<\/a>The city-owned boat launch at Amalga Harbor on Wednesday, June 19, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
The proposed extension would lengthen the single existing pier by roughly 75 feet, Uchytil said, allowing more pier frontage for boats to moor when the low tide limited functional dock space.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“We don’t have a study that says there’s congestion, apart from hearing from the public,” Uchytil said. “We think that a modest extension would improve the situation.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Members of the public dissented, with more than half a dozen Amalga Harbor residents turning up to protest the possible extension.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“We live in Amalga Harbor. It’s our home, and no one knows it better than us. We consider ourselves stewards of the harbor,” said Rick Driscoll, a resident of the harbor. “Amalga needs maintenance more than it needs more facilities,” Driscoll said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Maintenance issues with the harbor included sharp grades in the parking lot that led to bottoming out boat trailers and boulders that had rolled into the harbor. Vandalism was also an issue, Driscoll said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Fish waste from the fish cleaning station thrown into the water was also a growing concern for many.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“We worry a lot about how fish waste attracts bears to the harbor,” Amalga Harbor resident John Taber said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Taber talked about how a neighbor’s dog had been killed last year by a bear that had become used to foraging in the neighborhood for food.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t