By Hannah Dillon

TNews Associate Editor

A rainy Saturday began with a parade of Girdwood community members, some dressed as colorful butterflies and mushrooms, and some with elf ears and cloaks. (All costumes were,  of course, accompanied by Alaska’s signature shoe, the rainboot.)

The 49th annual Forest Fair was held on July 5, 6 and 7. This year’s theme was “bubbles and bugs” which gave the Forest Fair the energy of a fantasy land. 

From 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. the Girdwood parade began at the Alyeska Day Lodge and traveled down the Alyeska Highway. Fire trucks, giant dolls, decorated cars and people dressed as bugs – with an abundance of bubble wands – marched their way towards the Forest Fair, tossing candy to eager children.

A “yellow brick road” began just past the bridge over Glacier Creek. Colorful signs painted by community members directed Forest Fair attendees under the bridge and through a foot path marked by rocks painted yellow along the way.

The end of the yellow brick road opened to the sound of music, the smell of food, laughter and rain tapping the top of vendor tents where people could buy and sell unique and handmade wares while eating fresh corn-on-the-cob. 

Walking muddy pathways one wound through a maze of vendors inviting fairgoers into tents to keep dry and purchase unique and intricately made items. 

Some of the eye-catching booths included a henna stand, gem surveying, wand making, mushroom grow kits, face painting, hand-crafted Indigenous bead work and basket weaving.

These vendors were just a few of the over 200 according to Alaska News Source.

Read the entire story here:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/following-a-yellow-brick-road-under-a-bridge-to-the-forest-fair

By Hannah Dillon

TNews Reporter

 Tommy O’Malley sat on a wooden bench on the patio of Alpenglow coffeehouse Wednesday and used a pink marker to draw the petals of a flower as he explained the tradition of pin painting to Turnagain News.

The sound of excited chatter filled the coffeehouse and surrounding area. Community members mingled, laughed and helped each other with their flowers as they sipped their drinks and painted tiny roses under warm lighting.

 “Usually, we do it [painting] some place you can drink and after a while people start cleaning their brush in their merlot,” said O’Malley jokingly.

Dozens of pin painters gathered around O’Malley as he introduced a new watercolor technique and flower design to the interested audience. 

O’Malley said the idea for this particular technique came to him while he was on a plane. The painter did not have the supplies he would normally use for his artwork – but he did have a set of washable markers. 

O’Malley demonstrated the evolution of a simple floral outline into a recognizable rose through shading and color placement. With just a few strokes of his markers and paintbrush, O’Malley created the spiral blooming of a flower. 

The bright colors of the markers faded to a pastel hue when water was applied and painted across the thick sheet of paper.

After the short demonstration, painters took their seats inside Alpenglow and on the patio, each with a set of washable markers, paper and water glasses provided by O’Malley. 

Read the entire story at:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/pin-painting-party-a-traditional-precursor-to-girdwood-forest-fair

By Jeff Samuels

TNews Contributor

US Forest Service staff and Girdwood community members gathered June 6 for a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating a landmark event for the town. 

The Glacier Ranger District headquarters has leased land since 1988 from the Heritage Land Bank (HLB) where its buildings are situated, a little over eight acres adjacent to Monarch Mine Road and the Alyeska Highway. 

After a long administrative process, the Forest Service was able to purchase the land they occupy, a culmination of years of hard work by Forest Service and HLB staff. 

By acquiring the land, the Forest Service has the ability to pursue capital investments on the property, including a long-needed new bunkhouse for seasonal staff and increased office space. 

With newer and expanded capacity in seasonal housing, recruitment efforts stand to benefit as potential employees can have alternatives to higher cost housing options in the community. Girdwood shares a similar problem with many Alaskan towns of having very limited and expensive long term housing available. 

Additional improvements could include a trailhead for the lower Iditarod and Bird to Gird Trails. 

Engineering staff with the Chugach National Forest’s Supervisor’s Office in Anchorage are already at work designing these projects.  

Glacier District Ranger Chris Stewart cut the ribbon as dozens of onlookers applauded.

