Girdwood Board reverses community decision on Alyeska Development
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
The Girdwood Board of Supervisors, in a 3-2 decision Monday, rescinded an earlier community vote that rejected a subdivision proposed in a popular recreational area.
The board's move tells municipal planners it has no objection to plans by Alyeska Resort to build an assortment of housing, roads, parking lots, a tram and in the Glacier Creek watershed north of the town's airport.
The GBOS has since voted to reconsider its Monday vote and will discuss the reconsideration at a meeting Thursday at 1 p.m.
"I suspect [the vote] will be changed," said Supervisor Mike Edgington on Wednesday. "We're basically going back for a re-do."
He said he feels Pomeroy's goals for development are sound, but the location the company has chosen for development isn't.
In both meetings, community members expressed criticism, skepticism and dismay about Pomeroy Lodging's plan to acquire nearly 100 acres of municipal land in the upper valley for housing.
Read the entire story at:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-board-reverses-community-decision-on-alyeska-development
Turnagain Arm Women fight breast cancer at ‘Run for Women’ events in Anchorage and Girdwood
By Jon Scudder
TNews Publisher
Pink of all shades will flow with bright clothing, ribbons, flags, balloons, decorations, and fun fabrics galore on June 8 in Anchorage at the University of Alaska Anchorage and in smaller, subdued form in Girdwood.
“The sea of pink is full of women of all ages and abilities, radiating enthusiasm and support,” said Briana Sullivan, Girdwood’s Alaska Run for Women coordinator. “It is certainly exciting to feel a part of this live and significant fundraiser.”
Fighting breast cancer in Alaska has been a historic mission the Alaska Run for Women have been undertaking since beginning in 1993, now celebrating its 32nd year.
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Girdwood Community Garden has room to grow
By: Brooks Chandler
Itching to get your fingers dirty and grow your own? Plots are available in Girdwood’s community garden. Though currently snow covered the Community Garden is soon to be a thriving green space located between the Girdwood Chapel and Girdwood Brewery on Girdwood Chapel property.
The garden is a project of Turnagain Community Services, Inc., a Girdwood-based non-profit organization. TCS President Alice Simmons said the garden aims to provide sustainability, unity and growth for Girdwood residents.
Betty Charnon, TCS board member and volunteer, manages the garden.
She said the garden includes one plot dedicated to growing produce for another TCS endeavor, the community Food Pantry.
The garden is more than just a place to grow food and flowers, According to Charnon.
“It serves as a gathering spot for neighbors to come together, share knowledge and build lasting friendships,” she said.
Annual fees to offset operating costs are $25 per season. Needs-based discounts are available.
Charnon said those interested in having a plot (which includes access to space in the new greenhouse!) can fill out the application form available at: https://www.girdwoodchapel.com/community-garden/ (or: email TurnagainCommunityServices@gmail.com or call 907-783-0127) to request an application form).
On May 18, the Community Garden is holding a plant sale fundraiser. The sale will feature mature and starter annuals and perennials and perhaps some veggi starts. The sale will be held at the Girdwood Brewery from 11 am to 4 p.m.
(The writer is a board member of Turnagain Community Services, Inc).
Alaska newspaper publishers worry about bill ending some public notice requirements
By James Brooks
The Alaska Senate voted without dissent Monday to allow the Department of Natural Resources to stop publishing some public notices in local newspapers.
Senators approved Senate Bill 68 by a 17-0 vote. It now advances to the House for consideration. Sens. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel; Bert Stedman, R-Sitka; and Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, were excused absent.
Before the final vote, newspaper publishers unsuccessfully asked legislators to reconsider their plans. Allowing the state to control its public notice process poses transparency risks, they testified, and it likely will harm papers’ finances, potentially reducing the amount of independent reporting available in Alaska.
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Potter Marsh Watershed Park is on the Horizon
Great Land Trust has been working with Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) Heritage land Bank and GCI to conserve 300 acres of important hillside watershed features that are critical to sustaining the vibrant habitat of the Potter’s Marsh, located between Golden View Drive to the east and Old Seward Highway.
“We are thrilled how this project is proceeding and it is nice to be doing a project in Anchorage at this scale as these opportunities are few and far between,'“ said Dave Mitchell, Conservation Director with Great Land Trust.
“We select our projects based on prioritizations that look at wetlands and anadromous streams and adjacency to protected areas and we try to collect all the data we can and rank and put it into GIS and rank land based on conservation value,” he added. “This property actually ranked number one.”
Set between the old and new Seward highways, Potter Marsh is a portion of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge is Anchorage’s gateway to Turnagain Arm. The new Potter Marsh Watershed Park will be owned, operated and maintained by the MOA Parks and Recreation Department.
El Nino May Not Be Behind November Snowfall, Experts Say
An unprecedented storm that hurled over three feet snow across Turnagain Arm this past week occurred during an El Nino year, but it is unlikely a natural cycle of warming ocean water is responsible for that event, said Alaska Climate Specialist Rick Thoman.
Nevertheless, El Nino and global warming are having and will have impacts on our winters, scientists say.
"I've had a lot of questions in the last couple weeks, [such as] is this south central snow, the warmth and lack of sea ice in parts of western Alaska, is this tied to El Nino'. Thoman said in videotaped briefing Friday.
[But} where these storms are the first half of November give me confidence to say--and I don't often get to say this--we think pretty darn confidently that our unusual weather is not directly linked to El Nino," he said.
Yet, while there were other influences causing the storms, El Nino will likely create a warmer winter and spring in Alaska and "win out in the end" as a leading factor in weather systems, he said.
Heavy, wet snow that fell last week cut off power across Girdwood and parts of Anchorage, clogged local roadways, and even restricted, in some cases, cell service. On the Richardson Highway, around Mile 46, 72 inches of snow fell in a 20 hour period.
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Alyeska Unveils Expansion Plans at Town Hall
Alyeska Resort's owners laid out a sweeping vision for Girdwood's upper valley Thursday night, one of a "village", parking lots, recreational facilities, a conference center, a daycare center and other amenities.
About 150 people attended the meeting which was billed as a "town hall" meeting held amid platefuls of cookies and snacks in the weathered Sitzmark Bar, with its indigo paisley stained glass ceiling and worn, burnished booths.