"Holtan Hills" Developer to Face Community in Sept. 23 Meeting
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
A quietly advertised community meeting on plans to convert a mile long strip of old growth rainforest into a 60 acre subdivision will be held at the Meadow Community Center at Our Lady of the Snows on Sept. 23.
The meeting announcement, sent only to certain homeowners, is sparse on details but describes "phase one" development as consisting of 50 lots and three tracts: "a large wetland tract along Glacier Creek," an "access tract for larger lots", and another tract that "will be subdivided at a later date".
It includes a map showing a rough, station-wagon-shaped patch illustrating the proposed development along with a plume of "offsite improvements".
In a letter to Anchorage's planning department, Mike Edgington, co-chair of the Girdwood Board of Supervisors, called the notice "a surprise".
“The community meeting scheduled by the petitioner requires in-person attendance only and clashes with both a pre-noticed GBOS work session and with the September 23 Anchorage Assembly meeting," Edgington wrote.
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/holtan-hills-developer-to-face-community-in-sept-23-meeting
Alyeska Climbathon Rises to the Top
By Chase Berenson
TNews Staffwriter
Once each summer for the last 18 years the North Face Trail up Mount Alyeska has converted from a peaceful but strenuous hiking trail to a scene of athletic endurance for Alyeska Climbathon, which took place on Saturday, September 6th. The premise of Climbathon is simple: from 9AM-7PM, competitors have ten hours to complete as many laps as possible hiking up the North Face and taking the Alyeska Tram back down to the base of the mountain. Of course, this isn’t just an easy hike; the 2.2-mile hike includes over 2,000 feet of elevation!
More important than just being a long, fun day on the mountain, Climbathon is a fundraiser for the Girdwood Health Clinic (in the process of rebranding to Turnagain Community Health) and Let Every Woman Know, an Alaskan non-profit organization that is dedicated preventing, facing, and ending gynecological cancers.
337 racers of all different skill levels and abilities joined together to race up Mount Alyeska. The group included some of Alaska’s most elite mountain runners as well as cancer survivors and supporters of cancer survivors for whom this was the first time they had completed this type of hike. According to Tessa Ely, the Executive Director of Let Every Woman Know, her favorite thing about the day was, “The range of people on the mountain all sharing the trail.” She continued, “Climbathon is an event that really brings people together.”
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/alyeska-climbathon-rises-to-the-top
South Anchorage Wolverines top Lathrop Malemutes August 30
By Mandy Hawes
TNews Contributor
South Anchorage Wolverines players above, left to right, are Kyler Porter, 22; Arne Nedwick, 13; Henry Lantz, 6; and Carson Hawes, 18. The Wolverines topped the Lathrop Malemutes in a home game by a score of 31-7 on Aug. 30. For the Wolverines, the group of the above Girdwood Seniors put up some great stats with incredible clutch plays, For example, Hawes had two interceptions and a recovery. The Wolverines are now 2-1 overall. Come out and cheer your Girdwood gridiron players throughout the season!
Local Ski Patroller Finds Fear, Loathing, and Adventure in War Zones
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Local ski patroller Kyle Beckler rides shotgun in a van as it rattles along a dusty strip near the Ukrainian frontline in its war against Russia.
A bridge comes into view, pieces missing, one span tilted into a river.
The white van, a rented jalopy with a window missing from a shrapnel blast, carries cans of meat and packages. Its glove compartment is duct-taped shut.
The van passes buildings with skeletal roofs and crumbled walls. It passes a rusted, wheel-less transport truck slumped on the side of a road with a door hanging open.
What looks like a school has blackened, pocketed walls and its windows are punched out.
Read the entire story at the below link:
Dump Found Shows Little Trace of Oil
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
A dump uncovered during construction of a road to "Holtan Hills" was determined to have a low amount of toxic pollutants, according to an official with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
Six soil samples taken from material dumped decades ago near Girdwood's school revealed petroleum and other chemicals well below a threshold mandating an extensive clean up, said Jade Gamble, who works in the DEC's "Rapid Response" division.
DEC received a report August 6 and the agency closed the case six days later after testing samples from the site.
