When the Sitka Assembly meets tonight, the group will weigh in on plans for future operations of a marine haul out at the Gary Paxton Industrial Park.

In 2022, voters overwhelmingly supported building a marine haulout using over $8 million dollars from the sale of the Sitka Community Hospital building, and city staff went to work developing plans for the facility where the community’s fishing fleet can haul boats out of the water for repairs.

Last summer, the board of the Gary Paxton Industrial Park solicited proposals from private businesses to operate the  haulout, because the board believed that a city-operated haulout wouldn’t pencil out. Highmark Marine in Kodiak was the only applicant the board found qualified, but there was significant community pushback, with fishermen and marine fabricators calling for a locally-operated haulout.

On a split vote in mid-March, the board voted to accept Highmark’s proposal – with one important deletion: the deal would not include Highmark’s offer to lease the former Northline building for use as a warehouse for marine supplies.  Instead, the industrial park board plans to start a separate competitive bidding process for the warehouse to see if the building could generate more revenue by itself. In a recent memo to the assembly, however, park director Garry White, reported  that operating the warehouse was an essential part of Highmark’s bid, and the company would stand firm on the point.

In other business, the assembly will consider on final reading setting a special election date of May 28 for a cruise limit ballot initiative. And it will consider partnering with an outside organization to manage the city’s nonprofit grant program.

The Sitka Assembly meets at 6 p.m. tonight. Raven News will broadcast the meeting live, following Alaska News Nightly.