By ARIADNE WILL
Sentinel Staff Writer
The city has issued a request for information seeking proposals from private contractors to provide services including traffic control and providing portable restrooms downtown next summer, when as many as 480,000 cruise ship visitors are expected.
The city said responses don’t have to include all of the services requested, and will be accepted through 5 p.m. Dec. 15.
The RFI comes after months of discussion between the public and the Planning Commission on the city’s Short-Term Tourism Plan.
Planning Director Amy Ainslie gave the RFI to the Planning Commission Wednesday, along with a 13-slide Power Point showing the Centennial Hall area divided into 10 zones, each designated for a different use on cruise ship days.
Each area was accompanied by a planning staff recommendation, with the loop in front of Centennial Hall the only one with a choice between two proposed options.
Ainslie said that the loop could be used entirely for shuttle buses, or could be used for shuttles and tour buses as well. A shuttle bus was defined as the vehicle transporting cruise passengers between the Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal at 4513 Halibut Point Road and downtown Sitka. The shuttle buses are a few feet longer than tour buses, according to industry representatives.
Commenters at the meeting disagreed about which option was best, and one suggested the commission create a breakout working group to work further with entities using buses and shuttles, a major discussion topic since talks on the tourism plan began.
The area along the side of Crescent Harbor parking lot closest to Centennial Hall was recommended as a place for smaller tour vehicles to park and pick up passengers. The awning on the sidewalk, next to the building, would be set up for small vendors, as it is now.
Ainslie said city staff is looking into purchasing materials to create more shelter on the sidewalk between Centennial Hall and the Crescent Harbor parking lot.
The area directly in front of Centennial Hall — the small plaza and parking lot — will remain largely unchanged, though half of the parking area may be used for “outfitters.”
These businesses, such as kayak rides, also would be stationed behind Centennial Hall, near where the boat launch is, according to the recommendations. Ainslie said that this will open up more parking spaces in the Crescent Harbor parking lot, where some outfitters conduct business and park vehicles during the summer.
The planning department’s recommendations also include the creation of a taxi lane along Harbor Drive. Ainslie said the department is currently working with the Department of Transportation to establish the area as such.
The recommendations presented also have been presented to the Port and Harbors Commission and to public works, who were looking to see how Wednesday’s recommendations were received by the public before endorsing the plans.
Ainslie said that the Planning Department worked to provide recommendations that are safe, optimize space, are simple, and alleviate parking pressure.
More discussion on Centennial Hall traffic patterns is planned for Dec. 1. To submit comments on the plan, or to learn about future meetings, email planning@cityofsitka.com.
The Planning Department’s “Harrigan Centennial Hall Traffic & Staging Plan Summer 2022 Staff Analysis & Recommendations” Power Point, and the request for information can be viewed at the city website.
