Saxman should cash in on the visitor industry. That’s the message coming out of a two-day, dawn-to-dusk city council meeting at the end of October where officials pondered what should come next for the largely Alaska Native village.
Now, Saxman officials are asking the Ketchikan Gateway Borough for upwards of $100,000 in state cruise ship tax revenue to pay a Juneau-based design firm to update the city’s master plan.
About half of that would go towards plans to renovate the Saxman Totem Park and lay the groundwork for a proposed Saxman Native Village attraction. Another $35,000 would go towards design work on a proposed port for small cruise ships and harbor renovations.
The borough assembly will hear Saxman’s request when it meets at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Ketchikan’s White Cliff building. Borough officials recommend approving nearly all of the funding.
