The new pilings and steel wall at the Haines small boat harbor. (Henry Leasia / KHNS)

The Haines Ports and Harbor Advisory Committee met today to discuss the timeline for the second phase of the Portage Cove Harbor Project.

This phase will add a boat launch ramp and a new parking lot to the harbor.

Engineering firm PND Engineers must complete 95% of the design for the project by early January.

According to Public Facilities Director Brad Ryan, phase 2 of the project will be funded by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game at a cost of around 5 million dollars.

The funding will be provided in two chunks. The first chunk would be for the ramp. The second would provide lighting, paving and striping for the parking lot at Portage Cove.

Ryan says that even though ADF&G will award funding in two parts, the borough plans to hire one contractor for both of them.

“One bid is going to save us money if for no other reason, the engineering fees and the announcement of the bid, etc. are going to be more. There may be a mobilization in addition to that as well,” Ryan said.

The project will be put out to bid in early March and awarded to a contractor in April.

Construction on the boat ramp will begin in May of 2019 and complete the improvements by September 2020.

The harbor project has been a divisive issue for many Haines residents since it was first proposed. Supporters said that it is a necessary investment in the local fishing economy, while critics argued it was a waste of money that would disrupt a beautiful waterfront.

The borough settled a labor dispute with contractor Pacific Pile and Marine this September for over half a million dollars. The company alleged that site conditions for the project were not accurately described.

The borough has yet to secure funding for the final phases of the harbor project. Those phases would add floats for moorage and a drive down ramp for commercial fisherman to load and unload gear.

Recently, the Port and Harbor Advisory Committee is looking into funding this final phase with revenue from the borough’s raw fish sales tax. The group unanimously passed a motion last month to recommend the assembly to use raw fish sales tax revenue to fund floats and harbor improvements.

Committee member Diana Lapham said that the Tourism Advisory Board and the Haines Chamber of Commerce support funding the harbor with fish tax revenue as well.

“In our TAB meeting we also made a recommendation to the assembly to take the raw fish tax in its entirety and put it towards the harbor excise fund. And if I may add one more thing I was at the board meeting for the chamber and they’re writing a letter also to recommend the fish tax,” Lapham said.

The latest designs for phase 2 of the harbor project can be found here.