Portage Glacier Cruise seeks liquor license for tour boat Ptarmigan

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

Portage Glacier Cruise, LLC applied June 11 for a common carrier dispensary license from state alcohol regulators to serve alcohol during the roughly hourlong cruises. The filing lists Na-Dena', LLC, a tourism joint venture between Huna Totem Corporation and Doyon, Limited, as holder of a 100 percent membership interest in the applicant, meaning Huna Totem holds only an indirect stake. Huna Totem announced July 1 that Na-Dena' had acquired Portage Glacier Cruises. Registered agent Glory Scarano signed the application on Feb. 6.

The disclosure section names Huna Totem's other Alaska alcohol holdings, including nine active licenses through Icy Strait Point, LLC, and licenses through Icy Strait Brewing, LLC. The applicant proposes alcohol sales between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. during the vessel's April 17 to Oct. 17 season.

David Goldstein of Whittier filed a letter of opposition in December. "This concession has operated successfully for decades without the need for an alcohol license," he wrote. Goldstein also said the tour serves families, children and infants.

The Municipal Clerk's memorandum reports no taxes owing and no comments from the Anchorage Police Department. The Anchorage Health Department, the Anchorage Fire Department, Land Use Enforcement and the Building Safety Official have all issued certifications, and the Assembly has already approved a special land use permit for the location.

The Anchorage Assembly considered a memorandum Tuesday that, if approved, would waive its right to protest the application. Aug. 4 was the last scheduled regular Assembly meeting before the end of the protest period. The deadline for the Assembly to protest the application is Aug. 15.