Haines Borough hears community concerns as dock rebuild proceeds after cruise-line offer withdraws

Haines Borough staff laid out a 95% design and funding plan for a long-awaited rebuild of the failing Letnikoff dock and heard more than an hour of public comment after American Cruise Lines (ACL) withdrew a proposed contribution.

Harbormaster Henry presented the design work the borough has advanced through ports and harbors: double-pipe floats with additional anchor chains, hinge junctions to avoid previous structural failures, safety features such as lifelines and ladders, and an expanded launch ramp and parking plan. Henry said the assembly selected the concept on Aug. 27, 2024, and staff advanced it to 95% design "so the design costs, which only rise over time, are done now." He told residents the project team will need matching funds to apply for state Tier 1 harbor grants, which cover up to $5 million with a required 50/50 match.

"Under the tier 1 grant program, $5,000,000 max and a 50/50 grant match program," Henry said, adding that the Harbors Enterprise fund cannot meet the match alone and that options include private contributions, partnerships, bonds or user-fee increases. He noted the borough brought in about $48,000 in raw-fish tax last year as an example of limited local revenue available for match.

The meeting also addressed an earlier, now-withdrawn offer from ACL. The mayor opened the meeting by saying ACL first proposed $2 million and later increased that to an amount the borough estimated could cover the full project, but opposition prompted ACL to withdraw the offer. "The ACL offer is now gone, to my understanding," the mayor said.

That offer and its withdrawal fueled the largest concerns from commercial and subsistence fishers, who said putting cruise-ship calls in or near the Letnikoff inlet would conflict with gillnet openings and risk gear damage and safety incidents. "You're willing to cut off people's livelihood to benefit other people's livelihood," one fisher said, summarizing opposition widely expressed in the room. Another long-time fisher asked whether the borough would provide a relief fund if commercial gear were damaged.

Residents and fishermen pressed technical and safety points: the inlet is narrow in places, Coast Guard traffic-lane rules and vessel draft can constrain navigation, and Haines lacks tug or assist vessels to respond quickly if a ship runs aground. Several speakers described a prior incident when a large cruise ship transiting near gillnetters caused chaos; other attendees said ACL's vessels under discussion are much smaller but the community remained concerned about scheduling reliability and safety.

Some commenters urged a smaller, phased approach to construction rather than building to the maximum Tier 1 scale, arguing the borough may not be able to sustain operations and maintenance on a larger facility. "Maybe it's not 20 boats, maybe it's five boats," one resident said, urging a reduced-footprint option. Borough staff replied that the assembly authorized the current design and that staff's role is to pursue all funding options while bringing any private partnership offers through the elected body.

Supporters of working with ACL argued the line under discussion would be a low-impact operator and could provide recurring passenger fees to help sustain harbor infrastructure. "Their plan is to have smaller boats with a capacity of 130 people that comes with a passenger fee that will grow a pot of money that can sustain a dock and the small boat harbor," Reba Hilton, who identified herself as a tourism director, said.

Public facilities director Grama Johnson cautioned that permitting and fabrication will add time: permitting is likely to take 12–18 months and float fabrication roughly eight months once procurement is underway, and if funding takes years to secure the borough should add roughly two additional years before the dock returns to service.

Next steps: staff said the design will go to the planning commission for further review and invited residents to a BlueTech dock meeting on Feb. 12 (6–8 p.m.) with a Zoom option; staff also announced a project portal and asked for emailed comments to communityengagementclerk@haynes.ak.us. The assembly will receive public input and decide whether to accept any private partnership offers, pursue grants, or direct staff toward alternative funding or phasing.

The meeting provided the borough with clear public guidance: many residents favor a locally focused facility and caution against accommodating routine cruise-ship calls in the inlet without stronger community agreement and firm commitments to scheduling and safety.