Last night, Unalaska’s preservation commission took its first steps toward fixing up neglected historic sites.

The board nominated the Henry Swanson House and the Manson’s Saltery to be included in Unalaska’s capital spending plan. That could set the stage for renovations within the next five years.

While the final vote was unanimous, the discussion was long -- and sometimes tense. Some of the commissioners weren’t sure how to address the Manson’s Saltery.

"The buildings are in pretty sad shape," said James Santana. "To spend the money on it? I don’t think it’s economically feasible."

The buildings at the edge of Haystack Hill are the only ones left from Unalaska’s herring industry. It’s been 80 years since that business boomed -- and now, the saltery is in disrepair.

But planning administrator Anthony Grande said preserving a historic site doesn’t necessarily mean saving the structures.

"Without any details now, we can put this on the funding agenda," Grande said. "The design phase would really allow us to dig deep into the details and figure out what we really wanted to get out of this site."

There was just enough detail in the nomination to raise a red flag with a member of the public. 

Jeff Hancock made several attempts to speak. When he was finally recognized, Hancock said he's against a proposed footpath that would cut across the tidelands to the saltery.

Tidelands have been identified as a public resource in the past. And Hancock said the commission should try to protect them from development.

He pointed to a tidelands lease with the Ounalashka Corporation as an example. The planning board approved that contract earlier in the night -- before they convened into a historic preservation commission meeting.

But Hancock said the HPC should have reviewed the lease, too.

Chairman Steven Gregory said the commissioners are still adjusting to their dual roles on the planning board and the HPC.

"We’re in this position and if we didn’t want to be here, we wouldn’t be here," Gregory said. "And so we’re here. And we’re doing the best that we can. We’re charged with a responsibility and we’re trying to do it the best that we can."

In an interview on Friday, planning administrator Anthony Grande said there’s no mechanism for automatically bringing development projects to the HPC. Board members will have to reach out to city staff or landowners to offer their advice.

For now, Grande said the commission's top priority is updating Unalaska's inventory of historic places.