Portage Cove Interpretive Trail & Park Conceptual Design: April 2017

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Final Meeting: May 17th

The final meeting for the project will be hosted at the Chilkat Center lobby on Wednesday, May 17th at 6:30 pm.

Corvus Design will give the final presentation to Port and Harbor Advisory Committee, Planning Commission, and Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee working group. Groups will be able to discuss the project and ask any questions they have. Groups will then be able to provide any recommendations at their next regularly scheduled meeting.

Welcome to the Project!

This is our way of keeping in touch with you and providing another avenue for you to be a part of the process for the Portage Cove Interpretive Trail and Park Conceptual Design.

The purpose of this project is the create a waterfront pedestrian route that links the State Park Portage Cove Campground to the new harbor uplands and continues to Picture Point on the Haines Highway. This 1.5 mile trail is to be an interpretive trail that celebrates Haines' rich history, heritage and culture. The trail is to be located on Borough lands and within existing right-of-ways and is not to be located on private land. If however landowners wish to develop partnerships and allow the trail to be located on private land, this can be negotiated with the Borough but the intent is that the trail is located on public lands. Also part of the project is the development of a new waterfront public park along the trail. The intent of the trail and park is to provide recreation and public access along Haines' waterfront while telling the stories of the community. Visitors to Haines will also be users of trail and park which will provide an opportunity for them to learn about the community while linking the cruise ship terminal and public campground to the harbor and downtown.

The project is being developed as a conceptual master plan that will show the basic layout of the trail and park and be supported by conceptual construction estimates, a phased implementation strategy, and identification of possible funding sources. The plan is to be developed within an inclusive public process. The plan will be a tool for pursuing funding and future detailed design of the trail and park. Corvus Design is leading the planning and engineering team that also includes PND Engineers.

Communication Options

Project Mailing List
If you'd like to be on the project mailing list, please click on this link (project mailing list sign up).

Comment Purpose
The purpose of inviting public comment through this blog is to inform the project team and blog readers of issues that are important to the members of public who write them, to raise questions about matters that are unclear, and to serve as a conduit for suggestions from the public on project matters. The blog also provides a community conversation about the Portage Cove Interpretive Trail and Park Conceptual Design. We are most interested in the content of your comments in order to make informed decisions about the project. For your comment to be of value to the project team, please be sure it contains ideas, suggestions, recommendations or experiences that relate to the outcome of this project. Our blog-based comment interface should be looked at as a suggestion box rather than an official ballot box. Your ideas will contribute to a better project for both your neighborhood and the community of Anchorage. Each comment received is reviewed by project team members and becomes part of the project’s official public record.

Timeliness of Reporting Comments on the Blog
The blog is set up to instantaneously post incoming messages. Messages are reviewed to ensure that they comply with the Comment Acceptance Policy.

Comment Acceptance Policy
Comments left within this blog are not allowed to be anonymous. Whether through your login, or annotation of your note, we need to have your name associated with your post. We encourage and expect a respectful dialogue where each person is comfortable to offer their ideas, where we all actively listen, where constructive criticism is welcomed, and through which we can further strengthen community and involvement in our neighborhoods and park development. Comments not adhering to this policy will be noted (they may still contain good information), but may be removed from the public dialogue. Comments that have been removed will be available upon request.

Another Comment Collector
If you wish to provide comment in a fashion where your name can be omitted from public postings, or do not wish to log into the blog to leave a comment, you may use this link (Comment Collector) to be taken to a different comment option. While a name is required to leave a comment, you can request that it be removed prior to making the comment public. You can also use this link to leave email or phone information if you have a specific concern you would like information on. Contact information will not be made public.