Chilkat Valley News
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Fate of school lots debated - page 4 Harriet Brakken remembered - page 9 Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966 Chilkat Valley News Volume XLII Number 17 Thursday, April 26, 2012 $1 Borough economic office may be axed Director, department language would be eliminated from code By Krista Kielsmeier a mechanism to fund economic Haines Borough code mandates development efforts in 2001. the municipality have a department Scott and borough manager of economic development and a Mark Earnest envision a new, director to lead it. executive assistant to the manager “Despite this code requirement, position will handle many of the to my knowledge the department economic development director’s has never been established,” responsibilities. mayor Stephanie Scott wrote in a “That’s how the assistant memo last month, requesting that position evolved, and I think that section of code be repealed. there’s a very large component of The Haines Borough Assembly what would normally fall under this week advanced to a second economic development director public hearing an ordinance that’s incorporated into the job removing the code language description of assistant to the that mandates a department of manager,” Earnest said. economic development, headed Scott said the code change by an economic development would have no impact on the director. borough’s municipal sales tax It’s the latest wrinkle in a designated for tourism promotion DOWNTOWN MAKEOVER -- Volunteer Adam Balloch paints the orca totem in front of the Haines decades-long discussion of and economic development. Borough firehall this week. The orca is the official seal of the borough. The carving was created in how the municipality should “I’m comfortable with our level the late 1970s by Alaska Indian Arts carvers Charlie Jimmie Sr. and Chauncey Jacobs. Balloch’s boost the economy, efforts that of staffing, and when we do hire a work is sponsored by his employer, Fogcutter Bar. John S. Hagen photo. have included hiring economic new manager and we do bring on development directors from time to time, and voter approval of See CODE page 6 Benner returns as harbormaster By Krista Kielsmeier January 2007 to March 2009, Phil Benner is returning to stepped in as Juneau harbormaster Planning job goes his post as Haines Borough until October 2011, and moved to harbormaster, three years after Florida to care for his father with leaving the job. cancer. to foreign applicant “I am committed to Haines for Benner told the Chilkat Valley By Tom Morphet Stephanie Scott said this week. the next 10 to 15 years,” Benner News he took the $86,000-a-year The Haines Borough is “We are hiring a planner. We said this week. Juneau job after then-manager sponsoring a work visa for a have never had a skilled planner The Haines Borough Assembly Tom Bolen turned down his Chinese national to become the in the job before,” Scott said. approved Benner’s hire Tuesday, request for a raise. Benner was municipality’s next planning and Following the departure of former on the recommendation of slated to earn $19.83 an hour zoning technician. technician Steve Ritzinger, the manager Mark Earnest and in fiscal year 2009. Pay for the Xi “Tracy” Cui, who holds a job was redefined to include the borough’s port and harbor Haines harbormaster has since master’s degree in planning from Geographic Information System advisory committee, at an annual increased to the $24.42 hourly the University of Florida, was skills and increased education. salary of $65,000. Other finalists wage for Barrett this fiscal year, the administration’s top choice Cui was chosen over 10 other for the job were residents Mike when Barrett was budgeted to for the job, said manager Mark candidates. Four were from Denker and Terry Pardee. work 457.3 overtime hours and Earnest, who made the hire with Haines, including Scott Hansen, Earnest wrote that Benner collect $67,544 in gross earnings. the assistance of clerk Julie Cozzi. who worked in the previous “clearly brings the most relevant The three finalists for the The borough will spend $2,300 technician position more than and direct experience and harbormaster opening on Monday knowledge to the position, which each had public interviews with processing Cui’s visa, Cozzi said, six years beginning in 2001, and Phil Benner and will hold the $47,000 job for Burl Sheldon, who held a job with is particularly important at this Earnest and Norman Hughes, her until October, when she’ll be similar duties 18 months under time regarding implementation of harbormaster following the Dean Risley, Bill Rostad and Don eligible to work here. The job’s the City of Haines. An