Skagway advisory board asks tourism director to draft Daae Flats statement, schedules vendor review; approves 2025 meeting dates

The Daae Community Advisory Board met in January and spent its main discussion on the Daae Flats management plan, commercial vendor oversight and the Skagway Tourism Best Management Practices (TBMP) program, asking Skagway Tourism Director Jamie Bricker to draft a short statement about the flats’ values for the Assembly and to prepare material for a scheduled vendor review next month.

The board’s request came after members raised concerns about road and fire safety, environmental impacts including waterborne effluent from cruise-ship scrubbers, noise, and access for people with mobility limitations. Jamie Bricker, Skagway’s tourism director, described the TBMP program as voluntary for most partners and said, “This is a voluntary program, other than the tour companies that if they want to be permitted to use the docks, it is a requirement for them to sign up for TBMP in order to get their permit.”

Board members said a short, digestible statement or short paragraph addressing the Daae Flats specifically — its cultural and ecological values and basic etiquette for visitors — would help convey community expectations. “I would vote that we have some statement, maybe six sentences or something that could be given to the assembly members and then potentially woven in that address the uniqueness of the Daae Flats specifically,” the board chair said. Several members prioritized a few core topics for that statement: road safety, fire safety, environmental health (including litter and noise), and wildlife protection.

Lynn Davidson pressed for clearer language in the TBMP and related code about emissions and water discharges from vessels, saying cruise-ship scrubbers can discharge effluent near the dock. Davidson said she discussed the issue with a federal office and reported what she was told: “They are allowed to, to release effluent from scrubbers at the dock. And I actually clarified that with, with, Senator Murkowski's office last year, and she said, yes. Indeed. They are.” The board did not adopt any regulatory change; members agreed to have the tourism director and staff consider language additions to TBMP and to the code excerpts the board is reviewing.

The board also discussed accessibility concerns after a report that two passengers with limited mobility had difficulty being loaded at the railroad dock ramp. Davidson said she would like language that clarifies ADA loading/unloading access at municipal docks and ramps. Bricker noted TBMP does not supersede federal law but said she would add the docking/access issue to her list of items to work on.

Jamie Bricker outlined proposed TBMP edits for the coming season, including information about road-safety bicycle hand signals, a visitor pledge, and signage to protect Naku Conservation Area as a culturally sensitive site. Bricker said the TBMP program has expanded since its 2020 start and now includes about 55 participants; she said she would reach out to the visitor advisory board’s chair and vice chair about a regular TBMP work session.

The board agreed that the next steps are: Bricker will prepare a concise draft statement or outline addressing the Daae Flats’ core values and concerns; the board will schedule a vendor-review item as unfinished business for the next meeting and ask municipal staff to provide permit and seasonal data for commercial operators who work in the Daae area; and the board will consider a short work session to draft language the board could forward to the Assembly.

Votes at a glance: the board approved routine meeting business during the session. Motions recorded in the minutes included approval of the meeting agenda, approval of the minutes from the Dec. 11 meeting, and adoption of the 2025 meeting schedule. (See actions array for movers/seconds and recorded outcomes.)

Members said they want future follow-up to include clearer confirmation of which commercial operators are considered within the board’s review purview under the Daae Flats code and to ensure municipal staff contact vendors for the annual review. The board asked staff to place vendor review and the draft Daae Flats statement on the next meeting agenda.