By Ken Smith
Turnagain Times
There will be a Forest Fair this year, and there will be camping allowed on city owned land. At its May 12 meeting, the Anchorage Assembly voted unanimously to permit the use of Heritage Land Bank land–the manager of city owned land in Girdwood–for camping at designated sites at this year’s fair. The vote clears the way for Forest Fair to open a site on Karolius Drive, allowing approximately 500 campsites at the location.
For $25 per person, per night campers can now camp for up to two days (Friday and Saturday) during the three-day fair July 3, 4 and 5. Money collected from the camping fees will go towards security costs, estimated at $30,000. At Forest Fair two years ago, over 2,000 campers turned out, camping mainly at an island and wooded area at Glacier Creek. The campground became a security concern due to under-aged drinking and wide use of illegal drugs, sparking a public outcry, and ultimately leading to the cancellation of last year’s fair.
At the Girdwood Board of Supervisors’ meeting Monday, May 18, Tommy O’Malley, Girdwood Forest Fair Committee member and spokesman made a brief statement to the board to responding the Assembly’s vote of approval.
“We have some hoops to jump through, and I am confident we can get through this,” he said, referring to a long list of conditions the Fair Committee must meet to fulfill the HLB’s demands for using its land for camping. “We’re ready to go forward with the Forest Fair and moving ahead.”
The Heritage Land Bank is going to address the use of its land at Forest Fair after reviewing how this year’s fair goes. The Forest Fair Committee contracted out to a security firm, Securitas USA, based in Anchorage, to oversee the 34th year of Forest Fair, and local resident and retired State Trooper of Girdwood, Mike Olpalka was hired as the Director of Security.
On another Girdwood agenda item, the Assembly voted 9-1 supporting an ordinance authorizing a non-exclusive easement to Girdwood Nordic Ski Club across Heritage Land Bank Parcels for developing, locating, constructing, relocating and maintaining multi-use trails in Girdwood Valley.
The opposing assembly member, Harriet Drummond, said she voted against it based on a public testimony she heard that night from one Girdwood resident and because of her dissatisfaction with the trail maps.
“The maps that were provided to Assembly members was terrible and wasn’t clear where the trails were to go,” said Drummond during a phone call with the Times.
Girdwood resident, Debra Croghan, opposed the proposed trail because of costs, and she said there were already many other cleared trails. She also was opposed because of the politics associated with it, she said, and the lack of a public review.
Assembly member Jennifer Johnston said public hearings were held, but Croghan responded that the public hearings held were not enough and provided no handouts to explain the matter, and that no dogs would be allowed on the trail even though it was a multi-use trail.
Deb Isaac, a member of the Nordic Ski Club, testified in support of the easement to Girdwood Nordic Ski Club. She said that it was a public process and received overwhelming support.
Nordic Ski Club board member, Brian Brunette, also testified in support of the easement for use of the Nordic Ski Club for the trail for community use. Brunette responded to questions by assembly members concerning charging fees, and said that this being public land, no fees should be charged and maintenance money could be raised from donations to maintain the mile or so of trail.