Turnagain News qualifies for NewsMatch Grant
On July 9, 2024 Turnagain News learned its application to participate in the 2024 NewsMatch program had been approved.
The concept is simple. Individual donations made to nonprofit newsrooms like TN this November will be matched one for one up to a maximum of $1,000.
The match is funded by a coalition of national funders. Turnagain News Publisher Jon Scudder said approval of TN’s application was “good news”.
“We are raising funds to support independent news reporting throughout Turnagain Arm,” said Scudder. “It’s important there is a news source for public interest, not private profit.”
In 2023 TN qualified for nearly $5,000 in matching funds. This support has been critical in enabling TN to build the initial capacity to deliver information and develop a non-profit newsroom.
The TN Board will announce the 2024 NewsMatch goal by Sept. 1. Mark your calendars and plan to participate beginning Nov.1!
Girdwood Parks and Recreation offers grants for non-profit organizations
By Margaret Tyler
Girdwood Parks and Recreation
Applications will be available August 1 – September 13, 2024 for non-profit and those formally sponsored by qualifying non-profit organizations seeking grant funding for recreation related projects to be offered in 2025. Qualifying non-profit organizations must operate within the Girdwood Valley Service Area (GVSA).
Information & applications will be available at the Girdwood Post Office, Gerrish Library, Girdwood Parks and Rec Office bulletin boards and on-line at www.muni.org/gbos.
The deadline for submission is Friday, September 13, 2024 by 3pm. Late applications will not be accepted. Funding is contingent on municipal approval of the GBOS 2025 Operating Budget.
Questions? Contact Margaret Tyler, 907-343-8373, tylerms@muni.org.
Summer intern Hannah Dillon joins TNews staff
By Brooks Chandler
TNews Contributor
On June 15 Ms. Hannah Dillon joined Turnagain News as an associate editor. Over lunch at Base Camp Dillon told TNews she is a sophomore at UAA. Originally from Waynesboro, Ga., Dillon lived in Lee, Maine (in a tent) and Lincoln, Maine (in a dry cabin) before choosing to move to Alaska at her father’s invitation. Her dad teaches at Huffman Elementary.
When asked what drew her to journalism, Dillon, 25, said, “I needed a job to pay for school.” That job was working for as a general assignment editor for The Northern Lights, the student newspaper at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Dillon said she so enjoyed writing for The Northern Lights she decided to pursue a career in journalism.
In April, TNews' Editor Soren Wuerth contacted The Northern Light to solicit interest among reporters in a summer internship. Dillon quickly responded and visited Girdwood for a tour and to inspect lodging offered by a TNews board member. Her internship was later approved by UAA's Journalism Chair Paola Banchero.
Through TNews' collaboration with the University of Alaska Anchorage’s school of journalism she can earn 3 credits by working with TN during summer break.
Dillon is staying in Girdwood during the week and catching up with her fiancée in Anchorage on weekends. She said she looks forward to learning the latest and greatest about Girdwood. If you have any news to share with Hannah contact her at info@turnagainnews.com.
Girdie the Crow hops and squawks at the Gerrish Library
By Hannah Dillon
TNews Associate Editor
An Anchorage rehabilitation program, Bird Treatment and Learning Center – also known as Bird TLC – held an hour-long session to educate locals on crows at the Gerrish Library in Girdwood on June 26.
Bird TLC Rehabilitation and Education Specialist Maggie McConkey and Education Program Coordinator Mary Mercier brought an injured crow named Girdie to the library to teach the audience about crows and answer any questions.
Girdie got her name as she was found injured on a road in Girdwood. This piqued the interest of Bird TLC after she was brought to their clinic as crows are not normally seen in interior parts of Alaska. McConkey said crows are mostly coastal birds – which meant Girdie could have come from Whittier and was injured before making it back home.
The library was quickly filled with a small audience of interested children and adults who wanted to know more about Girdie.
Read the entire story at:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdie-the-crow-hops-and-squaks-at-the-gerrish-library
Girdwood Giants celebrate sucessful season with winning record and playoff victory
By Coach Kyle Kelley
TNews Contributor
The Girdwood Giants Little League Majors Baseball team wrapped up their season in thrilling fashion, securing a winning record and notching an impressive playoff victory. This marked one of their best seasons in recent years. Girdwood is part of the Abbott-O-Rabbit little league and plays teams from around Anchorage.