A consultant screening for "volatile organic compounds" found that "nothing was deemed a threat to groundwater or surface water or to the general public," Gamble said. "And now they're just running into garbage." She said that "several hundred cubic yards" of trash-strewn dirt have been removed.
In early August workers excavating an access road and sewer line for the controversial "Holtan Hills" project turned up refuse—from oil drums to trash-filled plastic bags to car axles—of a dump closed in 1979. A portion of the garbage was removed in 2002 after children at the school complained of bad smells and orange sludge coming from the playground. The remediated playground area was unlisted as a contaminated site, according to the DEC.
But while garbage uncovered this month is part of the same dump and also had an odor, soil samples from recent excavations had "diesel-range organics" in the 30s parts-per-million and the threshold triggering more stringent regulations is 230 ppm, Gamble said. Tests for heavier oils, like engine oils, showed no amounts of the hazardous waste, she said.
Read the entire story st the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/dump-found-shows-little-trace-of-oil
Assembly Member Zac Johnson addresses Holtan Hills, Girdwood and future
"I never liked this deal and I don't think I ever will."
—Assembly member Zac Johnson
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
This is an interview Turnagain News had with Municipality of Anchorage Assembly Member Zac Johnson. Four days after he challenged his colleagues in the Anchorage Assembly on the merits of a controversial housing development in Girdwood. Turnagain News interviewed Zac Johnson, who represents the community and South Anchorage. The article contains excerpts from our August 16 interview with Johnson.
TNews: Do you have a hard time getting information about the project as an assembly person?
Zac Johnson: No, I'll say the administration and the folks at (the Heritage Land Bank) have been more than willing to sit down and talk through my questions with me. I think that's an advantage of the position I'm in.
Leading up to action last Tuesday, I had several sit downs with HLB and the administration, raising my questions. And for the most part, getting answers to them. So I don't think there's any effort to stonewall there.
I think HLB and the administration are kind of the same. This is the hand they were dealt, right? So it's their job to implement the development agreement and the ordinance that was provided by the assembly. That's just them doing their jobs, essentially.
I guess I would just say in their defense that, one, HLB is a very small department... There's really just three of them there doing all that work.
Read the entire interview at the link below:
Holtan Hills Could be a Money Loser for Muni, Assembly Member Warns
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Given the structure of a deal between a developer and the Municipality of Anchorage on a planned subdivision called "Holtan Hills", the city will likely gain little, break even, or it will stand to lose money, an Assembly member said last week.
The city stands to gain about $1.5 million from the first phase of the project before subtracting expenses, according to data provided publicly for the first time. While the municipality splits proceeds from lot sales, it must subtract costs. For developer Connie Yoshimura revenue from selling lots is profit.
"I don't think this is the way we should be playing with public money because that's what we're doing here," Zac Johnson, who represents Girdwood and South Anchorage said during the meeting. "The risks are real. The costs are real. And, the upside—the benefits—is entirely hypothetical at this point."
Yoshimura, Assembly members and a city spokesperson fired back at Johnson, saying the deal brings new homes, roads and an upgraded sewer system to a valley desperate for housing and infrastructure.
"I am well aware that what Girdwood needs is homes for teachers, for engineers. The calls I get for Girdwood lots... are from people who want to live in Girdwood. They have children that are in the ski program that this project is named after, 'Holtan Hills', Howard Holtan," Yoshimura told the assembly.
In the past four years, 80 percent of the new housing units sold in Girdwood have become unoccupied year round, or "dark homes", and of 25 new condos only one is occupied, Mike Edgington, chair of Girdwood's Board of Supervisors, said in public testimony.
Read the entire story at the link below:
Girdwood Volunteer Fire and Rescue holds Recruiting Open House
By Chief Michelle Weston
Girdwood Volunteer Fire and Rescue
Girdwood Fire is recruiting for new members this fall! Upcoming Recruitment Open House is Aug. 27th at 7 p.m. at the fire hall.
More information at girdwoodfire.comgirdwoodfire.com
Holtan Hills Construction Unearths Decades-Old Landfill
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Workers constructing a municipal access road for a planned subdivision encountered tons of garbage from a landfill that was only partially excavated decades ago.