Read the entire story here:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/forest-service-finally-buys-land-beneath-its-girdwood-heaquarters

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

It is unlikely development of the so-called "Holtan Hills" subdivision will occur this year, said the director of a municipal land office, though a portion of the land—groves of old-growth rainforest behind Girdwood's school—was conveyed to a private developer in early May.

"I wouldn't anticipate that [developer CY Investments] would start this year. I guess it really depends on when they get through planning and zoning. But, I mean, we're in to June right now and construction season has already started," said Tiffany Briggs, director of the Municipality of Anchorage's real estate division.

The Anchorage Assembly approved the transfer of 60 acres of city land in February to CY Investments following a year and flood of letters, testimony, and local government decisions opposing the plan for a large-scale subdivision in Girdwood. Critics of the plan have said it will do little to solve Girdwood's housing demand and only exacerbate existing demands on infrastructure.

CY Investments is required to hold a public meeting in advance of securing a permit from the Anchorage's Planning and Zoning Commission. So far, no date has been set.

The company plans to build 58 homes in the first of three phases to total more than 100 single-family homes, condominiums and duplexes. With the skyrocketing cost of housing in Girdwood—a 443 square-foot studio was recently listed at almost $500,000—it is unlikely, say housing experts, that local families who work in the community will be able to purchase homes in "Holtan Hills". 

According to data compiled for Girdwood's comprehensive plan, of housing demand in coming years, 75 percent will be needed for lower and middle income households. The lowest cost of an "entry level" home in the planned subdivision would cost $500,000, developer Connie Yoshimura said during a town hall meeting in 2022.

Of 25 housing units sold last year all were sold as second homes or quickly converted to short term rentals, according to Girdwood Board of Supervisors member Mike Edgington.

Read the entire story here:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/holtan-hills-development-unlikely-this-year-says-real-estate-director

By Harper Landry

TNews Contributor

The 2023/2024 school year has come to an end. At Girdwood School it was filled with learning, and more learning as well as some field trips, skiing, run for HeArt, field day, intensives, and more.

As we spend the next three months preparing for the next school year we would like to congratulate and thank three retiring teachers. Maggie Donnelly, Dave Robinson, and Leola Rutherford.

Maggie Donnelly has been Girdwood School’s kindergarten teacher since 2011. She has coached track, cross country running, and cross country skiing during her years at Girdwood School. Before teaching at Girdwood, Ms. Donnelly taught kindergarten at Kasuun Elementary for 10 years. We will miss Ms.Donnelly greatly and we hope she has a relaxed, fun-filled retirement.

Dave Robinson was our 7th and 8th grade language arts and science teacher. He taught at Girdwood School for almost two decades and he helped coach many middle school sports for many years. He will be spending most of his time traveling, biking, hiking, skiing, and of course reading. We wish him an adventure filled retirement.

Leola Rutherford was our 6th grade teacher who recently accepted a STEM educator position with Alaska Resource Education. Ms. Rutherford excelled in teaching STEM and technology. Her knowledge will be missed at Girdwood School but we wish her the best at her new job!

Girdwood School will be welcoming in Brian Pautzke who will be teaching middle school science and Soren Wuerth who will be teaching middle school language arts. We will also be welcoming in Hailey Rose who will be the new kindergarten teacher.

By: Brooks Chandler

Turnagain News Contributor

Suzanne LaFrance was the clear favorite among Girdwood voters in the April 2 mayoral election. LaFrance received 64 percent of the votes cast for mayor according to results certified by the Anchorage Assembly on April 23.

This compares to 36 percent of votes for LaFrance city-wide. Mayor Dave Bronson finished a distant second in Girdwood with 15 percent of votes cast.

Citywide Bronson received only 473 votes less than LaFrance, a difference of less than 1 percent. In Girdwood LaFrance received 387 votes more than Bronson.

LaFrance was also favored by 46 percent of Indian/Bird Creek voters receiving 59 votes compared to 39 votes, or 30 percent, for Mayor Bronson, LaFrance's closest competitor.