Under the guidance of Head Coaches Chris Stinson and Kyle Kelley, the Giants showcased exceptional skill and determination throughout the season. With a final record of 8-5, the team demonstrated significant growth and teamwork, surpassing expectations and setting a new standard for future Girdwood Little League teams.
Read the entire story here:
Guitar-playing Black Bear design wins Forest Fair 2024 Logo
By Harper Landry
TNews Contributor
The Forest Fair committee recently announced the winning 2024 Girdwood Forest Fair design, a black bear plucking a guitar.
It was designed by Felicity Jones from Homer, Alaska. The winner received $50 and 2 free T- shirts.
Forest Fair swag will be sold the first day of Forest Fair at the T-Shirt Booth. The 2024 Forest Fair dates are July 5, 6, and 7th.
The days will be filled with music, entertainment, food, and shopping at local vendors’ booths.
There is no entry fee so support the Girdwood Forest Fair cause by buying awesome gear!
Girdwood 2023 Budget Shows Surplus
By: Brooks Chandler
TN Contributor
Girdwood's local government had a surplus of nearly $400,000 in its 2023 budget, savings that are a result of lower than expected costs for road maintenance, lower expenses for parks and the fire department's decision to hold off on buying a new fire truck.
Actual expenses for the Girdwood Valley Service Area in 2023 were $388,288 under budget.
Read the entire story at:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-2023-budget-shows-surplus
Alaska Civil Rights Group supports lawsuit to protect people who sleep on the streets
By Claire Stremple
Alaska’s American Civil Liberties Union has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rule against allowing local governments to punish people who sleep outside when adequate shelter is unavailable.
“Punishing a person who is forced to sleep in public because they have nowhere else to go violates our Constitution’s Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment,” the ACLU of Alaska wrote in a news release.
The organization joined a friend of the court brief in support of a lawsuit, Grants Pass v. Johnson.
Read the entire story at:
Work underway on Girdwood to Indian power line
By Chase Berenson
TNews Contributor
Chugach Electric is anticipating 45-60 days of traffic control on the Seward Highway this May, June, and August to replace a transmission line between Girdwood to Indian, according to a March 12 presentation in Indian.
The 11-mile Girdwood to Indian section runs along the Seward Highway and is part of a 90.4 mile line running from Cooper Landing to Anchorage.
This line was built 62 years ago and is reaching its end of life.
Read entire story at:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/work-underway-on-girdwood-to-indian-power-line
OPINION: Assembly’s proposed zoning changes with homeowners scrutinized
By Sharon Stockard
I am concerned by the Assembly’s continued rush to push through big zoning changes that benefit developers at the expense of neighborhoods. I have lived in Anchorage for 30 years, and I have seen many changes to the zoning code, changes that followed the city’s well-established comprehensive plan. Until recently, I have felt like I had a voice in those changes, and that there was an honest effort by Assembly members to follow the city’s zoning process, to rely on city planners for their expertise, and to respect homeowners’ viewpoints.
I don’t sense any of that from the current Assembly.
I sense disrespect, even hostility, toward homeowners and neighborhood councils that speak up or disagree with the Assembly. The current Assembly operates as if you are professional city planners, which you are not, rather than people elected to represent all of us, not just developers.
Read more at:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/opinion-assemblys-proposed-zoning-changes-with-homeowners-scrutinized
Girdwood Homeless Population Doubles
By Brooks Chandler
TNews Contributor
There are more than 47 persons living in tents, trees, cars, trucks, trailers and campers on the street or in the woods of Girdwood, according to a local survey.
A year earlier the number was 22.
The 2024 “count” was conducted January 29 through in person interviews, Girdwood resident Linda Mankoff told the Girdwood Board of Supervisors at Monday's meeting.
Only persons who volunteered their names were included.
Mankoff, who is a patient assistance program coordinator at the Girdwood Health Clinic, coordinated local participation in conjunction with a nationwide homeless survey.
She estimated another 20-25 unhoused residents declined to be counted.
The official count will be reported to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development by the Clinic. Based on the data, homeless Girdwoodians may qualify for federal assistance later in 2024.
Who are these people? Ms. Mankoff said many are employed in the Valley—in the service industry and as young professionals. She said some of the working homeless told her market rate rents would consume 50 percent of their income.