Crews piled old car parts, crushed propane tanks and other debris into a 20-foot high mound and covered it with a white tarp. The clean up has caused construction delays for road and sewer line access for the 60-acre "Holtan Hills" development, according to a municipal official.
Refuse was uncovered at least two weeks ago. Questions sent to a municipal point-person were answered in a brief response Friday that verified the finding.
"Material needed to be excavated, sorted and tested prior to disposal which has caused a short delay in construction," wrote public involvement coordinator Kenny Friendly. "However, the project is still scheduled to be completed by September 30."
As of Saturday, the material remained on site. Calls and emails sent to a state agency that oversees contaminated sites did not respond to questions as of Friday, so whether the rubbish containes dangerous and toxic contaminates is still unknown.
Though Friendly's email suggested landfill material has been excavated, he wrote in another part of the message that "additional garbage/debris needs to be removed" before paving a road and bike path.
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/holtan-hills-construction-unearths-decades-old-landfill
Pickleball tournament is a smash hit!
By Chase Berenson
TNews Contributor
For five hours on Sat, Aug. 16, Girdwood’s pickleball courts were a competitive site as they hosted the Girdwood Pickleball Club Summer Tournament. The Girdwood Pickleball Club is typically a casual group of players with a primary focus of fun, but the tournament gave everyone an opportunity to put their pickleball skills to the test.
Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the US, and is booming here in Girdwood. It is a fast-paced paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, played on a court smaller than tennis with a net that’s lower than tennis. Players use solid paddles to hit a perforated plastic ball, aiming to score points by making it difficult for opponents to return the shot.
Fourteen players were in for the tournament, making seven teams of two players each. The day was divided into three segments: warm-up play, followed by seeding play, followed by the ranked tournament. The warm-up period had classic fun games.
The seeding play consisted of four ten-minute games with different teams and players in each one, where players were ranked on their win/loss ratio as well as the ratio of points earned to points lost to the opponent; this allowed every player to be ranked individually.
Once this was completed the player rankings were announced, and teams were decided for the tournament based on rankings. Then the serious fun started! The seven teams played a double-elimination tournament
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/pickleball-tournament-is-a-smash-hit
Public Survey for Girdwood Parks Master Plan Extended to August 24
By Kyle Kelley
Girdwood Valley Service Area Manager
Girdwood Parks and Recreation has extended the public survey deadline for the Girdwood Parks Master Plan by one week, giving residents and park users more time to share their ideas and shape the future of Girdwood’s parks. The survey will now close on Sunday night, August 24, 2025.
The Parks Master Plan will guide the community’s vision for future parkland and will focus on five existing parks: Girdwood Park, Moose Meadows, Lions Club Park, Town Square Park, and the Park Reserve Greenbelts. As well, help identify future parkland in the Girdwood Valley. Feedback from the public will help identify priorities, improvements, and opportunities for recreation and community gathering spaces.
“This is your chance to help shape the parks that make Girdwood special,” said Kyle Kelley, Girdwood Valley Service Area Manager. “Whether you’re a lifelong resident, a seasonal visitor, or just someone who loves the outdoors, your voice matters in this planning process.”
The survey takes just a few minutes to complete and can be accessed online at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GirdwoodParksPlan
For more information about the Girdwood Parks Master Plan or to learn how you can get involved, contact the Project contacts:
Kyle Kelley, Girdwood Valley Service Area Manager: Kyle.Kelley@anchorageak.gov
Bri Keifer, Landscape Architect, Huddle AK: Bri@huddleak.com
US housing secretary visits Alaska to gather insights into urban and rural challenges
By Yereth Rosen
The secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, visiting Alaska this week, said he hopes to learn about challenges facing both the state’s urban centers and remote rural communities.
“I came here to be a great listener, to understand the needs of the people of Alaska, to understand the challenges of the people of Alaska and particularly when it comes to homelessness and affordable housing,” Scott Turner, the Trump administration’s HUD secretary, said at a news conference Tuesday in Anchorage.
Turner is among several Trump administration cabinet members touring Alaska this summer.
He spent part of Tuesday meeting with Anchorage municipal officials who discussed the challenges of homelessness in the state’s largest city.
It is a national issue, Turner said.