The results in other South Anchorage precincts, many of which LaFrance represented as an Assembly member, were more mixed. The certified results show Bronson outpolling LaFrance in the majority of South Anchorage and Hillside precincts.

According to the Municipal Clerk’s office, 808 of Girdwood’s 1,949 registered voters participated in the April 2 election. That equals a 41 percent turnout. Indian/Bird Creek did even better turning out 43 percent of 302 registered voters. City wide turnout was 30.4 percent.

Mayoral preference was not the only result where Girdwood votes varied widely from Anchorage votes. Proposition 7, the Cemetery Bond, was favored by 455 of 792 Girdwood voters (57.4 percent). Area wide only 43.5 percent of voters favored Proposition 7.

Proposition 7 included bonding to create a cemetery in both Eagle River and Girdwood plus make improvements to the existing cemetery in downtown Anchorage. Because cemetery service is an “area-wide” service all property owners in Anchorage would have repaid the proposed bonds through property taxes.

No Eagle River precinct supported Proposition 7. All 7 downtown Anchorage precincts plus Government Hill joined Girdwood in voting yes on Proposition 7.

The official certified results by precinct can be found at www.muni.org/Departments/Assembly/Clerk/Elections/Election%20Results/2024-0423%20StatementOfVotesCastRPT.pdf

By Jeff Samuels

TNews Contributor

The Girdwood Nordic Ski Club (GNSC) and Kenai Mountains- Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area (KMTA) teamed up again this year to host the 3rd annual Corduroy Crush Nordic Skiing event on Sunday, April 7th at Girdwood’s 5K Nordic Loop.

About 85 athletes of all ages participated in three events: a 2K snowball biathlon, a 5K timed race, and a team relay. 

KMTA’s Executive Director, Rachel Blakeslee, and GNSC’s board member, Briana Sullivan, coordinated logistics and volunteers to manage the event. Participants were greeted by a bluebird spring day and warm temperatures, with a deep winter base of snow still covering the skiing trails. Families basked in the sunshine as the races took place.

Skiers were fueled by hot drinks and sweet rolls from the Alpenglow Coffee House and The Bake Shop.  

“Every year we host this race I’m astounded by the selflessness of those who come out to support with their time, energy, and resources,” said Rachel. “This year, we had 33 volunteers from Girdwood, Anchorage, Seward, Moose Pass and more show up on the most beautiful, sunny Sunday to help out… We talk a lot about preserving and celebrating our living heritage in the KMTA. This is what it’s all about.”

As a fundraiser, about $2,000 was generated from registration fees to support KMTA’s youth outdoor school programming. 

In addition to Alpenglow Coffee House and The Bake Shop, other sponsors included Powderhound Ski Shop, Birch & Alder, The Ice Cream Shop, Mooses Tooth, Girdwood Brewing, and Alyeska Resort.

For more information on The Girdwood Nordic Ski Club, visit their website at:  https://skigirdwood.org/. For more information on the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area, visit their site at: https://kmtacorridor.org/.

KMTA hosts additional race events each summer at the Spencer Whistlestop and on Hope's Palmer Creek Road. Find more information on upcoming events on their website.

(Click on the story title to see more pictures)

Girdwood Area Plan Funded From Multiple Sources

By Brooks Chandler

TNews Contributor

Comprehensive planning costs money, and more than expected.

The total cost of the draft Girdwood Area Plan now out for public comment through March 31 will exceed $200,000, according to Imagine!Girdwood Treasurer Amanda Sassi.

The final funding originated from a source no one would have envisioned in 2017 when the update effort began. Regardless of the price, readers can now review and comment on the draft at imaginegirdwood.org.

Read more at:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/persistence-plus-pandemic-produces-plan

Story by Jon Scudder, TNews Publisher

Photos by Soren Wuerth, TNews Editor

On the first Friday of each month, the streets of Olympic Mountain Loop transformed the March 1 evening into a vibrant community of artistic expression, as local artists, musicians, and businesses unite to celebrate creativity in the heart of Turnagain Arm.

