Legislature(2003 - 2004)
04/03/2003 01:32 PM House TRA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SB 83-SVEN HAAKANSON AIRPORT AT OLD HARBOR CO-CHAIR MASEK announced that the next order of business would be SENATE BILL NO. 83, "An Act naming the Sven Haakanson, Sr. Airport at Old Harbor." Number 0708 DOUG LETCH, Staff to Senator Gary Stevens, Alaska State Legislature, presented the sponsor statement for SB 83 on behalf of Senator Gary Stevens, the bill's sponsor. He provided the following testimony: SB 83 is a bill that will name the state airport at Old Harbor, which is in Kodiak Island, in honor of Sven Haakanson, Sr. He passed away November 23rd of last year. Sven was a lifelong resident of Old Harbor and served as the community's mayor for 27 years. I may be wrong, but I think that may be a record for tenure for mayor in Alaska. He also played an integral part in the community's public works and lobbied diligently for the airport's construction. He was well known on Kodiak Island and around Alaska, played a vital role in establishing corporations and associations that have become familiar and important in Alaska's corporate and nonprofit world. He was one of the founders of the Kodiak Area Native Association (KANA), Koniag, Inc., and served on the boards of several corporations and organizations on Kodiak Island. Just this past year 2002, Sven was named the elder of the year by the Koniag Native Corporation. Number 0795 As you can see in your bill packet, SB 83 is supported by the residents of Old Harbor, endorsed by the city council, the Old Harbor Tribal Council, and Koniag, Inc. Just the other day we also received a letter of support from Ouzinkie which I wasn't able to get into your packets at this time. It is widely supported amongst residents of Kodiak Island and this bill, if passed, will recognize a man who gave so much of his time and energy to the community, and will ensure that Sven Haakanson, Sr.'s memory will live on for generations to come. REPRESENTATIVE FATE asked if anything else has been named after Sven Haakanson, Sr. MR. LETCH replied that at this time, the community of Old Harbor had not named anything else after Sven Haakanson, Sr., but noted that there had been a legislative citation earlier in the session when Senator Gary Stevens had been a Representative. REPRESENTATIVE FATE noted that support for naming the airport had been heard, and asked if there were any groups or individuals that were against the proposed naming. MR. LETCH responded that to his knowledge there had not been any objection to this naming. REPRESENTATIVE FATE added that in the past, he had named something precipitously and had to withdraw his support after he found out that certain things did not happen that he had been led to believe were the case. Number 0903 CO-CHAIR HOLM referred to a scenario such as a pilot approaching the airport under adverse circumstances from Seattle, for example, and not knowing where the airport is nor having any idea who Sven Haakanson was. He suggested that the pilot would be looking for the airport, and in poor conditions, he/she would be more in need of being oriented to coordinates and correct location than worrying about the name of the airport. He added that he has heard it is better to have a small name for an airport than a large name. He directed his concern for making an appropriately safe choice regarding naming an airport to Representative Fate because of his experience as a pilot. REPRESENTATIVE FATE reflected that the concern does not have much weight with pilots because before heading for an airport, the pilot knows, or certainly should know, the destination. He added that pilots use charts and usually, in a small community, there is only one airport. He said he thought that the issue might apply more to a layperson - one who does not pilot a plane. REPRESENTATIVE KOOKESH commented that credibility should be acknowledged when the local organizations, groups, and populations in the district offer support. He highlighted the importance of giving recognition to their choice for the name, whether the name has six or three syllables. REPRESENTATIVE OGG said that he knew Sven Haakanson, Sr. for quite a while. He said Sven Haakanson, Sr. was mayor of Old Harbor while he was mayor of Kodiak Island Borough. Representative Ogg said they had fished competitively - adding that Mr. Haakanson was probably better, at times. He recalled that when he first arrived in Kodiak, Mr. Haakanson was on the Kodiak Island Borough assembly. He said that at that time, the state had set up a mechanism whereby the city would have two people on the assembly, and three people would be elected at- large. The two people from the city were appointed by the city council, and when handling budgetary matters, they had four votes - with an extra vote per person. Number 1159 REPRESENTATIVE OGG told the members that he believed it was in 1974 or 1975 when the budget came up [for review] and Sven Haakanson, who was chair of the assembly, made a ruling that resulted in a lawsuit by the City of Kodiak against Kodiak Island Borough, the repercussions of which continue until today. Representative Ogg said the ruling has had an impact on government because people are no longer appointed to elected bodies in Kodiak, and perhaps not in the rest of the state as well. He highlighted that Sven Haakanson, Sr. was a great advocate for democracy. REPRESENTATIVE OGG said he feels that Mr. Haakanson was a "swell person" with a great sense of humor. He has a wonderful family and if he had been alive today, he would have seen his grandson who was born perhaps two weeks ago to his son, Sven Haakanson, Jr. Representative Ogg said he agreed with Representative Kookesh's suggestion that people should not be penalized for the amount of syllables in their names, pointing out that there has not been a problem in naming airports "La Guardia, Kennedy, et cetera." He urged the committee to honor Sven Haakanson, Sr., who gave so much to the state and served his community. MR. LETCH said that similar concerns have been brought up at hearings in the other body. He said Sven Haakanson Sr., and Sven Haakanson Jr. are in a National Geographic video called, "The Giant Bears of Kodiak Island." He added that Sven Haakanson Jr. is the curator of the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak, and although he never had the opportunity to meet Sven Haakanson, Sr., he believes he was a wonderful person from all of the accounts that he has heard. Number 1265 REPRESENTATIVE FATE moved to report SB 83 out of committee with individual recommendations [and the accompanying fiscal note.] There being no objection, SB 83 was reported from the House Transportation Standing Committee.
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