That 770,000 people identified as homeless in the nation “is unacceptable to me, it’s unacceptable to my colleagues and I know it’s unacceptable to you,” he said.
Read the entire story at the link below:
Trump remains vague on details of upcoming Ukraine peace talks in Alaska, anticipated Friday
By James Brooks
Four days before a scheduled meeting with the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, over the possibility of a ceasefire that could pause the Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Donald Trump has yet to announce a firm location or timing.
Trump said last week on social media that he would meet Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Speaking to reporters Monday at the White House, Trump said he would seek to temporarily end the fighting that has resulted since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
He said he isn’t certain what a long-term peace deal would involve, but it likely would entail “some swapping … some changes in land,” he said.
“We’re going to change the lines, the battle lines. Russia has occupied a big portion of Ukraine. They’ve occupied some very prime territory. We’re going to try and get some of that territory back for Ukraine. But they’ve taken some very prime territory,” Trump said.
Read the entire story here:
‘The Girdwood Health Clinic Saved My Life’
By Brooks Chandler
TNews Board of Directors
This patient testimonial was read by Community Health Worker Linda Mankoff just outside the clinic entrance on August 7. Similar sentiments were expressed by patient and current clinic board member Jeff D’Agostino. He recounted how Ms. Mankoff helped him obtain health insurance. Insurance that was needed when he came to the clinic with a life-threatening condition three years ago. “Every day I wake up I am still glad I’m here” Mr. D’Agostino said.
The occasion for these expressions of gratitude was a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the opening of the non-profit Girdwood Health Clinic. Clinic Executive Director Deb Erickson said at the birthday party they exemplified “why we do what we do”.
The anniversary was attended by upwards of 100 people and included in person congratulations from United States Senator Dan Sullivan. Sen. Sullivan professed the ”deepest respect for medical professionals” and said he was a “huge fan” of Federally Qualified Health Clinics.
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/the-girdwood-health-clinic-saved-my-life
Land Use Committee and Housing Committee Recommend Seeking Ruane-Alyeska Highway Land for Housing Project
By Brooks Chandler
TNews Board of Directors
Girdwood’s Land Use Committee and Housing and Economic Committee have approved asking the Heritage Land Bank to survey and subdivide HLB property at the intersection of Ruane and Alyeska Highway. Subdivision would be an initial step in potential development of half of the property for work force housing.
The concept originated with the Girdwood Community Land Trust. A public-private partnership for development between HLB and a Girdwood non-profit (not necessarily GCLT) is envisioned.
The concept presented to the LUC and GHEC identifies an initial phase consisting of 28-32 apartments, 10 townhouses and 16 “tiny” (750 sq. ft) bungalows. Half of these units would be developed as “market rate” housing by a private developer.
Half of the units would be managed by the Girdwood non-profit for workforce housing. Profits from selling market rate units would be shared equally between the Girdwood non-profit, the Girdwood Valley Service Area, the Anchorage General Fund and HLB.
According to GCLT Board member Krystal Hoke, GCLT sought LUC and GHEC approval as a show of community support for the concept. The Land Use Committee approved recommending the Girdwood Board of Supervisors ask HLB to subdivide the parcel by a vote of 8-0 with 4 abstentions on July 14. GHEC also unanimously approved the concept at its Aug. 4 meeting.
A draft resolution of support will be considered bythe Girdwood Board of Supervisors at its Aug. 18 meeting.
Read the entire at the link below:
GHEC schedules discussion on Housing Plan for September Meeting
By Brooks Chandler
TNews Board of Directors
At its Aug. 4 meeting the Girdwood Housing and Economic Committee reviewed a draft Housing Implementation Plan.
The plan was introduced at earlier GHEC meetings and is intended to be a strategy to address the shortage of affordable housing in Glacier Valley. An analysis of the projected need for housing over the next 10 years is included in the 2025 Girdwood Area Plan.
GHEC co-chair Brett Wilbanks said the Housing Action Plan sets out a 10 step approach to addressing the lack of affordable housing based on a plan adopted by the resort town of Whitefish, Montana.
The draft plans can be found at https://www.muni.org/Departments/operations/streets/Service/Pages/gbos-ghec.aspx and then clicking on GHEC July 7 Meeting Packet.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting to close its doors after loss of funding
By Shauneen Miranda
WASHINGTON — The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced Friday that it will be shutting down.
