Minutes of the Work Session

Denali Borough Assembly

Tri-Valley Community Center

August 11, 2002

 

CALL TO ORDER    Presiding Officer Jerry Mueller called the work session to order at 2:00 pm.

 

ROLL CALL               Assembly members present were: Jim Caswell, Jerry Mueller, Gerald Pollock, Teresa Hall, Teresa Usibelli, Dave Talerico, Sid Michaels, Jim Payne and Mayor Gonzales.   Assembly member Carol Shields was absent due to a work conflict.

 

1.)   Department of Transportation representative Tim Woster regarding the Nenana Canyon Safety Project.

 

Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT) Northern Region Director Ralph Swarthout gave the Assembly a progress report on the project.  He said DOT plans to advertise for a contractor for this project in September.  He said the majority of the work would be completed during next summer.  Swarthout said the contractor and DOT will be working with the local businesses on the access plan to keep the impact on the local businesses to a minimum.  He said the Parks Highway Corridor Study is progressing, but is behind schedule.  He said in October the DOT will come out with a vision-scoping document.  This document will put forth the highway needs through 2030.  He said the preliminary document suggests putting in passing lanes and acceleration lanes for a short-term fix.  Swarthout said Mr. Woster should be arriving shortly. 

 

MICHAELS asked if the Parks Highway would still be in the Canyon in the preliminary document.  Swarthout said the document doesn’t specifically address that issue, but he thinks the study will say that a high-speed multi-lane access controlled highway is needed.  He said the Parks Highway is a national highway system highway.  He said it’s going to take another study to figure out where the best route should be.  He said he doesn’t see the DOT recommending four-lane highway in the same place that the road is now. 

 

MICHAELS asked about using Park Service land for that highway on the west side of the Nenana River.

 

Swarthout said it is his opinion that that’s where the road belongs.  He said the Alaska Railroad is not real happy over there because they have a lot of slides in that area.  He said if the road gets over there and gets past the glitter gulch area and then comes right back across the river, it would probably be OK.  He said the cut and cover option chosen by the Borough Task Force will be looked at really hard too.  He said there is some difficulty with the cut and cover option.

 

MICHAELS asked his opinion of an elevated highway.  Swarthout said the problem with that type of highway is an aesthetics problem.  He said if it weren’t for the aesthetics that’s probably the way DOT would handle the problem.

 

Mayor Gonzales asked about the parking in the canyon area. 

 

Swarthout said DOT knows that parking does occur in the right-of-way.  He said once the Nenana Canyon Project is complete, he is hoping to work with the Borough, and possibly have the Borough be the “parking authority”.  He said he realizes that not everyone who parks in that area is going to visit a hotel.  He said he is hoping the business owners, the State, and the Borough will work together to come up with a viable solution to the parking needs in the canyon. 

 

DOT Engineer Tim Woster reiterated the time frame that Swarthout had stated earlier.  He said there are two different parts to this project:  the bridgework and the earthwork.  Woster said it might be late November to early December before the contract would be awarded.  He said the pedestrian bridge needs to be completed before the rafting season.  He said as soon as they have a contractor on board they would know more details.  Woster said there will be two pedestrian and vehicle activated signals on the highway.

 

Woster gave a brief overview of the entire project with visual aids.

 

CASWELL asked if the signals would be seasonal or year round.  Woster said they are considering making them seasonal and have a caution light there in the winter.

 

PAYNE asked about the bridgework down by Cantwell over the Jack River.  Swarthout said that project would begin next summer.

 

TALERICO asked if the road elevation would change.  Woster said the change would be minimal.

 

USIBELLI asked how they would keep everything going during construction.  Woster said the contractor would have to work with the businesses in the area to keep the flow of vehicles and pedestrians moving. 

 

2.)   Ordinance 01-10, Version B, an ordinance amending the Denali Borough Charter, Article XI, Section 11.01, regarding a sales tax.  (Introduced by Assembly Member Jerry Mueller)

 

There were no comments.

 

3.)    Ordinance 01-13, Version A, an ordinance establishing a 2% general Sales tax within the Denali Borough.  (Introduced by Assembly member Teresa Hall)

 

HALL said she would propose some amendments during the regular meeting pertaining to magazine sales.  She also said she would like the ordinance to state that this will be voted on again by the residents in 2010.   

 

MICHAELS said that request might need to be reviewed by the borough Attorney because he does not know if this Assembly can impose something on a future assembly. 

 

Discussion followed regarding the sunset clause in the ordinance. 

 

4.) Ordinance 01-07, Version A, an ordinance amending the Denali Borough Code of Ordinances, adding Chapter 22, pertaining to business licenses. 

 

There were no comments.

 

5.) Ordinance 02-08, Version A, an ordinance creating Title IV, Chapter 27 of the Denali Borough Code of Ordinances providing for classification of Borough-owned land.

 

TALERICO stated that he suggest during the regular meeting that the words “or reclassified” be added to Chapter 27, section 1 of the ordinance.

 

MICHAELS asked if someone had come up with a definition for “unrestricted”.

 

Healy resident Charlie Loeb said there is some confusion regarding this ordinance.  He said this ordinance is not a regulatory tool, but it is a planning tool.  He said once the Borough sells a piece of land, and it passes out of borough hands, it’s classified unrestricted. 

 

MICHAELS suggested using the verbiage “the Denali Borough has no restrictions on lands classified as unrestricted. 

 

ADJOURNMENT      MUELLER declared the work session adjourned at 2:45 pm.

 

 

 

Attest:                                                                         Approved:                                         

 

Date Approved: