The Hill Top Subdivision design from a 1997 document. (Emily Files)
Haines may see a major new housing development coming online in the near future as people still rebuild from the December 2020 storm, and the Southeast Alaska State Fair is set for next weekend. KHNS’ Mike Swasey spoke with the Chilkat Valley News’ Max Graham for a look at the biggest stories they are covering in the latest issue.
Swasey – Max Graham with the Chilkat Valley News, thanks for joining us. Let’s jump right into what’s happening in Haines.
Graham – Thanks for having me, Mike. So in this week’s paper one of our top stories is about renewed plans for the Hilltop Subdivision, a 65-lot subdivision on Cemetery Hill, south of Major Road. Developer Roger Schnabel has sort of renewed plans for that subdivision, which was put on pause in 2015. And the planning commission last week approved preliminary plat, the first hurdle for that development. Schnabel said that he thinks now with the housing crunch and demand for housing, it’s the right time to revitalize plans for that development.
Swasey – Any idea what that’s going to do to home values in Haines?
Graham – Yeah, that’s a great question. I think it’s maybe a little early to tell. I think a lot of the details of the subdivision need to be worked out. 65 lots is the biggest subdivision here in years. I think the last one that was built here was about a decade ago, and that was 23 lots and the one before that was 10 lots. So it’d be a lot of new homes coming on the market.
Swasey – And is it in a very large area? How big are these lots expected to be?
Graham – That whole area I think is 37 acres.
Swasey – Let’s move on to Team Rubicon. They’re in town helping to rebuild from the deadly storm from December 2020. What’s their progress looking like?
Graham – Yes, Team Rubicon sent up a bunch of construction workers from Houston, Texas to work on two homes that were destroyed in the December 2020 storm. They’ve been out at Steve and Sarah Virg-In’s house on Lutak Spur Road. The Virg-In’s house was destroyed by a landslide and Team Rubicon’s workers have been helping Steve convert his garage into a new home.
I do also want to highlight though that the Chilkoot Indian Association and Haines Long Term Recovery Group have also been instrumental in the rebuild effort. And Team Rubicon has partnered with them and is just lending hands, labor, time, and equipment to make a big push these weeks.
Swasey – Pretty interesting to be able to take that remaining structure and completely turn it into a livable area. I mean, what a good idea.
Graham – Yeah, what they’re doing there is really cool. They’ve sort of turned a ceiling space into a bedroom. They’re adding a bathroom. They’re converting the whole second floor of the garage into a living space pretty much.
Swasey – The Southeast Alaska State Fair is coming up next weekend, perfect time for a preview of the fair.
Graham – Yeah, the Fair starts on Thursday at 12:30 pm. The fair is expecting a big crowd this year. It should be the biggest event in Haines in three years. Obviously, the Fair was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and then last year, attendance was down quite a bit. But there will be 68 vendors at this year’s fair that’s up from 19 last year.
A lot of the same contests and attractions, you know that people will be familiar with, the kids’ area will have more entertainment science projects. I think the fair is sort of adding some fun for the children.
Swasey – Any big headlining acts that we should be aware of that are coming into town?
Graham – It’s sort of a regional lineup, a really diverse mix of groups. One note is that a preteen rock group from Whitehorse, 10, 11, and 12-year-olds will be here.
Swasey – Okay.
Graham – But yeah, bands are coming from the Yukon, British Columbia, Seattle, Seward, Petersburg, Sitka, Skagway, so it’s a regional, diverse mix of musicians.
Swasey – Max Graham from The Chilkat Valley News. Thanks so much for joining us and filling us in on what’s happening in Haines.
Graham – Thanks for having me, Mike.
For a full lineup of events, food and music, visit seakfair.org (s-e-a-k-fair.org).