The announcement came just one day after a major Senate appropriations bill omitted funding for the nonprofit that funds public media and a week after President Donald Trump signed a bill into law that yanked $1.1 billion in previously approved spending for CPB.
CPB, which Congress authorized in 1967, provides funds for National Public Radio, the Public Broadcasting Service and hundreds of local stations across the United States. President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans have criticized NPR and PBS of left-leaning bias, an accusation the public media organizations have rejected.
“Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,” Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB, said in a statement Friday.
Read the entire story at the link below:
40th Anniversary Fine Arts Camp Art Show is at Challenge Alaska
By Tim Lydon
TNews Board of Directors
One of Girdwood’s hottest and longest running arts events happened Friday, Aug. 1, when participants in the Girdwood Fine Arts Camp put on their annual art show. The potluck gathering was free and open to the public.
“The show is a celebration of what the kids havedone,” says Tommy O’Malley, who helps organize and teach the camp. “It’s important for them to have everyone come in.”
O’Malley started the camp with Annie Olson in 1986, making this its 40th year. They first operated out of a log cabin in Old Girdwood, then graduated to a formerlaundromat space at the Girdwood trailer court before landing at Challenge over ten years ago.
“We’re not trying to teach mastery here,” says O’Malley of the two-week camp. “We’re just exposing them to different mediums and teaching them how to use new tools.”
At this year’s camp, says O’Malley, students soldered, chiseled, carved, painted, cut glass, worked with digital mediums, and fired silver jewelry, among many other activities. It’s an ambitious spread of mediums that O’Malley says is only possible because of the artists and volunteers that come to teach.
Read the entire story at the link below:
Summer Trail Maintenance Includes Path Through Contested ‘Holtan Hills’ Development
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Enabled by a young, sturdy trail crew, local volunteers and a $110,000 grant Girdwood's network of trails became more deliberate this summer—with particular focus on a trail that crosses through an impending subdivision development.
Three new bridges, gravel, brushing and drainage have altered slightly the character of local trails, especially the middle portion of the Iditarod Trail from Girdwood School to the out-of-service hand tram.
"Trails play an important aspect in community. They should be available and, historically, they've been there," said Kyle Kelly, Girdwood's service area manager.
Facing continual pressure from development of local lands, Girdwood's trails committee worked to get a trails plan adopted by the Anchorage Assembly in March.
"It was a tough process, but we got through it and now we can refer to it all the time," Kelly said.
The addition of a bridge and gravel to a 2-mile section of the Middle Iditarod Trail, between the school and Crow Creek Rd., adds permanence to a path whose fate has been called to question due to a competing plan for a "Holtan Hills" subdivision.
With looming development, trail crews have put a "focus" on the trail, which runs along a bluff overlooking Glacier Creek, Kelly said.
"Nobody has officially told me it's going to change, so I'm going to keep working on it and making it better. What I'm trying to show also is that the community is investing in this and they have been for a long time. If it's a broken down trail that doesn't look very useable, then it's like, 'you guys don't really care about this trail'. But we're showing that we care. Showing that investment puts us in a stronger position," he said.
Read the entire story here:
2026 Non-Profit Recreation Grant Announcement
Bh Margaret Tyler
Girdwood Parks and Recreation Contributor
Applications will be available Aug. 1 to Sept. 12, 2025 for non-profit and those formally sponsored by qualifying non-profit organizations seeking grant funding for recreation related projects to be offered in 2026.
Qualifying organizations must operate within the Girdwood Valley Service Area (GVSA). Funding is contingent on municipal approval of the GBOS 2025Operating Budget.
GBOS is setting aside $65,000 in grant funding to be split among those requesting and qualifying for non-profit recreation grants.
Information & applications are available at the Girdwood Post Office, Gerrish Library, Girdwood Parks and Rec Office bulletin boards and on-line at www.muni.org/gbos August 1 thru September 12.
The deadline for submission is Friday, September 12, 2025 by 3pm. Late applications will not be accepted.
If you have questions, please contact Margaret Tyler, 907-343-8373, tylerms@muni.org.