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

Haines Economic Development Corporation (HEDC) is holding a workshop Nov. 12 to hear public input for a new five-year economic development plan.

The document “serves as the organization’s guiding document, driving grant-seeking to fund projects that can make progress toward the community’s economic development priorities,” according to an HEDC press release.

The organization is currently operating under a plan that was drafted by McDowell Group in 2018 and intended to last through 2022. McKinsey Capital Management bought McDowell in 2020 and created a new research branch that will facilitate the report, which will be published early next year, HEDC executive director Lee Hart said.

The Nov. 12 workshop — which will run from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the library and on Zoom — will be used as an opportunity for community members to provide their perspectives and comment on which aspects of the existing plan still apply and which need to be updated.

McDowell researchers conducted dozens of interviews, held public meetings and surveyed community members to inform the current plan. The document has been used as a measure of community support for various industries and economic initiatives and is often cited as evidence about what residents want for Haines’ economic future. It also helps HEDC obtain grants for economic development.

Details about the workshop, including a Zoom link, can be found on the Haines Borough’s online calendar.