By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Another in a series of special meetings will be held Wednesday night to plan for the expected large increase of cruise visitors next summer.
The meeting, open for public participation, is being held by the Sitka Planning Commission at 6:30 p.m. prior to the 7 p.m. regular meeting, at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
A Power Point presentation will outline some of the options for addressing concerns about traffic and safety. The commission packet is available through the city website at cityofsitka.com.
Planning Director Amy Ainslie said the Assembly asked the commission to come up with a short-term tourism plan to help accommodate the 476,000 cruise ship visitors expected next summer.
The discussions have been attracting participation from members of the public, particularly those associated with the tourism industry.
“More input is always better for these kinds of things,” she said today.
The 476,000 visitors would far exceed record numbers for Sitka, and Ainslie said it will be a big change following the 2020 season with no ships and this year’s curtailed season.
“The last few years have been quieter visitor years – we haven’t had to manage it as closely,” Ainslie said.
The date of this year’s last visit by a large cruise ship was Sept. 28 – the final scheduled visits were canceled due to bad weather. Next year’s first large ship port call is scheduled for May 2.
“The biggest concerns we’re trying to solve here is, one, safety,” Ainslie said. “The sheer number and added traffic that comes along with it.”
Some ideas so far call for dedicating more space for foot traffic, and reducing areas of conflict between pedestrians and vehicles, she said.
Where does she see potential problem areas? She pointed to Harbor Drive, where pedestrians try to cross from Centennial Hall toward Lincoln Street; the area around St. Michael’s Cathedral; and within the Centennial Hall parking lot.
Another goal is improving efficiency in the use of public spaces.
“There’s going to be more demand for space than we have space,” Ainslie said. “So we have to make sure we’re using our space as efficiently as possible, and making sure people stay safe amid the hustle and bustle.”
At previous meetings commission members and public participants have weighed in with ideas, and provided lists of pros and cons for each.
Topics have included ideas on traffic re-routing, one way streets and closures to accommodate pedestrians, and better directional signs, among others.
Those who want to attend the meeting remotely may do so by contacting planning@cityofsitka.org by 4 p.m. Wednesday.
