GBOS Co-Chair’s shares her vision for Girdwood
Re-elected Briana Sullivan shares her future vision for the community
By Jon Scudder
Turnagain News
In the Girdwood Valley Service Area, Seat E, Briana Sullivan defeated Brooke Lavender. Sullivan garnering 59 percent of the votes to 41 percent for Lavender.
The turnout had the highest number of voters for a Girdwood special election going back more than 40 years, according to a municipal database, not including those elections with mayoral, state or federal candidates.
This Turnagain News asked both winning candidates to participate in a Q&A. In this edition, Sullivan responded to the questions via e-mail with her insight. In the previous issue, GBOS co-chair Mike Edgington opted to be interviewed.
Sullivan is no stranger to journalism calling Girdwood home for more than a decade now. If you used to read the past Turnagain Times newspaper, you may have noticed Sullivan’s contributing articles from Four Valleys Community School. Sullivan said she spends her time contributing to the betterment of Girdwood, through volunteering and being involved with youth, recreational events, boards, and enjoying the great outdoors in the valley.
What do you see as your top priorities to accomplish?
There are many priorities, but I see some to be continuing the unglamorous progress of long and short term goals of the GVSA staff and budgeted projects, that deserve attention and funding in order to keep our community in a healthy place of proper functioning and experienced planning, so we can endure storms and seasonal changes, in addition to the basic needs of our town. Apart from Girdwood being a significant tourist and visitor destination, this town attracts attendees to unique events and our ability to provide hospitality to guests and locals alike is important. Roads and bike paths, Fire and Police, Land Use issues, Parks and Recreation, and Cemetery planning are all essential services. Covering the bases that need constant care and attention is a big job. That’s why we have a service area. Healthcare and childcare remain just as vital, yet are not under the scope of GBOS.
Girdwood is at a very critical time right now, and having experienced board and staff is key to continuing the communication and progress established over the last few years with the Anchorage Assembly, Municipality of Anchorage, Heritage Land Bank, as well as our State Representatives and even the Anchorage School Board. Our legislators and representatives regularly attend our meetings and communicate updates, which is important for consistency, information sharing, and progress. Local government is how proper process can gain traction.
Back to the critical time: We still have a crisis that is not unlike other ski towns – or communities in Alaska and the nation. We need housing for essential workers and workforce and families and the elderly. Continuing to address and accomplish the steps we can take to ultimately accomplish the outcome Girdwood needs, is another looming priority. I cannot emphasize enough what I have learned thus far: Making actual progress on projects that have taken significant time to get where they are, deserve ardent attention and action. Recent delays with the Municipality or HLB have hampered such efforts and some very necessary projects take a painfully long time, not limited to, but like the rebuilding or relocating of Little Bears Playhouse, or Girdwood Industrial Park improvements.
What will you do to help resolve the Girdwood lack of affordable housing?
I will help make Proposition 7, that the Girdwood voters passed with brilliant colors, something that can work for our service area. Working with organizations and non-profits, community members, and our Anchorage Assembly toward the reality of attainable housing is something that will be a constant task. The last year has shown us how much progress and momentum can be made, and some very quickly. Our community did a phenomenal job communicating myriad thoughts and desires to the Assembly regarding the potential of housing that would not be affordable, nor match the previous and current desperate need of Girdwood. Fostering the guidance of experts in the field and experienced professionals in Anchorage and the State will be prudent, in addition to supporting the completion of the Girdwood Area Comprehensive Plan and ensuring HLB is continuing communication regarding one-year and five-year plans very regularly.
What motivates you to serve another term on the GBOS?
The years I dedicated to becoming familiar with and working diligently on the GBOS, all during the pandemic, motivated me to continue and further support our board and staff move forward, through the efforts and hard work I established. Attending meetings and fostering a relationship with the roles of organizations, boards, the assembly, and representatives are both inspiring and incredibly helpful to understand the thorough process of government. This is all volunteer, and I felt that not running to serve again would be wasteful and disingenuous. The GBOS is a body that fortunately has willing and caring individuals serving, and our community is fortunate to have this board, and many other really great, contributing boards and organizations in this valley. As our board begins another season, being more proactive, rather than reactive, perhaps could further aid the future of Girdwood. I believe we have the group to do this.
How do you view the Municipal Assembly with the new five new additional members?
I am not sure yet entirely, but not vastly different from the previous body. I look forward to the work the fresh members will bring, which also took place over the last few months with Assembly Members Joey Sweet and Robin Dern. Regardless, so far, the work sessions have been thoughtful, informational, and productive. The newly elected members are all there to serve their districts and the interests of the Municipality as a whole, and I believe they will do that in earnest. Although I will miss the outgoing members, I look forward to working with all of our Assembly!
What are your thoughts about the impacts to the community on the planned interchange and the Seward Highway?