Oregon the capital improvement program departure of Ed Barrett, who Turner Jr. of the port and harbor for both port and harbor facilities.” qualifications recently became See HIRE page 12 resigned effective April 1. Benner more rigorous, borough mayor Benner, 50, served as interim was Haines harbormaster from See HARBOR page 12 Shipwreck gold near Mud Bay? Historians split on new book By Tom Morphet published in June by The History Levi describes his theory as C.H. Lewis and fireman Paddy historian who has dived on the A recent book about a Gold Press. In it, Levi theorizes that “an amalgam of circumstantial MacDonald, whose names appear wreck, described Levi’s book in Rush-era shipwreck at Eldred the Clara Nevada’s captain and evidence,” “a reasonable in historical records after the a published review last fall as Rock speculates that as much as fireman conspired to wreck the scenario of events, backed by wreck. “an attempt at a ‘who done it’ of $17 million in gold stolen from it vessel, and that they escaped a source material to support my Pam Randles, a Haines amateur a robbery for gold that probably may lie near the shore of Chilkoot watery grave by launching a skiff speculation.” historian who has researched did not exist, and for murders that Inlet, between Mud Bay and well before the ship went down in The 151-foot steam and sailing the saga of the Clara Nevada in almost surely never occurred.” Seduction Point. a storm on Feb. 5, 1898. ship sank in about 25 feet of water Fairbanks, Anchorage, Juneau, Jensen, who has also written “While the boxes may have Levi further speculates the after a fire and explosion, killing Seattle and Baltimore, Md., said about the Clara Nevada, attributes long since rotted away, the gold is 900-pound load of booty swamped an estimated 60 people. The wreck Levi’s theory is plausible. its wreck to poor maintenance most likely still there, all 11,000 their skiff in rough seas, but that today is a popular dive site, but no “I agree with him. I do. But by a woefully incompetent crew. Troy ounces of it, waiting for the pair made it to shore, as gold has ever been reported found it’s all serious circumstantial Problems with the vessel’s design some lucky skin diver to stumble evidenced by records of their in the area. evidence. It’s all deduction from and workmanship predate its 1871 upon it,” Anchorage historian activities in later census reports Levi’s book has met with both what little is known, and there’s launching, he wrote in “The Twin Steven C. Levi wrote in “The and other documents. skepticism and support. Its theory little known in terms of factual Faces of the Clara Nevada.” Clara Nevada: Gold, Greed, That neither of the two became contrasts with press accounts at stuff. But I think that same thing,” “Levi dutifully recounts Murder and Alaska’s Inside wealthy in the wake of the wreck the time that everyone aboard Randles said this week. the range of published rumors. Passage.” suggests the stolen gold was not died, but appears consistent with But Dr. John Jensen, an The 100-page book was retrieved, Levi wrote. the personal histories of captain oceanographer and marine See GOLD page 5 Page 2 Chilkat Valley News April 26, 2012 To list an event in Save the Date, phone 766-2688 or Letters to the Editor Save the Date e-mail [email protected]. Thursday, April 26 p.m. Chilkat Center lobby. Local jobs a good fit for local residents Chilkoot River Corridor posters available Afterschool activities at the library: Tlingit for viewing and community input at the library. crafts, 3:30 p.m. Birding program, Homework Shop at home. Shop locally. Recycle. Sustainability. Help, 4:30 p.m. What we have in Haines, if we look and adapt, is of great value. 60+? Join us for lunch, Monday through Thursday, noon at senior center, 766-2383. Haines Borough School Board meeting, Our best resources are, and will always be, the people that live here. 7 p.m. in the high school open area. When I learn that the borough hired for a planning and zoning Strong Woman Weight Training, noon to 1 position, but the candidate chosen is living in Florida without the proper p.m. Chilkat Center lobby. Sponsored by Well & Wednesday, May 2 visa in place to be able to take the position and therefore cannot report Fit. Class also Tuesdays. Weights provided. Tykes and Trikes, for children 3 and under to work for an extended period, I do get discouraged. Afterschool Activities at the library: supervised by an adult, 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the Time is money. Staff turnover is money. Consistency means stability Science Fun, 3:30 p.m; Homework Help, 4:30 elementary gym. and efficiency. Perhaps the local applicants were not a perfect fit or p.m.