A security gate installed at Harris Harbor is scheduled to be locked from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily starting in early May, with access to boaters provided by key fobs or other means. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)

A security gate installed at Harris Harbor is scheduled to be locked from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily starting in early May, with access to boaters provided by key fobs or other means. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)

Harris Harbor to be protected at night by electronic security gate starting in early May

Barrier is believed to be the first at a public dock in Alaska; boaters will access via key fobs

A security gate installed at Harris Harbor is scheduled to be locked nightly starting in early May due to ongoing complaints about criminal activity, although boat owners will have access via a key fob system, according to Juneau Harbormaster Matthew Creswell.

While there are public marinas in other states with such gates, Creswell said this is the first he’s aware of in Alaska. He said Harris Harbor is a test case for the gate since it’s the only local harbor with a single access point.

“We received lots of feedback from our customers like ‘Why don’t you have gates like every marina down south does?’” he said Saturday. “Eventually after enough input we said ‘Well, we could try it.’”

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Officials are still waiting for access controls, security cameras and other equipment before activating the gate, Creswell said. The gate will be locked from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily. Key fobs will be provided to boat owners, while a numeric lock code is being considered for visiting boaters.

“The primary means of access will be the key fobs, which people are already using for restroom access and crane access, and we’re on a very consistent program that works well — Millennium,” he said. “The whole city uses it and I don’t know that I’ve had any downtime since I’ve been on Millennium over the last three years.”

Creswell said crime at the harbors is cyclical, but an ongoing concern since there is no after-hours staff presence at the docks and not everything is reported “so it’s hard to get a true metric” of how extensive the problem is.

“It’s mainly petty theft for the most part,” he said. “Every now and then there’s a large theft that happens. But most of the time it’s small items being stolen repeatedly.”

The security gate cost about $50,000, Creswell said.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Feb. 1

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

A marker for the U.S.-Canadian border sits between Skagway, Alaska, and Stikine Region, British Columbia. (Philip Yabut/Getty Images)
Yukon government warns that Trump tariffs will make Alaska life more expensive

China, Alaska’s biggest international trading partner, also targeted by tariffs likely to trigger trade war

Deena Bishop, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, gives an overview of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s omnibus education package on Jan. 31, 2025, at the Alaska State Capitol. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Education package with multitude of policy changes and no BSA increase unveiled by Gov. Dunleavy

Proposals include allowing students to enroll anywhere in the state, more charter and homeschool support.

A map shows properties within a proposed Local Improvement District whose owners could be charged nearly $6,300 each for the installation of a semi-permanent levee to protect the area from floods. (City and Borough of Juneau map)
81 of 466 property owners object to flood district plan ahead of Assembly vote on Monday

Residents in zone would have to pay about $6,300 each for barriers if plan approved.

Kate Sheehan (left foreground), director of the Alaska Division of Personnel and Labor Relations, and Paula Vrana, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Administration, discuss an ongoing statewide salary study during a House State Affairs Committee meeting Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Dunleavy’s delay in releasing state salary study frustrates legislators, union leaders

Draft report to assess competitiveness completed last June, but not released publicly.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The statue of William Henry Seward in front of the Alaska State Capitol is seen covered in snow on Monday, Jan. 21, 2024. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Limited state revenue foreshadows fiscal tug-of-war in Alaska Legislature

Schools, PFDs and aging state buildings will compete for scarce dollars due to lower oil revenue.

A street sign on Pederson Hill. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)
Effort to reduce street fatalities is first CBJ project put on hold due to Trump’s vow to slash federal budget

Open houses to get public input on grant-funded program canceled due to uncertainty about funds

Most Read