Mankoff told GBOS many live with some fear of being forced to leave their “spot”.
Community Review of Draft Girdwood Comprehensive Plan Opens
March 31 Deadline for Public Comments on Draft Plan
By Brooks Chandler
TNews Contributor
An important way station on the long and winding road to an update of the 1995 Girdwood Area Plan has been reached.
On Wednesday, Imagine! Girdwood released the Public Review Draft of the Girdwood Comprehensive Plan.
The draft plan will be presented to the public at a Land Use Committee meeting March 11 and at the Girdwood Board of Supervisors meeting March 25.
A final draft is planned for release April 24. Adoption of a new comprehensive plan requires Assembly approval following formal review by the MOA planning staff and the Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission. The time required for that process is uncertain. Imagine! Girdwood has targeted May 3 for submission of a formal request to review and approve the new plan.
Imagine Girdwood is a non-profit organization formed in 2019 specifically to complete an update to the Girdwood Area Plan following the failure of the Municipality of Anchorage to fully fund this effort. MOA through the Mayor’s office and HLB has since contributed partial funding and staff to the effort.
The purpose of any comprehensive plan is to guide the next 20 years of growth and development in a community.
Topics addressed in the draft plan include utilities, environmental constraints, trails, housing, transportation, land use and public facilities—in short, many topics that impact day to day life in Glacier Valley.
The draft concludes with a series of specific policy recommendations and suggested general revisions to existing land use regulations. The public is encouraged to review and comment on the plan.
Huddle Alaska, an Anchorage based planning and landscape architecture firm owned by Holly Spoth-Torres was the primary consultant to Imagine! Girdwood.
Imagine Girdwood is sponsored by Girdwood, Inc. The group was formally authorized, and permitted to receive MOA Planning staff support, by the Anchorage Assembly in April of 2021. Current directors and officers of Imagine! Girdwood are Mike Edgington, chair; Chase Berenson, vice-chair, Shannon O’Brien, secretary; Amanda Sassi, treasurer and Mitch Roth, director at large. Past officers included Erin Eker, Diana Livingston, Ed Harris and Craig Schubert.
Public Comments will be accepted through March 31. Comments can be submitted using a form available on the Imagine! Girdwood website or by email addressed to girdwoodareaplan@gmail.com.
Winter Reading Challenge for Grown ups kicks off
Reading five books in eleven weeks can get you a bingo at the Scott and Wesley Gerrish Library in Girdwood. Reading five books gets you a pizza at CoasT Pizza or Chair 5.
The contest is a systemwide Anchorage Public Library "Winter Reading Challenge" with each APL location offering its own prizes. Stamping out all the squares, a "blackout" on any one of three bingo sheets enters you in a grand drawing.
Head down to the library for books and click here for more information: Winter Reading Challenge.
Commentary: The Real Story of the Campaign to Halt Holtan Hills
By. Emma Kramer
As I drove back to Girdwood on a recent evening, a report by Alaska News Nightly about our community caught my attention.
Listening, I was grateful for some unbiased coverage of the Holtan Hills Development Proposal. That is, until the end of the report. In a few closing sentences, the reporter repeated claims that a few Girdwood individuals had given ‘tainted’ testimony, withheld financial information and spread misinformation. I was directly involved with this group being referenced, and what was stated was erroneous.
The Alaska Landmine, with Alaska Public Media cited as a source, is not a reputable media source, and it has been extremely biased in covering the Holtan Hills issue. As someone with firsthand knowledge of the people the Landmine is accusing, I am happy to clarify the history of the Halt Holtan Hills movement.
Alaska Public Media, citing The Alaska Landmine, reported that we “vilified dealmakers”. Rather, we raised several important ethical concerns: Assembly Member Chris Constant’s real estate commissions from CY [Connie Yoshimura] Investments, Director Adam Trombley’s oversight of Heritage Land Bank, defiance of the Heritage Land Bank Advisory Commission and our local advisory committee’s recommendations for Holtan Hills.
Many in the Girdwood community cried corruption early on, knowing that the most viable PUBLIC land was going to CY for $20,000 per acre. The Halt Holtan Hills movement did not spread claims of corruption. It was claims of corruption plaguing the Bronson administration that affected public perception of Holtan Hills. Our focus was to expose the development plan as a poor use of public lands that would exacerbate our problems, rather than respond to them. Our focus was also to share effective inclusionary housing solutions from other ski resort towns.