Since ‘In The Loop’ debuted last year, the event has quickly become a cornerstone of Girdwood’s cultural scene, drawing customers, locals and visitors, to explore the diverse array of businesses in this monthly celebration.

Participating Friday, 5 to 7 pm, were businesses such as Alpenglow Coffee House; Girdwood Center for Visual Art; Jack Sprat Restaurant; La Bodega; Mother Hubbards Cupboard; and Powder Hound Ski and Bike Shop.

Read the entire story:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwoods-in-the-loop-first-friday-unveils-a-mountain-community-of-artistic-ex

By Brooks Chandler

TNews Contributor

Many people equate “health clinic” with seeing a medical provider.

The Girdwood Health Clinic takes a broader view of its role as an advocate for community health.

There are “social determinants” that impact health, says Patient Assistance Program Coordinator Linda Mankoff.

These include housing. An insecure housing situation, or just how living in the cold, can make someone sick and cause mental stress.

Not having enough food to eat is also a health concern that has the attention of the clinic.

A lack of transportation reduces access to specialty medical services not available at the clinic, says Mankoff.

Mankoff's Patient Assistance Program is designed to improve these social determinants of health.

The clinic educates community members about available public assistance programs.

For example, Mankoff says folks may be directed to Cook Inlet Housing by the clinic if they need housing and are willing to live in Anchorage.

They can also learn about possible help through Catholic Social Services.

And domestic violence victims can be referred to agencies providing temporary safe places to live.

Meanwhile, Girdwood senior citizens get help accessing the Senior Citizens Food Program.

Education may simply be letting people know that on-site mental health services are regularly available at the clinic.

When a community member wants to apply for a program such as food stamps or Medicaid, Mankoff says the clinic helps them fill out the inevitable mounds of paperwork. Before the clinic existed this type of help required a trip to town.

As a certified community health worker and application counselor Mankoff says the clinic can provide help on site. These efforts are part of creating and maintaining a “full circle of health” for Girdwood, she says.

All of these services are provided for free and regardless of whether the community member being assisted is a medical patient and confidentiality protocol prevents the clinic from identifying specific health benefits from these efforts, according to Mankoff.

Each day, a stack of food boxes for seniors awaits delivery free those who need it, a manifestation of the social service Girdwood's clinic provides.

(Photo courtesy of Girdwood Health Clinic)

By Soren Wuerth, TNews Editor

Photography by Anneliese Kupfrian

Proposals to reconstruct the Seward Highway between Girdwood and Anchorage and a project to build an overpass into Girdwood are in peril due to a lack of funding and after a Statewide plan was rejected by federal regulators.

The so-called "Safer Seward Highway" project, which would cost as much as $1 billion, has been put on hold after federal transportation officials declined to fund a broader $5.6 billion statewide plan. The State must come up with a revision to its three-year Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP)before reapplying for funding. 

The main problem is that the Alaska Department of Transportation failed to involve local governments as required by regulations. 

In the case of the Seward Highway project, a plan for reconstruction and realignment from milepost 98 to 115, the DOT did not get approval from an Anchorage planning group.

Under federal regulations, projects under a STIP need to be consistent with the transportation goals of a nearby city. For the Seward Highway, that organization is the Anchorage Metropolitan Area Transportation Solutions, or AMATS. 

"There was no coordination with AMATS prior to the draft document being released for the 45-day public comment period," AMATS director Aaron Jongenelen wrote in an August letter. 

Jongenelen said the Seward Highway reconstruction "should be removed" from DOT's 2024-2027 STIP since it wasn't included in AMATS's plan.

He added that there is "missing information" and, so far as the Seward Highway plan is concerned, DOT got the region wrong.

"Seward Highway 98.5 to 110 should be all in the Municipality of Anchorage not Kenai. Also this project is missing from the interactive map," stated Jongenelen.

Federal investigators largely agreed, saying projects need to go through a local planning process and be included in a "Metropolitan Planning Organization's" plan before being listed on a STIP.

