Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

Haines Borough leaders – or citizens – would be wise to put this advisory question on the ballot for the October municipal election: “Do you support the borough’s harbor expansion, as planned?”

It would be wise because voters haven’t yet been asked.

It also would be wise because the assembly approved the expansion plan only by a vote of 4-2. That’s a shaky foundation for going ahead with a project budgeted at $30 million. The split vote represents an amount of doubt among residents that can’t easily be dismissed.

Leaders who support the project – including the Mayor and most assembly members – plan to spend an amount 2.5 times larger than the borough’s annual budget. That money isn’t coming only from them or the fishing fleet. It’s coming from all of us. Each of us should have a say on how $30 million in public money is spent in our town.

Other benefits to such a vote might include compelling project advocates : 1) to say where they expect the remaining, unfunded $10 million to complete the project will come from, 2) to show how the finished project will appear to the eye, and, 3) to demonstrate that the project’s benefits will at least match its costs.

These matters have not been adequately addressed. A full and informed debate on the project’s final design has not occurred, maybe because supporters would rather the yackety-yack go away.

It won’t.

But the debate would be settled if a vote of the people demonstrated that a majority of residents want this project, as planned, at projected costs. If a majority doesn’t want this project, the assembly can regroup and develop an alternative the public supports.

Without a vigorous debate and a fair vote of citizens, completion of the planned project would likely bring years of doubts and hard feelings. That’s no win-win. That’s a win-lose.

We can do better.

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Recent traffic up the Mount Ripinsky race trail has knocked loose several large rocks that have served as footholds for hikers making the steep climb.

That’s not unusual. Use over time takes a toll on trails. Footfalls dig ruts and footholds are lost. Then when rains come, trails become streams, compounding erosion that occurs naturally. Increasing use of trails that has come with tourism promotion has added to the deterioration.

Our trails are in bad shape partly because there’s no local group maintaining them. State parks officials and volunteers make improvements from time to time, when money and time allow, but there’s no regular schedule for upkeep, much less any attempt to expand our local trail system to accommodate increased interest and use.

One potential solution for this situation is formation of a local trail-building crew. As modeled after such groups in other towns, a trail crew could be established as a nonprofit that could seek grants and other sources of funding to do targeted projects, or contract directly with agencies that own local lands or with the Haines Borough.

Ideally, this would be an enterprise led by young people with strong backs and an eagerness to earn money, learn trail-building and spend the summer outdoors. One adult could lead the group, which could recruit local teenagers each year.

Our trails need help. Such a group could provide it.

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In retrospect, the CVN should have previewed on the front page the public open house June 27 at Rainbow Glacier Camp. The event was a neighborly opportunity to see what’s new at the Christian summer camp, including trying out a new, 450-foot zip line. As a place for children to experience the outdoors and spectacular Paradise Cove, the camp is an asset to our community. As view properties around here get gobbled up as sites for trophy homes, the camp will only increase in value. We hope for the camp’s continued success, and perhaps a second open house to give youths another chance to ride the zip line.

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Dave Pahl deserves a key to the city for the time and labor he spent completing the Keystone Driller exhibit at Lookout Park. This antique engine sat prominently on our waterfront for nearly 30 years decaying, most of those years without signage explaining what it was or why it was significant. Pahl adopted the project, secured Haines Borough funding and rebuilt the drill’s wooden frame and base. This spring he added a large plaque illustrating how the machine worked and a historic photo of it operating. Borough funding didn’t cover expenses on this project, so Pahl donated many hours to make sure it was done right. If you see Dave, give him a pat on the back.

- Tom Morphet