Assembly Briefs

More Chilkoot Tour Permits 

The assembly approved two more tour permits for operations in the Chilkoot Lake area

The applications, from Cyclops Cycles and Sue Rakes Photography, come during renewed scrutiny on overcrowding and tourist behavior in the bear-heavy area. 

Rakes, and Cyclops owners Andrew and Natassja Letchworth, both submitted applications cognizant of this controversy, emphasizing limited operations and including backup plans were the assembly to not approve operations inside park boundaries. 

Cyclops faced challenges in its first year of operations last year, with police saying its e-bikes and mopeds were too slow for safe operation on the highway. This year, the couple has asked for several modifications to their existing permit which the assembly ultimately split into five parts to discuss. 

The application comes with a partial recommendation from the Tourism Advisory Board, which has endorsed Cyclops tours’ request to travel to the bridge area outside of the Chilkoot corridor. 

During that meeting, tourism director Rebecca Hylton said that her approval was based on a belief that tourists behave better in the Chilkoot corridor when on a guided tour than they do independently. 

“We can’t stop people from going out there,” said Hylton, “so the more people that are guided the better.”

Part of that TAB discussion was about support from new park ranger Jacques Turcotte in managing tourist-bear interactions, with  TAB member Lori Smith saying she supported the permit, but “only because… this year we have a full-time park ranger who’s going to be out there every day.” 

Turcotte later said during an assembly meeting public comment that “it is inaccurate he will be at Chilkoot 24/7,” saying that he has “over 60k acres to patrol.” Turcotte added that the bridge “passes over the park,” and activities around the bridge “actively affect things inside the park.” 

Smith also said she, like tourists, stops on the bridge to look at bears. Turcotte noted that according to state law, no one is allowed to stop or stand on that bridge. 

In the face of this pushback, the Letchworths, in their application, call the Lutak permit  “the difference between our business failing or thriving.”  

Letchworth sought, and received permits to:

—Take tours of people on e-bikes or mopeds to Lutak Road ending at the bridge; that tour has a maximum of 330 people a year. 

—Take people to Viking Cove for glass-blowing classes with an annual capacity of 250. This permit is contingent upon the company getting a conditional use permit as well. 

— Expand the Drinks of Haines tour to include a driving tour with an annual limit of less than 500 people.

— Offer a van tour of the Haines Highway from town to the border with Canada and back with an annual limit of 500 people. 

During voting on  the Cyclops Cycles Chilkoot permit, Kevin Forster apologized to Letchworth for how complicated the process has been,but acknowledged that adding to the volume of traffic in the Chilkoot area without more regulation seemed like a bad idea. 

“The question is, when does it end,” assembly member Kevin Forster said. “It’s clear we’ve got to fix it.” 

Assembly member Gabe Thomas ultimately voted to support Letchworth’s permit expansion, but encouraged Letchworth to think about getting his guests into less congested areas. 

“I’m going to let you go on this one even though last year I felt like you kind of strong-armed us into it,” he said. “I will be honest when nobody else wants to say it, but you kind of strong-armed us into it last year because you already had tours sold and you came begging for [a permit].” 

Rakes’ permit application is similar, but for far smaller numbers. Rakes hopes to bring 2-3 person photography tours for a total of 70-130 customers between now and the end of the calendar year. The application includes two possible plans for the assembly to consider: one for full park access, though no Lutak tours between mid-August and mid-September “if there is already too much traffic and visitors in the park looking for bears,” according to the permit application. The other option is operation only to the bridge, and only outside of that August-September period. 

There was not as much pushback on her permit request. Assembly member Loomis said he trusted Rakes to not add to the congestion in the Chilkoot corridor, but wanted to see more data about what was happening in the Chilkoot River area. 

Rakes got her permit approved as well on a 5-1 vote, with Loomis as the lone dissenter. 

The assembly also referred the issue of traffic in the Chilkoot corridor to the Tourism Advisory Board and its Government Affairs and Services Committee – though Morphet noted that there has been a Chilkoot corridor plan since the late 1990s and said the borough is somewhat hamstrung in this situation. 

“They’re not our bears, it’s not our river and it’s not our road,” he said. 

Accessory Dwelling Units

The assembly also considered introducing a measure from the planning commission that could allow people to add apartments or small residential homes known as accessory dwelling units to their property. 