Meanwhile, an idea for a half-cloverleaf overpass heading in Girdwood, called a "trumpet" by highway planners, is bogged down for lack of funding, a DOT director said during a November meeting.

Though the Girdwood Board of Supervisors urged DOT to include an interchange in a 2018 resolution, the size of the department's proposalcaused acrimony. 

"It's out-of-scale with Girdwood but also overly environmentally impactful to a pretty treasured area," GBOS co-Chair Jennifer Wingard said during a meeting last November.

The recommendation for a trumpet-style project is unlikely to gain funding, Sean Holland, DOT's regional director, said during the November meeting.

"We have a lot of projects right now that are really sucking up a lot of funding and to be able to fund the project in the $70 million range is going to be really challenging to do in the next few years," Holland said.

Holland said the he's told his agency's planners to come up with a smaller, less expensive "bite-sized" project for the interchange that might reduce crashes."We have way more needs than we do funding," he said.

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By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

A representative for Alyeska Resort said Wednesday his company hopes to develop a 28-acre swath of forest in Girdwood's upper valley for housing as part of a sweeping master plan that could cost as much as $350 million.

The development would be a "Phase Three" pursuit, said Development Manager Willam Laurie, of Pomeroy, the Canadian hotelier that owns Alyeska Resort.

The proposed housing, near Glacier Creek, would cap other developments on or near the Resort's hotel. In other phases, Pomeroy would lease its land for construction of a new ice rink, recreation center, and childcare center. The resort would also build a new convention hall, a 9,000 square foot ski school, condos, community housing, and what it calls "workforce housing".

But a plan for an "Alyeska Village", near the hotel, and workforce housing is "to some extent" contingent on whether Pomeroy gets approval from the Assembly to develop what Pomeroy is now calling the "Glacier Creek Community", Laurie said.

Laurie told a packed community hall that Pomeroy "won the rights" to the land in 2021 in a bid on a request for proposal by the Municipality of Anchorage's Heritage Land Bank.

"We don't own it yet. It's owned by the HLB but we are in the process of acquiring that land. We are completely separate from the other project that was proposed, Holtan Hills," Laurie said.

In 2022, Connie Yoshimura, of CY Investments, and Pomeroy agreed to split HLB land they called "The Girdwood Project" on either side of Glacier Creek. The parties agreed to keep the undisclosed transaction confidential.

CY Investments would get the "Holtan Hills Subdivision" while Pomeroy would control land for, what it called in the agreement, an "Alyeska Village".

Robin Wilcox, of Skylab, a Portland-based architectural firm, said housing near Glacier Creek would be "more of a single-family housing development with mixed housing and styles."

"The idea there is that housing could be sized and planned to be nestled into the landscape," Wilcox said.

Laurie said his company chose 27 acres of 70 available to it within constraints of existing trails, wetlands, waterways and topography and ended up with a strip the shape of a fishing hook.

A slide of the area shows 23 single family homes spread out in large lots and about 55 "cluster" homes.

"Imagine someone who's lived for 10 years and hasn't had a chance to buy something in Girdwood because they get bid up or the properties are just too expensive, we plan to build quite a few units that have efficient lot sizes that would be more attainable for purchase," Laurie said, adding that the Glacier Creek subdivision would be built after the Alyeska Village and Moose Meadows developments.

He said Pomeroy would work with the Girdwood Board of Supervisors and Land Use Committee to give longer term residents priority for home purchases.

He said planners wanted the Glacier Creek community to be a "trails-oriented" community due to its proximity to trails. They also envision a parking lot and "warming hut" for skiers.

"Having a nordic ski trail in your backyard is something really cool," Laurie said.

Additionally, the subdivision would connect to the Alyeska Village with a "horizontal gondola".

Laurie's and Wilcox's presentation echoed one given five months ago in a "town hall" held at the Sitzmark Bar. The plan amends a 15-year old master plan for the Resort and is outside of the Girdwood Area Plan which is months away from completion. Pomeroy has not been involved in the larger comprehensive plan, according to a member of the planning team.