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

Commercial fishermen are again pushing to store their boats on the expanded parking lot at the downtown harbor.

The idea will be discussed at the June 22 meeting of the borough’s Ports and Harbors Advisory Committee, said Norman Hughes, committee vice-chair.

The advisory committee last year proposed allowing limited commercial vessel storage at the Portage Cove Boat Launch facility during off-season, but the assembly turned back the idea on a 5-1 vote for reasons including government competition with existing private storage yards.

Hughes said he is interested in revisiting the issue and gathering more information. Because the harbor lot was built with state funds dedicated for sportfish purposes, storage of commercial vessels requires agreement by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

The cooperative agreement between the Haines Borough and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game that funded the project dictates that the launch facility should be managed for the benefit of recreational boating and sport fishing.

The agreement’s language includes that “the parcel should be used exclusively for boat launch ramps, boarding floats and a parking area for vehicles with boat trailers and other improvements incidental to the project.”

In an email, Mark Catterson, Southeast Alaska Coordinator for the Department of Fish and Game, said this week: “The purpose of the cooperative agreement is to ensure the facility remains available to recreational boaters and sport anglers. This does not mean others cannot use the site, but they should not displace the intended user or cause damage to the facility.”

Hughes wants to gauge if there is a community need for use of the harbor parking lot, and whether Fish and Game has any potential concerns.

When this issue came up last year, the Department of Fish and Game drafted a list of conditions under which boats could be stored there.

Under the “Portage Cove Use Agreement,” vessel storage could not interfere with recreational boaters, that it would be allowed from mid-September through mid-May, with a maximum of 10 vessels between 30 and 40 feet. Additionally, the borough would be responsible for maintenance, and storage fees collected could not exceed costs of operation and maintenance.

Harbormaster Shawn Bell said previous concerns about storage there included competition with private boat lots and concerns over vessels not leaving when required. The maintenance of the parked vessels was also viewed as additional liability.

Bell said there have been a few requests for commercial vessel storage recently, “So that tells me there is the need.”

Currently, only short-term storage is allowed at the harbor.

If people need to store their boats during off-season, they have the option of using private lots like one on Small Tracts Road owned by John Schumacher or go to Skagway, where boat storage is offered uplands of the harbor.

Schumacher says that he gets 10 or more boats in the winter, and it’s “good income” for him but he said government boat storage wouldn’t compete with his business at all. He also builds and repairs vessels. “I can take it or leave it… The harbor needs to be more flexible.”

Fisherman Hughes said using Schumacher’s lot can be tricky, as it’s difficult to find a vehicle to haul boats there and overhead utility lines can pose hazards.

Bill Thomas, who is in support of using the Portage Cove lot for vessel storage, says that people have been complaining about having to bring their boats to Skagway. “I don’t think it’s competing with private industry,” he says about the harbor lot. “It’s just easier to pull their boats there, especially with the cost of everything these days.”

Some harbors in other Southeast communities provide storage services. In Skagway, their Small Boat Harbor provides upland storage at 20 cents per square foot monthly. In Wrangell, the Marine Service Center provides haul-out and repair services for vessels up to 100 feet and winter storage for vessels 38 to 42 feet.