My thoughts are mostly financial and environmental. The preferred design is monstrous, and while the selection meets the goals of the DOT and engineers, the proposed highway would forever change the look and feel of the entrance to Girdwood. There is no panacea, but if the State is granted federal funding, and the governor pushes this project through, our town will be burdened with finding more ways to slow traffic down as they enter the Girdwood valley. This would mean planning now for such measures. The proposed interchange is a very large sum for a single project, along a corridor that merits many safety measures, while this intersection, statistically, is not the most dangerous. Whenever it’s high tide, I am baffled by the idea of the incredible engineering design. Our community also consists of wildlife, so I remain concerned about the migrating birds, fish, and surrounding ecosystem as well.
How will you view and foster a better relationship between GBOS and Pomeroy Lodging LLC?
I will view Pomeroy Lodging LLC as a new company, since the staffing has changed so much recently. While I felt introduced to Pomeroy a few years ago, I don’t recognize names as well now. Getting to know the management staff on a name-to-face level would be great. We recently had two members in attendance at a meeting and I was able to meet them, which was great. GBOS could invite Pomeroy Lodging LLC representatives to our meetings, or if it’s within our scope, try to arrange a meeting with them. Beginning and having open communication is a great step toward any relationship.
Any progress on cemetery planning for the future?
Great question! This is a meaningful project that has had so much work years before I became involved. Consequently, I consider it my duty to continue this work, of course. The Girdwood Cemetery Committee is chaired by Tommy O’Malley and one of my supervisory roles is working with this committee. For two years we have been trying to help spread awareness across the MOA, and communicating with Eagle River and Chugiak in their process toward arriving closer to where we are, to get a cemetery project in each of these communities on the same page. Studies and land selection processes were completed between 2019 and 2021. While the pandemic wasn’t helpful, the progress has been slow but tangible. Great news came last week with the Anchorage Assembly AO 2023-58, making cemeteries an areawide function of the municipality. This was the roadblock we hit last fall, when trying to get the projects onto the 2023 Capital Improvement Projects for bonding, areawide (it would have been on the April ’23 ballot). Girdwood’s project is ready to go – we just need the funding. Eagle River isn’t far behind, and Anchorage Memorial Park is also in great need of improvements and renovations, so would also be included in the bond. Anchorage Memorial Park is the only public burial space in the Muni and is running out of space, which has been published a handful of times, when the topic is ever reported. Death is a part of life – and planning for cemeteries and providing this service is basic infrastructure! Equitably honoring our loved ones and our dead deserves space and a place in perpetuity. The Assembly will most likely vote on 2023-58 Tuesday, May 9. This is a great example of working with all the players to have a successful opportunity, which takes years.
Any initiatives to foster economic development in Girdwood?
Proposition 7! This is a start for Girdwood to take more control of opportunities for economic development. There have been community members with business development ideas and plans, which often find great hurdles with HLB land and the Industrial Park, or zoning, to name a few. I look forward to what we can do with the newly approved Housing and Economic Development Power, while still being within the MOA.
Anything else, a project or special cause that interests you as a GBOS member?
During the first several months of my time on GBOS, we passed a resolution against domestic violence and abuse. A provision in this resolution was to provide support for victims, families, and community through outreach as well as funding for first responders, to help best serve Girdwood and educate people of their options. This has been something I’d like to continue. The Clinic, Girdwood Chapel, and Girdwood Fire Dept. have been very important with this outreach and support. One step toward this, and the safety of our community is having speakers come discuss cyber bullying this fall. Stay tuned for further information on the event, and hopefully from Girdwood PTA, whose goal was to host a Tech Talk Night, about security online. Coordinating between these groups is ideal. Both of these topics are serious and have resulted in preventable, life threatening scenarios such as stalking, sexual assault, suicide, and/or domestic violence and abuse. Conversations will help everyone.
Anything else you would like to accomplish in this term?
A goal I recently mentioned, that actually used to happen in Girdwood, is the opportunity for more recycling. Last year I started reaching out to Solid Waste Services, but I lacked the undertaking to continue conversation amidst all the other items on our shoulders. There are individuals in our community doing significant work toward this goal, so growing from their energy may be great too. Where to start was also my challenge, as focusing on the largest contributors to aluminum, glass, and cardboard, was forefront for me, while on an independent level, we could all be doing this routinely. Girdwood utilizes Alaska Waste services through curbside service and we have our Girdwood Transfer Station. It’s also something GBOS may be able to help with. It pains me to see so much waste and missed opportunities in a place surrounded by mountains, streams, and ocean – while simultaneously being so careless when it comes to waste and recycling topics. I’d also welcome any projects or causes that community members bring forward. That helps us represent our community.
GBOS Co-Chair Briana Sullivan
– Photo courtesy of Briana Sullivan
