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

The Haines Borough government broke the rules on the FEMA-funded Porcupine Road project this summer, and FEMA pulled the funding, leaving local taxpayers with a bill for $1.4 million. That hurts, but it’s also a warning. The Haines Borough government is also breaking the rules with the $20 million RAISE grant that could fund the Lutak Dock rebuild. That money is not in the bank and is not guaranteed — the $20 million grant agreement is not signed, the permitting is not done, and the borough has already broken the rules on that grant, too. Meanwhile, the manager signed a $25.6 million contract with Turnagain Marine to build the dock and has refused to say how much has been spent out of the money we don’t yet have. That could be a big problem for local taxpayers. The assembly should issue a stop-work order, reassess the dock design, and determine what is happening with the grant. Stop spending money we don’t have. Stop breaking the rules. Stop risking our future and our money for a project that isn’t urgent. The Ro-Ro delivers our freight, and the grant timeline gives us until 2029 to rebuild the Lutak Dock. It’s time to slow down and respect borough taxpayers. The assembly meets on Tuesday, Dec. 12. Let’s help them resolve this issue before we get more in debt and have more to regret.

Eric Holle