By Rachel Drinkard
Turnagain Times Correspondent
At 7:00 pm at Glacier City Hall on Monday, April 21, the Girdwood Board of Supervisors shuffled papers and made last minute adjustments to the schedule for an anticipated large turnout for the meeting.
Forest Fair supporters had been publicizing the meeting all week, even going so far as to have a large colorful sign out on the road to draw people to the meeting that night. Their efforts paid off.
As the meeting began and minutes were approved and announcements made, the small space began to fill. More chairs were pulled out and handmade Forest Fair pins distributed. Already it was clear the focus of this unusually well-attended GBOS meeting was the future of Forest Fair, more specifically, issues of camping and security, and how to “take back Forest Fair.”
The eight-page proposed site plan available from the Forest Fair committee did nothing to allay fears, drawing a mixed response from attendees on such points as a new policy suggesting all camping be prohibited and the employment of professional security services. Nerves were further rattled when Girdwood Trooper Sgt. Bryan Barlow’s supervisor from Soldotna, Dan Gilmore, announced there could be between one more and one fewer troopers available to patrol the area (including a DUI detail on loan from Fairbanks responsible for patrolling the Seward Highway) due to the corresponding Mount Marathon race in Seward also demanding a considerable portion of the available manpower.
“With only four troopers available to respond to calls for the entire weekend. We simply do not have the ability to enforce land-use prohibitions such as no camping, no parking, no pets, and no fireworks,” said Gilmore.
The troopers will respond to calls regarding unwanted camping on posted private property when possible, but would prefer to be left available for more serious crimes than trespassing whenever possible, he said.
“We’ve seen that the event itself is not the problem, it’s what the event draws in with it,” stated Gilmore. “Adding private security could be a good start to a solution.”
Gilmore drew attention to what some believed was the proposed solution noting, “just saying there won’t be any camping doesn’t mean there won’t be any camping.”
Fire Chief Bill Chadwick expounded on the sentiment by voicing his thoughts on the matter of camping and the associated problems.
“The biggest problem we’ve faced is camping, yet my biggest disappointment in the proposed plan tonight was that there’d be no camping,” Chadwick said, adding later that he is strongly against not having camping available because it alleviates the problem of keeping intoxicated individuals off the road.
Chadwick also stated his concern that trying to force a no camping policy throughout the usual areas would push camping into even more inaccessible areas posing a greater fire threat to the entire community.
One mother in attendance expressed her own concerns.
“When my children are afraid to go into the campground, there’s a problem,” she said, reminding everyone of the ugly side of Forest Fair in such sharp contrast to the family oriented arts and crafts festival it started out as.
Forest Fair committee Chairman Jay Bell attempted to clarify the intentions of the committee with a thorough presentation including a complete history of the event and more detailed explanation of what is meant by “No camping,” which, as it turns out, doesn’t mean no camping, just limited and conditional one-night camping passes subject to a thorough search of packs and gear and an undesirable site fee.
“The sheer numbers have to go,” Bell emphasized, and followed with a vague but elaborate marketing plan suggesting there would be no camping in hopes of circumventing those used to the free-for-all, particularly underage drinkers.
GBOS Chairman, Tim Cabana, seemed slightly skeptical but suggested that if the marketing was executed correctly it could work out.
However, even assuming the Forest Fair Committee is able to take Forest Fair back to where it ought to be as a family oriented event, it still faces budget issues.
Between the added costs of professional security and a more expansive and involved marketing plan, Forest Fair must face the facts that it may not be able to contribute as much profit to the community as in past years. Add to that a proposed raise in usage fees and permits by the Municipality and things appeared particularly bleak.
S.J. Klien, Biergarten, coordinator of the event, hit the nail on the head when he reminded the board that, “Our goal is still to give something back to the community. Figuring out how to balance that with increased costs related to security and everything else is possibly the greatest challenge Forest Fair has ever faced.”
A special work session of the GBOS was scheduled for Wed., April 30 to further explore solutions for the growing popularity of Forest Fair.
Minutes of the meetings in question will be available at www.muni.org/gbos where you can read about other agenda items such as the renovation the bridge over California Creek on Crow Creek Road, and a proposal to offer a recycling program in Girdwood.