Read the full opinion at:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/opinion-the-real-story-of-the-campaign-to-halt-holtan-hills
Opinion: Why I’m stepping out of the GBOS race
By Brett Wilbanks
The reason that I put my name forward first to run for GBOS was to ensure that our community was being heard. From my participation in municipal government, activity in local service area committees, and first hand experience developing in Girdwood, I see where there are improvements that can be made. But the issues for our community go deeper than that.
Currently, there is a culture in GBOS where community groups and committee input to the board is routinely softened or dismissed to defer to assembly priorities. This has a negative impact and is to the detriment of our community. This current culture harms our town, especially when assembly interests are prioritized over local needs. There are several recent examples where deference is given to assembly interests, without garnering the support of our local community.
Last year was a terrible example of how divisive a local service area board election can get. This is a time when Girdwood needs unity as we define our own solutions and express our own vision. The last thing that I want for our town is anything that takes the focus away from the common problem and turns neighbor against neighbor.
Read more of his opinion at:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/k1eq7ecrr4806w43jxndlz1vidctd1
Opinion: Communities know what is best for their community
By Emma Kramer
The Holtan Hills Development is a poor use of public lands and it may lead to adverse effects on all MOA taxpayers. The public record shows that the proposal is not supported by the Girdwood community, additionally, it’s socially and fiscally irresponsible and will exacerbate our current socio-economic issues.
These issues include: only a single road in/out for evacuation, limited access to food and family services, lack of progress in our Girdwood Industrial Park, limited trash collection, STILL NO RECYCLING, lack of shelter for folks experiencing homelessness, variable electricity and wastewater capacity issues, and SEVERE housing shortage with trends in the wrong direction, and no incentives to stop.
To read more:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/opinion-communities-know-what-is-best-for-their-community
Turnagain Arm's Childcare Crisis is Fixable.
By Thea Ritter
Little Bears Board Member
The only licensed childcare center serving Girdwood, Bird, Indian, Portage and Whittier is Little Bears Playhouse, a nonprofit operating out of a very small facility built in 1960 by volunteers.
Not only is the building too small for Girdwood’s childcare needs, but the snow load of the roof is such that parents are asked to sign a waiver acknowledging this structural risk to allow their children to attend. The facility is only large enough to accommodate 30 children.
Alyeska Ski Club releases Coca-Cola Cup Race Results
2024 Coca Cola Cup results and pictures courtesy of Alyeska Ski Club are included. There were 42 women and 33 men who participated in solid racing conditions over the past weekend.
To read more:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/alyeska-ski-club-releases-coca-cola-cup-race-results
Movie Review— Buried: The Alpine Meadows Avalanche
By James P. Sweeney
TNews Contributor
My name is Jim Plein. I was the avalanche forecaster for Alpine Meadows Ski Resort. Jim's lips move, his teeth are crooked, he clears his throat and sighs but he says nothing for 15 seconds. He closes his eyes–the lens moves closer. He’s wrinkled gray, has a buzz cut, a goatee and wears a Patagonia fleece coat. He takes his time and says, So maybe I’ll cut here for a minute.
I press pause. I know this story and twenty-two words into the movie, it hits me like an avalanche.
Gear Up! Gear Exchange Buys and Sells
Calling all gear lovers! Gather up your gently used outdoor gear and clothing. Girdwood has a new business in town. The Girdwood Gear Exchange opened this past summer giving Girdwoodians an opportunity to buy and sell gear.
It is owned and run by Mara Hall who followed the consignment model when creating her new business. This model benefits the consignor, who makes money by selling used items, while the buyer gets quality gear at a discounted price.
Mara, who loves thrift shopping and clothes, started her career selling women’s clothing at markets. When the commercial space at her current location opened she bought it hoping to expand. Instead of going to Anchorage, her hope is that locals will utilize her store.
The Gear Exchange is located at 599 Alyeska Highway. December hours are: Friday & Saturday 11-5; and Sunday & Monday 11-3.
The Gear Exchange is currently taking winter clothing and gear, but will transition to summer gear when the seasons change.
Go check out the Girdwood Gear Exchange and you might just walk out with a new Patagonia jacket that you didn’t know you needed