It’s being pitched as a possible solution to Haines’ housing shortage. The idea behind the measure is increased flexibility, with individual homeowners able to add to the housing stock on their own property without taking on large construction projects. 

That doesn’t mean just anything can go up: under this proposal, to qualify for a permit, a structure must have bath and kitchen facilities and must be either below 1,000 square feet, or 70 percent of the gross floor area of the principal dwelling on the lot – whichever is less. An accessory dwelling unit, which may be attached or unattached to existing housing on the lot, will be included in square footage calculations for maximum lot coverage regulations. 

The idea was to introduce it and set up two public hearings, but Forster asked – and the assembly agreed – to delay and bring it up at its next meeting for introduction again. 

A settlement with Southeast Road Builders

The borough has officially entered a settlement in a lawsuit with Southeast Roadbuilders regarding permitting for a gravel pit on Lutak Road. That dispute had been going on for a year-and-a-half, but began to come to a close during a February assembly meeting, where the assembly again went into executive session and then came out and voted to accept the settlement deal. At the time, interim borough manager Fullerton denied a records request seeking details of the settlement, arguing that the document wouldn’t become official – and therefore public – until accepted by both parties. 

That is now the case, and details have been released: the borough will issue a conditional use permit to SERB for the gravel pit, and SERB will drop its litigation in the dispute.

The settlement also contains language saying that both SERB and the borough pay their own attorneys’ fees. But there is no mention of how much it will cost the borough in the settlement documentation and when assembly member Gabe Thomas asked Fullerton for a final accounting, she said she did not know. 

“I’m just kind of curious because we spent a bunch of money and then turned around and backed it out,” he said. 

Assembly member Smith said the full accounting for those expenses would be discussed during the next finance committee meeting; it’s currently scheduled for May 13. The assembly voted 5-1 – Loomis was the dissenting vote – to adopt the resolution. 

Portage Cove

The borough and the state have come to an agreement to reopen the Portage Cove State Recreation Site to overnight camping. The arrangement will bring a return to the old norm, where Portage Cove was long open as the lone campground in the town area. That was until late 2022, when the Alaska Division of Parks prohibited overnight camping, citing costs, litter, and bear attractants. 

In order to get it reopened, the borough has agreed to pitch in, described in Fullerton’s manager’s report as a “financial contribution by the Borough with respect to preparing secure areas for fire-pits, fixing picnic tables, etc.” 

Even though reopening is a done deal, residents and visitors will have to wait just a little longer until preparatory work is completed. Fullerton wrote that she hoped that would be by Beerfest on Memorial Day weekend. 

Beerfest, Freeride World Tour and the state of tourism

As for Beerfest, Fullerton reported that only around 75%  of available tickets have been sold. That number has been cited in recent weeks as a bellwether for Canadian tourism, and 75% is well below expectations. Before tickets went on sale on March 1, tourism director Rebecca Hylton said that if tickets did not sell out “in the first couple of days,” she would know a big drop in Canadian tourism was real. 

As expectations for tourism this summer continue to be dampened by U.S.-Canada conflict, Hylton’s office continues to explore other options. One of the possibilities for the upcoming year is to bring the Freeride World Tour to town. 

The borough appropriated $75,000 for sponsorship in the current year’s budget, but that money was unspent. “I think one of the reasons it didn’t work for this year, 2025, is that we had to act too late. By the time it was funded, the sponsorship was already due,” Fullerton said. 

In her proposed budget for next year, Fullerton earmarked that money for the same thing, saying in her report that the assembly will have to decide to approve that specific line item by April 11, when the proposal to the World Tour is due. 

The borough would be proposing sponsorship for one year, with the option to renew for an additional two or three years. Hylton estimates that bringing the tour to town would generate $416,000 locally. 

Hylton told the assembly that Freeride wanted to make the announcement over the weekend, particularly if they’re coming back to Alaska. 

She said she was not in support of the sponsorship last year, but has since changed her mind. 

“I had a hard time swallowing that we should be paying for people to hold an event here, because we do have a lot of value. But, as you … hopefully are all aware things are different now, especially in tourism,” she said. “I think we’re going to need every little help that we can get to draw the attention on our community.” 

She said the sponsorship ask is now $100,000 and there is a possibility for in-kind contributions for some of it. “My compromise is that, should you agree to do this, you agree to say yes to the $75,000 and then I could work with freeride for the other $25,000. I do believe there is some wiggle room there with that,” she said. 

