The Haines Public Safety Building is $12 million closer to being replaced. Congress passed a budget bill earlier this month, which included money for a new building. The bill also provided nearly $100-thousand dollars to Becky’s Place, a Haines safehouse for survivors of domestic abuse.
It’s been an ongoing process to replace the 40-year-old Haines Public Safety building.
Borough Manager Annette Kreitzer said the current building is “sinking into the ground”. She said Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski was “instrumental” in advocating for federal funds to replace the building.
“Senator Murkowski came in September of 22, took a tour of the building and promptly called it the “Haines Un-Safety Building.” She wanted to go underneath the building and we were like, ‘Not without a hazmat suit,’” Kreitzer said.
On March 8th, the U.S. Senate passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024. This legislation combined six different funding bills, which cobbled together $12 million towards a new Haines Public Safety Building.
The money comes from three different sources. Five million dollars comes from Transportation Housing and Urban Development, or THUD. Another five million comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). And the remaining two million dollars comes from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Kreitzer says each agency will have different requirements for how to spend the money, which will guide the design of the new building.
“We’re holding at 65% design,” Kreitzer said. “And as we start to get more funding, you’re going to then see more public discussion about the current plan.”
Krietzer says the money from the EPA and USDA requires that the borough secure a percentage of matching funds from the state. The next step for the borough is to work over the next few months with lawmakers in Juneau. As the State Legislature finalizes its budget, the borough will ask that matching funds for the public safety building be included.
Kreitzer said she feels cautiously optimistic that the borough will be able to secure the required matching state funds. She said she’s been waiting for the Alaska Department of Revenue to publish its Spring Revenue Forecast, which it did last week. The forecast said the state treasury will see a roughly $200 million boost from higher oil prices over two fiscal years.
The current public safety building serves as both the fire and police departments. It is the home of the jail, the morgue and the borough’s computer server. It also serves as a workforce training center. EMS training classes are held in the building, oftentimes in the backroom that also serves as the Haines Borough Assembly Chambers.
The new building is still several years away from being built. While the design is only two-thirds complete, Kreitzer said that there are two big changes in the plans. The first is to add a training room that could be used by the public. She said the Haines school expressed interest in having a place where students could develop EMT skill sets. And she said that CIA and SEARHC have also shown interest in having access to a training facility. The second change is that the new building will provide “sleeping pods” for volunteer firefighters and EMTs.
“These are not elaborate rooms,” Kreitzer said. “These are bunk beds, just places for somebody to be able to sleep. So they don’t have to sleep on the concrete floor which is what happens right now. There are people, volunteers, who sleep on the concrete floor of the current public safety building just so that they can be available for runs.”
The public safety building wasn’t the only local beneficiary of the funding. .
Becky’s Place, a nonprofit that provides services to victims and survivors of domestic abuse in Haines, received $99,000 in funding. The nonprofit’s Director Jackie Mazeikas said she applied for the grant over a year ago, and she was delighted to hear that it was “finally approved.”
The money will be used to build a new roof for the safe house, which the nonprofit purchased in 2020. Mazeikas said since buying the house, Becky’s Place has replaced the heating, plumbing and wiring. She said replacing the roof was the last major repair. The roof is expected to be finished by the end of summer, and Becky’s Place will still be able to find housing for anyone in need during the process.
