It appears likely the town will soon have a community and economic development director.

Taxpayers may be justifiably skeptical of funding this job. The town has twice previously hired economic development directors and twice discontinued the position. Further, this position’s job description and duties are written broadly enough to allow a person to while away an afternoon at the coffee shop while claiming to be working.

Also, there’s a good chance that many of the ideas generated by this office will be rejected because someone with authority will say: a) “That will never work,” b) “We tried that before and it didn’t work,” c) “We don’t have money for that,” d) “You can’t do that because that will upset special interest X,” or, e) “You can’t do that because it requires Mr. A and Mr. B to cooperate and they haven’t spoken for years.”

Acknowledging that accomplishing much with this job is a longshot, here are some ideas for the new hire:

Disregard your responsibilities over the swimming pool, youth recreation and tourism. Those departments already have managers who answer to the borough manager and those people don’t want to spend hours of their time explaining to you what they do all day.

Also, don’t worry about mine openings, railroads, or other mega-projects or mega-infrastructure. Those will or won’t happen on their own accord. Concentrate on what we already have and what people want to do. Your best return would come from investing in our town’s residents. They are a sure thing.

For economic development:

Work with Port Chilkoot Co. to find buyers or investors in Fort Seward, including the barracks buildings. Despite a lack of parking, rotting buildings, and virtually no government help for years, the Fort continues to draw interest and investment. See what you can do to accelerate that. Maybe call an East Coast boarding school and see if they’re interested in a northern campus. Tell them about the heli-skiing.

Talk to local manufacturers and see what the borough can do for them. We make skis, hot tubs, beer, hard liquor, totem poles, guitars and other things here. A few more workers at these shops could add substantially to the economy.

Pursue a commercial boatyard. The borough this fall made space for pulled-out boats at the waterfront. What other infrastructure can the government provide to promote work there? We’re a fishing town. There are people here who build and fix boats.

Meet with fish processors. Excursion Inlet Packing and Haines Packing put up tons of fish here each year, adding tax revenue and jobs to the community. What could the borough do to enhance their operations?

Open a “Made in Haines” store on Main Street. Rent an empty storefront and fill it exclusively with locally made goods. It could be your office. Maybe split the space with the Chamber of Commerce. That might cover staffing.

Finish the borough signage project. Visitors to our town, at the very least, need to be able to find our commercial center. Also, fix the sign at the ferry terminal that proudly proclaims what most travelers have known since the last port: That they’re in Alaska.

Consider launching a visitor event in August or April, including investigating resurrecting the Alaska Community Theater Festival, a biennial event that for decades brought Alaskans from all over to Haines in the spring.

Also, meet with organizers of our headline events – the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival, Southeast Alaska State Fair, Great Alaska Craft Beer and Homebrew Festival and Kluane-Chilkat Bike Race – and see what the borough can do to help them.

For community development:

Finish the Battery Point Trail improvement project. This trail is a diamond too long in the rough, a trail near town that everyone can use and appreciate – once the bumps and swampy sections are gone.

Consider a recreation program that includes adults. When the borough surveyed residents while rewriting its comprehensive plan, a recreation center was ranked #1 for what people wanted. A recreation program – that organizes and schedules events for residents of all ages – would likely find support as a place to start.

Address public access points to local inlets and rivers. Development in recent years has pitted recreationists against waterfront land owners. How about buying some corridors to popular, public beaches to avoid such conflicts?

Schedule meetings with service groups like the American Legion, Emblem Club, Woman’s Club, Alaska Arts Confluence and others to see how the borough can help them better fulfill their missions.

Create a central “town calendar” that could be used as a clearinghouse to avoid scheduling conflicts between events.

Pursue puppetry. There are at least three different groups creating this art in our town. Some of it is sophisticated, good stuff. Haines has historically been a theater town. How about a puppet theater and museum on Main Street? A grown-up puppet show is something that people off cruise ships haven’t seen yet.

Good luck. Haines can be a tough town for new people and new ideas. Get out in public. Speak with locals. Report on your progress. Work hard.

We welcome suggestions from readers with their own ideas for the community and economic development director.