By Jessica Edwards
Gov. Sarah Palin last week vetoed $270,000 for asbestos cleanup
downtown while approving $375,000 in the legislative capital budget for a raptor mew at
the American Bald Eagle Foundation and funds for 11 other projects and organizations
totaling $6.2 million.
Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, blamed the veto on a misunderstanding in
the project’s title, which he said confused liability for the former grocery store
site donated to a non-profit that’s planning an assisted living center. The line item
reads: "Haines Assisted Living – removal of abandoned A&P building."
Thomas said the state attorney general’s office thought A&P
might be liable for the cleanup. "We messed up calling it the A&P building,"
Thomas said. "I tried to clear it up, but they vetoed it." Thomas said he was
unsure about the chances of overriding Palin’s veto and that he’d work with
Palin toward a solution. "I’m sure there’s money somewhere to clean that
up."
Haines Borough Mayor Fred Shields called the veto a
"disaster."
Funds for cleanup seemed a safe bet for approval, as the Palin
administration has emphasized public health and safety as her top priorities.
"The governor listed it as a lower funding priority because of
potential liability of the previous property owner, even though it was a donation,"
said Palin staffer Anna Kim. "It was unclear if it was the state’s
responsibility."
Liability for environmental hazards would have to be pursued and
resolved by stakeholders through legal channels before the state would contribute funds,
Kim said.
Jim Studley, president of Haines Assisted Living, said he was
disappointed by the veto and that the group’s board would meet later this week to
discuss options.
Representatives at the state budget office said neither Rep. Thomas nor
borough officials had ranked local capital project requests by importance. Community input
on priority lists is always ranked of highest priority, Palin’s office said.
Thomas said the borough only submitted its top priorities and Shields
said he hadn’t prioritized the borough’s requests in the capital budget on the
rationale that all items were important. However, Kim said other municipalities prioritize
their requests.
Shields said he asked U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski last week to use her
influence with the state or federal government to secure cleanup funds. "HAL needs
help."
Besides the asbestos cleanup money, Palin also vetoed $100,000 for
improvements at the Haines Boy Scout Camp and $1.5 million for the Jilkaat Kwan Heritage
Center, which would have helped leverage additional funds to begin work on the
center’s third and final phase, a $5.88 million museum and bald eagle observatory.
The eagle foundation hopes by fall to complete an eagle mew, or cage,
that will allow the center to permanently house at least three incapacitated bald eagles.
Eagle center founder Dave Olerud said in the original business plan,
funding for building expansions would be raised by visitation, events, and through the
donations of trustees. That hadn’t panned out, Olerud said, because of unanticipated
rises in energy costs and the loss of expected tour revenues.
"It’s something we’ve never done in the past," said
Olerud about approaching the state for funding. "We reached a position where we had
to go any direction possible."
Haines projects approved by Palin included $50,000 for septic system
replacement at Mosquito Lake School and about $352,000 for replacing the Barnett Drive
pump station.
About $1.5 million from cruise ship head tax revenues will retire debt
for the Port Chilkoot Dock and fund dock repairs.
More than $210,000 was approved for a new sport boat float at Letnikof
Cove, as was $3.2 million for new floats in the Small Boat Harbor.
The Haines ANB Hall was granted $60,000 for renovations, and continued
renovations at the American Legion Hall were fully funded for $150,000. Emergency ramps at
the Chilkat Center, vetoed last year, were approved at $85,000.
Funding for Takshanuk Watershed Council projects at Big Boulder Creek
and Comstock Road, vetoed last year, were granted in the amounts of $72,000 and $60,000,
respectively.
But Palin vetoed the watershed council’s request for $20,000 in
operating money. Council development director Emily Seward said although project money
would enable habitat work to proceed, a lack of operating funds severely hampered the
organization’s ability to continue.
Renovations at the Chilkat Indian Village ANS Hall were funded for
$25,000, and $20,000 was approved for Chatham School District for bleachers in the Klukwan
School gymnasium.
