By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

Saying its hands were bound by the Assembly, an Anchorage commission denied recommendations by Girdwood officials to mollify development plans for the controversial "Holtan Hills" project. 

Community members on Monday told the Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission 

that the new homes will be too expensive for local residents and warned of significant environmental impacts should the project move forward as designed. 

Mike Edgington, a co-chair of Girdwood's Board of Supervisor, brought four recommendations from the community, including one asking for the commission to stipulate owner occupancy requirements. The Anchorage panel brushed off that concern, however, siding with city planners who promoted the "Holtan Hills" project and saying they were legally bound by an Anchorage ordinance passed two years ago.

"Girdwood needs housing at all income levels," said Daniel McKenna-Foster, a senior planner and contributor to Girdwood's Comprehensive Plan, alluding to a cost "rainbow" of housing desired in the valley. He cited the recently-updated area plan, which includes housing tracts behind the school, as justification for the "Holtan Hills" development. 

But Girdwood needs homes for people who work in the community, Edgington said, and "Holtan Hills" will supply "less than a dozen" given local housing market trends.

"The original sin of this whole project is that it never considered the need for occupied housing in Girdwood and made the mistake that private development solves that problem," Edgington said. 

He said later though the meeting was the last opportunity for public comment, GBOS can offer remarks on the project as a service area board. The commission and planners deflected demands for short-term rental restrictions and the offer of two lots for community housing to later decisions of a homeowners association.

"My frustration is that there were several aspects of details we were told by legal department that nothing could be changed. We can't do it now, we can't do it later. It seems a little like a bait and switch," Edgington said.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/in-final-hearing-anchorage-commission-rejects-girdwoods-housing-concerns-on-holtan-hills

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

Waking up in a small, remote Nicaraguan village, Miriam Herz found a distressing message on her phone.

Otis was missing.

A friend told her Otis, a year-and-a-half old Bernese Mountain Dog, had escaped during his hand off to a friend's house in Girdwood. 

To make matters worse, Herz had no cell phone service. "I was at the whims of wi-fi," she said. 

"I saw he ran off. and they were going to give me an update and I never got one," she said during a phone interview. 

Little did she know, the 3 a.m. text (Alaska time) would start a 12-day mission to locate Otis and end with his rescue from a ravine beneath Chair 4 at Alyeska Resort. 

Meanwhile, her friend, Elle, awake at 3:30 a.m., frantically searched the community for the missing dog to no avail. They reported she and others would resume the search at 7 a.m. the next day.

"He didn't make it inside before he bolted," Herz, 27, said. "He doesn't do great with change and this is the longest I've been away from him."

Otis has never liked men, she said. "Our theory is that Elle's partner scared him."

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/a-new-years-tale-with-a-tail-wagging-ending

By Chase Berenson

TNews Staffwriter

On Tuesday, December 16th, Girdwood Parks and Recreation hosted the second Girdwood Parks Plan workshop.  The Girdwood Parks Plan project is a year-long project to generate a Parks Master Plan that can provide guidance on improvements to Girdwood’s existing park spaces and the potential creation of new parks in the future.  The project is spearheaded by Kyle Kelly, Girdwood Service Area Manager, and Bri Keifer, landscape architect with Huddle AK, a consulting firm brought on to help the project.

The project began with a park user survey in the fall, followed by a workshop in September which presented the results of the survey and collected Girdwood residents’ thoughts and opinions on existing park locations and infrastructure.  Huddle AK worked with Parks and Rec to interpret the survey results and feedback, and the second workshop allowed them to present their draft plans for Girdwood Park, Lions Club Park, Town Square Park, Moose Meadows, and the new concept Glacier Creek Park.  Huddle AK used this workshop as an opportunity to collect feedback about the draft plans presented.  The workshop was open-house style, with various exhibits set up around the Community Room that focused on each of the different parks.

Girdwood Park would see some improvements but would likely not look dramatically different than it does today.  There were several comments about the inadequacy of the playground, so there are plans or new play equipment for 2-5 year-olds and 5-12 year-olds.  Additionally, there are plans for an elevated plaza with amphitheater-style seating that is facing the playground and skate park; the plaza idea was spurred by comments from parents that it can be difficult to keep an eye on children playing, especially if there are multiple children using different areas of the park.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/draft-plans-for-girdwoods-parks-displayed-at-parks-plan-workshop

By Chase Berenson

TNews Staffwriter

Despite temperatures below 0oF, the 2025 Solstice Ski organized by the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club brought a large crowd of Girdwood residents out to the trail kiosk on the 5K trail loop.  This annual celebration of the winter and of the return to the sun brings Girdwood residents out into the night to celebrate together.

 To help battle the darkness of winter’s longest night, the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club installed over 2,500 lights along the 2K trail and the trail kiosk, which is the home of the party for the evening.  At the epicenter of the Solstice gathering at the kiosk, participants found the bonfire plus hot chocolate and soup donated by The Bake Shop to keep everyone warm inside and out.  This was also where the music was playing, and most participants were gathered to talk and spend time together commemorating the 5K trail network and celebrating the return of the sunlight that comes after Winter Solstice.

 It wouldn’t be a Nordic Ski Club event without Nordic skiing, and most participants took some time to ski at least one lap of the lit trails.  Prior to the event, twenty GSNC volunteers spent approximately a week getting the lights ready and positioned on the course.  The hard work paid off, as the colorful and flashing lights augmented the experience.  Some of the lights moved constantly around the top of the trees, illuminating the foliage and creating tricks of the eye with the stars of the clear night.  Meanwhile other lights danced across the trail’s surface itself.  Girdwood resident and event participant Amanda Tuttle described the last segment of trail as like, “skiing on Rainbow Road from Mario Kart” while passing through the multicolor, flashing lights.  

 Deb Essex, the President of the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club, said that the Solstice Ski, “is definitely our biggest event” and is something they always look forward to.  The event is free for participants, but even without a financial draw Essex says, “it is a benefit to the Club by celebrating where we live andcelebrating the only uplands winter trail loop in Glacier Valley.”  

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-celebrates-solstice-on-the-ski-trails