Hylton said the exposure of something like Freeride is priceless, as the heli-skiing industry is growing. 

“The demographic of the amount of money that they have and their ability to travel to places on whims with exposure that we have – it’s a beautiful thing,” Hylton said. “The asset that we have in those mountains really is world class.” 

Assembly member Mark Smith jumped in to say that he was in support of the sponsorship and is fine shelling out an additional $25,000. He suggested taking it from the Haines Economic Development Corporation. 

“I’m really not that much interested in money right now, but a commitment by this borough and this assembly to take the chastity belt off that mountain range over there, move it south and let them start skiing,” Smith said. 

Loomis agreed with Smith saying “we need a playground.”  

At the beginning of the meeting Zach Wentzel, speaking on behalf of the Chilkoot Indian Association’s economic development team, and specifically its new cultural tourism enterprise Discover Deishú, said he supported the assembly re-allocating $75,000 in support of bringing the tour to Haines. 

“The Freeride World Tour represents an expression of one of the greatest assets we have here in Haines, which is one of the most spectacularly mountain environments in the world,” he said. 

Wentzel said free riding could be an Olympic sport soon, and if that happens there will be funds for local and regional ski clubs. 

“It would be a big thing for the community. It would be a big thing for the tribe. It would be a big thing for our cultural tourism endeavors and initiatives, and an opportunity for collaboration … across two local governments here and something we can build on,” Wentzel said. “We need something as a community and this could be a real good thing. 

The assembly unanimously agreed to reaffirm its support for the tour. 

Mosquito Lake School

Assembly member Smith put forward a proposal to refer the borough-owned property at  Mosquito Lake School to the planning commission to be split and potentially sold. 

The Mosquito Lake School has been out of commission as a school since 2014 when student enrollment dropped below the threshold for operation. The building was repurposed in the wake of that closure as a multi-use community center, which has been in operation since 2016.

Under the current arrangement, the borough owns the building and pays big-ticket items like utilities, maintenance projects, and insurance. Four Winds Resource Center is responsible for day-to-day management. Last year, operating the community center cost the borough $37,736. 

“I know this appears draconian,” Smith said. “It is not.” 

He said his goal was to divest the borough of a municipal entitlement and said that longterm, those types of borough-owned properties could be costly to maintain, particularly when they need large repairs. He went on to say that facilities like the school are a “constant drain” on the community and said he represented a silent majority of people in the Chilkat Valley. 

“All I’m trying to get to is a position to make a deal,” he said. Smith said an upper valley community member – Jim Stanford – had pointed to the current operating costs as a “drop in the bucket” of the borough’s overall budget. 

“Well if it’s a drop in the bucket for us, it can be a drop in the bucket for them,” Smith said. 

Once the planning commission takes it up – Smith said the conversation could include a range of options including giving the Four Winds Resource Center the right of first refusal to buy the property, which could be sold at or below market rate. Or the school could be sold to the public. 

“My gut tells me, give them the first shot,” Smith said. “They’ve done a beautiful job at running that operation.” 

Assembly member Loomis tried twice to delay the vote, first at the beginning of the meeting asking that it be removed from the agenda and second by asking that the assembly go as a body and talk to people in Mosquito Lake in person before making a decision. Both of those efforts failed and ultimately the assembly voted to forward Smith’s measure to the planning commission. 

Police chief hire

The borough is again narrowing in on a potential new police chief. This time it’s police officer Jimmy Yoakum of Loudon County, Tennessee. 

The Public Safety Advisory Board recommended Yoakum, and Denker said the borough’s consultant, Greg Russell, is in the process of doing background and reference checks. 

“As of yesterday afternoon, he was 80% completed with the background checks,” Denker said. 

Haines’ former police chief Josh Dryden left in November of 2024, and officer Michael Fullerton has been working as interim chief since then. It was a situation made more complicated by his wife’s role as interim manager, who generally oversees the police chief. 

Initially, Fullerton considered applying for the position after meeting with other finalists. Then one finalist withdrew from consideration after visiting Haines, specifically citing his negative interactions with Fullerton and how complicated he believed it would be to supervise one person while reporting to their spouse. 

Fullerton announced last week that he’d be resigning at the end of April. 

The assembly voted to invite Yoakum and his partner to Haines to see if they would be a good fit for the community.