks project priorities, delays heli-ski permit
The Haines Borough Assembly Dec. 14 approved resolutions that ranked 2011 federal and state legislative priorities. The capital budget priorities for the Legislature, in order, were road upgrades, boat harbor improvements and the Lutak port facility master plan. “I always remember this list being way longer than this,” said member Scott Rossman. Borough manager Mark Earnest said he had consulted State […]
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Permit sought Tuesday for 3rd heli-ski operation
The Haines Borough Assembly on Tuesday is scheduled to consider an Alaska Mountain Guides application for a helicopter skiing permit, but a mayor-appointed work group has yet to make a recommendation on how permit approval would impact the boroughwide allocation of skier days. A public hearing will be held. “It seems premature,” said resident Rob Goldberg, one […]
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Helicopter-ski committee takes up map, GPS issues
Mayor Jan Hill appointed two members of the Haines Borough’s heli-skiing work group to a map subcommittee at a Nov. 23 meeting, after discussion had shifted to global positioning system technology for monitoring helicopter flight paths. Hill instructed Sean Brownell of Alaska Heliskiing and resident Rob Goldberg to “try to incorporate some of the suggested new areas […]
Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Heli-skiing meeting set for Tuesday
The Haines Borough’s heli-skiing work group will have its second meeting Tuesday, Nov. 23, at 3:30 p.m. in the assembly chambers. The nine-member committee includes Mayor Jan Hill, Haines Borough Assembly members Daymond Hoffman and Joanne Waterman, residents Rob Goldberg, Joe Ordonez and Carolyn Weishahn, Sean Brownell of Alaska Heliskiing, Sean Gaffney of Alaska Mountain Guides and Scott Sundberg of Southeast Alaska […]