A Whittier man trying to sell booze on a family glacier-tour boat

A Whittier man is fighting a plan to serve alcohol aboard the family-oriented Ptarmigan tour boat on Portage Lake, and the Anchorage Assembly has until Aug. 15 to decide whether to object.

The boat's operator, Portage Glacier Cruise, applied in June for a license to serve alcohol during the roughly hourlong glacier cruises, between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. through the tour season. The company was acquired this summer by a tourism venture backed by Huna Totem Corporation and Doyon.

David Goldstein of Whittier filed a letter opposing it. "This concession has operated successfully for decades without the need for an alcohol license," he wrote, noting the tour serves families, children and infants.

The application has otherwise cleared the city's reviews, and the Assembly has already approved a land use permit for the location. If the Assembly does nothing by Aug. 15, it waives its right to protest and the license moves ahead.