Our next meeting is Thursday January 16 at 7:00 pm
at O'Malley Elementary School.
Agenda
O'Malley Elementary
Multipurpose Room
Thursday, January 16, 2003
Septic Systems and Alternatives
There has been a bunch of ordinances relating to sewer and septic systems that are worth taking a look at. Assemblyman Dick Tremaine's ordinance separating the housing density requirement from the ability to hook up to AWWU started things flowing. That was followed by his ordinance that specifically states that a Hillside District Plan would replace the currently prevailing Hillside Wastewater Management Plan. Now in the pipeline is ordinance AO2002-177 "On Site Wastewater Treatment Systems and Standards," instructing the MOA to study "Advanced Wastewater Treatment Systems."
The first ordinances may help open the door for funding for the Hillside District Plan, but they also put us in the precarious position of having opened the door to municipal water utilities. Is that a bad thing? How are our septic systems working? If you have a bad system what are your alternatives? The MOA will study "Advanced Wastewater Treatment Systems." What are these systems? Who will test them? When will they do it?
Jim Cross, the Municipality's Program Manger for On-site Water and Wastewater Systems will make a presentation on alternative systems. We area inviting other septic experts as well to evaluate this ordinance and to talk about our current status and options for the future.
With the Hillside Wastewater Management Plan being replaced by the Hillside District Plan, the large lots available to Anchorage's citizens will be at the mercy of the location of the Comprehensive Plan's "Urban/Rural Divide" line and the definition of Rural and Urban. How we handle our water and waste will be a big factor in how this area is developed.
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property rights ?
When we put up our hard earned cash to buy some land, we want to feel like it's ours to do what we will. Along comes Big Government and we find there are many restrictions on what we can do. Our desire to be fair to our neighbors can be overwhelmed by the libertarian in us.
A couple recent ordinances have struck the "property rights" nerve. A proposed ordinance known as the "Land Clearing Ordinance" has gotten numerous headlines. Is it true that you won't be able to chop down a tree on your lot? Are gardens allowed? Janice Shamberg, one of our area's representatives on the Anchorage Assembly, has worked hard to write a workable Land Clearing Ordinance. This one has been revised quite a bit since its introduction. What's the truth behind the stories on Talk Radio?
Another proposed ordinance has not been as widely publicized, but could put a crimp in plans for your dream garage. AO2002-221 would limit the size of accessory buildings on your lot by adding a line to the definition of accessory structures that says "The total size shall not exceed that of the principal structure(s)." This change may go back to the Planning & Zoning Commission and then on to the Assembly.
If you have a storage shed, shop or garage on your lot that is bigger than your house or have plans to build one, the time to speak up is now. If you want to make sure your neighbor does not build a huge barn, come lend your support to this change.
We can comment on these ordinances as a Community Council in addition to your individual comments.
___________________________________________________________________________________High School Boundaries At our December meeting, we had a nice presentation by Mary Kiessling on the status of the High School boundary changes when the new high school on the Hillside opens in 2004. There are quite a few variables that go into setting the boundaries including school size, ethnic balance, geographic boundaries, distance to the school and population growth.
It is likely that if you live south of Huffman, you'll be in the area for the new school. Other than that, the lines are yet to be drawn. You can call Mary at 345-7052 or go to the Advisory Group meetings Wednesdays at 3pm at the School District Offices on DeBarr in the 2d floor conferrence room. A general meeting at Service High will be held late February or early March.
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EAST Update (Bragaw Extension study) The Municipality's consultants at HDR have developed six broad themes for the future of transportation this side of the Seward Highway. There will be open houses where you can draw lines on maps and show them what you'd like to see.
For more information on the study, visit the study website at www.eastanchorage.net or contact Carla SlatonBarker at cslatonb@hdrinc.com or 274-2000.
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New Seward Highway Investment Study for Rabbit Creek to 3th Ave. Public Meeting 5-8pm Wednesday January 22 at Polaris K-12 School cafeteria.
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BYLAWS CHANGES At our February 20th meeting, we will discuss and vote on proposed Bylaws changes for the Mid Hillside CC. These changes were discussed at our December meeting and can be seen at www.weddleton.com/cc/bylaws. Rules for making Bylaws changes are:
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PLAYGROUNDS AT FORSYTHE & BIRCH PARKS Money from bonds approved several years ago will be used to replace the playground at Forsythe Park and to build a new one at Birch Park. The playground at Forsythe Park does not meet modern safety and handicap access requirements. The work should be completed this summer. With the playground at O'Malley Elementary, the Birch Road area may have the highest density of playgrounds in town!
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Anchorage Park, Natural Open Space and Recreation Facility Plan "The Parks Plan" from 1985 is being updated. Land Design North has been contracted to do the work. An advisory group has been formed and two days of interviews with "key stakeholders" will start the public process. More information on this will be available at our meeting
____________________________________________________________________________________ The lecture series called "Muniversity" will start on January 14 and continue each Tuesday into the month of March. This is a series of lectures designed to give citizens an opportunity to better understand local government. All lectures will be held in the Assembly Chambers of the Loussac Library, noon - 1pm. RSVP by calling 343-6114 or email handysidehm@ci.anchorage.ak.us.
January 14th - Municipal Government 101,
January 21st - Budget Basics,
January 28th - Building a Better Community,
February 4th - Public Safety.
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Trail Conditions in Bicentennial Park Update. The January 6 meeting of the Bicentennial Park Trail Users meeting looked at a prioritized report by Land Design North on how to spend $200,000 - $300,000 for trail improvements in Bicentennial Park. The top priorities are the bridges and their approaches between the Campbell Creek Science Center and Tudor Rd. on the "Tour of Anchorage" or "Fur Rondy" trail. Section of the trail become a bog all summer and even into this warm winter. The Parks and Recreation Commission will review the recommendations at their January 9 meeting.
There is an effort to get more out of the limited funds by coordinating with the BLM and National Park Service. New technology such as "Geo blocks" have been used with success on remote 3-wheeler trails. That might work on these trail, too. Trail User Group members John McCleary from MOA and Kevin Keeler with NPS and Doug Ballou with BLM are putting a lot of time into sharing resources to get the most for our money.
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Section 36 becomes park land- After more than 15 years of neighborhood effort, a 632 acre parcel of land including an high rugged ridge between the Bear and Rabbit Creek valleys, adjacent lowlands; straddling Clarks and Rabbit Creek Roads, has been designated park land. The next stop for this park process is in front of the Platting Board.
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The Anchorage Waterways Council is organizing an informational meeting to discuss the removal of the Knik Arm Power Plant Dam on Ship Creek. The
meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 14th at 2pm at the BP Energy
Center. There will be several brief presentations from state and federal
agencies discussing Ship Creek dam removal followed by a Q&A period. If you
want to learn more about "Ship Creek Unplugged" and AWC's efforts to restore Ship Creek, this is the place to be!! For more information, contact Meagan Boltwood at 277-9287 or boltwood-awc@acsalaska.net
Board Members
Mid-Hillside:
John Weddleton, President 349-8370 john@weddleton.com
Jeff Clarke, Vice President 349-4892
jay_peak@hotmail.com
Tom O'Grady Secretary
349-6948 ogrady@gci.net
Don Fall Treasurer 346-1845 falldon@gci.net
Amy Johnson - Transportation Committee 258-0168 ajohnson@ibissoftware.com
Hillside East:
Tom Newins, President
345-8881 newins@gci.net
Bjarne Holm, Vice President
robinholm@gci.net
We meet at 7pm on the third Thursday of the month at O'Malley Elementary School on Rockridge off O'Malley.
For more info see www.communitycouncils.org/hillmid.html