Lack of Trooper presence in Girdwood

To the Editor:

It has come to my attention that the Alaska State Troopers are no longer posted in Girdwood overnight. Twice now, I have called Girdwood State Troopers in the middle of the night, only to be asked to press “7” to be connected to the post in Soldotna because there is no one on duty in our town. I find this unbelievable, as we live in a resort town with a myriad of visitors. A small portion of the visitors are here for too good of a time, and do not respect our peaceful community.

The first time we called the troopers last November, we stood helplessly by while our neighbor's home was vandalized. The response from Soldotna and 911 was to close our blinds and windows and stay away from the windows. It took several hours for the authorities to arrive and for the assailant to be apprehended. This past week, we notified troopers when two men were seen on the lawn of our other neighbor's home, who is out of town for a couple of weeks. Once again, we were told that it would be a couple of hours, and to notify them if anything changed.

I am not sure that I am signed up to be a vigilante for our street, and I have recently begun locking all of our doors all the time, something I didn't feel necessary when I first moved here five years ago. I do want to applaud the troopers for doing a great job patrolling the Seward Highway. I just wish there was more of a presence in our town when it comes to protecting the safety of our local residents.

I want to stress that I am not looking for a trooper presence in our local venues, and I am not looking for speeding tickets when driving from the post office to the Mercantile. I am merely asking that there be a trooper patrolling within thirty minutes of Girdwood at all times.

Erika Veth
Girdwood

 

Thanks to donators for new storage facility/|groomer shed

To the Editor:

The Trails Committee would like to thank Alyeska Resort for donating the shot rock for the foundation pad of our new storage facility/groomer shed.

Alyeska's crew also hauled the rock down to the site with their loader. Granite construction donated the geotextile, which made it possible to place the pad on such soft ground.

We hope to have this project completed soon. It will house the winter grooming equipment, soccer field equipment, and Trails Committee and Girdwood Parks and Rec tools and materials. With the generous cooperation of Alyeska Resort and Granite Construction, the cost to the Girdwood service area is greatly reduced.”

John Gallup
Girdwood

 

Friends of Forest Fair Work Party seeks volunteers

To the Editor:

The Forest Fair Park clean-up party is June 26 and 27 starting at 1 p.m. It's a community volunteer event that gives everyone an opportunity to help groom and maintain our park for the Forest Fair and the year to come. Let's start by setting the kids up to re-paint the faded 55 gallon trash drums then we can work on maintaining the flower beds built a few years ago in front of the pavilion, sweep the paths that we have restored over the years, remove fallen trees and make more cottonwood couches by the river. All these park improvements and much more have been done by volunteers during the Friends of Forest Fair weekend.

What to bring: Personal safety gear (gloves, safety glasses, work clothes, etc.) wheel barrow, rake, shovel (some tools will be provided).

Forest Fair Committee