Independent Road Service Areas or "No Man's Land"

So how's the road in front of your house? Did you have good plowing this winter? Did Spring bring some new speed bumps?

Lots of us live on roads that we maintain by doing the work ourselves or passing the hat among our neighbors when money is needed. This system can work great, but it is not perfect. There are problems with people not paying. Not everyone agrees on the level of maintenance that should be provided. Where will you get the money to fix catastrophic damage to your road? Do the folks who volunteer to work take on liability of there is an accident?

What are ways to deal with these issues?

At this meeting we'll have a forum on Independent Road Service Areas. (These are sometimes called "No Man's Lands.") We'll hear from Maury Robinson from the MOA road maintenance department. He'll be able to tell us about the Local Road Service Area alternative for keeping our roads groomed.

Also attending will be Shane Osowski. Shane is an attorney and president of the Anchorage chapter of the Community Association Institute. The Independent Road Service Areas have many similarities with Community Associations. Shane can give us insights into how we can use that format to improve our groups.

The most important participant is YOU. How do you or your neighborhood maintain your roads? There are lots of different solutions for the problems we all face. By sharing our experiences, we should all have better roads and happier neighborhoods.

On the Council's website, there's a map of the Local Road Service Areas and a more information on this issue. See www.communitycouncils.org/hillside/maps.htm.

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LAST MONTH'S RESOLUTIONS REVISITED

Lights on the Lower Service Ski Trails At our April meeting, we voted on a resolution to support the "Lower Service Trail Lighting Project." While the majority at the meeting supported the resolution, our Bylaws require that for a resolution to pass, the majority of the Board must also approve it. On this vote, Jeff Clarke and John Weddleton opposed the project.

Rather than dismiss the opinions shown at the meeting, the "resolution" was released as an "opinion." This got it to Pete Mjos in time for a presentation to the Parks and Rec. Commission on May 9.

Joint Resolution in Support of the Hillside District Plan This resolution coaxes the MOA to complete the Hillside Development Plan before more rezoning is done on the Hillside. This was discussed at our April meeting where it gained the support of the majority present.

As required in our Bylaws, these issues are on May's agenda under "Old Business" should anyone want to revisit them.

You can see the "Opinion" and Resolution and related information on the Council's website www.communitycouncils.org/hillside. Click on the "Resolutions" button. It's the bottom button on the left. If you do not have internet access, call John Weddleton and I can fax the information to you.

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DO ROAD WORK WITHOUT GETTING DIRTY! East Anchorage Study of Transportation (EAST), known colloquially as "The Bragaw Extension study," is looking at transportation options for everything east of the Old Seward Highway.

They are looking for people to participate in a working group that will include commuters, truck drivers, bus riders, bicyclists and walkers. Group members will ask questions, learn the issues and provide input based on their knowledge and expertise. You'll meet once every 2 months for about a year.

The Bragaw Extension is a lively issue in our area. It would be great to have someone committed to keeping track of this study for the Council. If you want to be an Official Hillside Rep on this, let John Weddleton know.

For more info, contact Anne Brooks 272-1877 or annebrooks@ak.net . The first meeting will be in May 2002. There's a first report at www.eastanchorage.net/reports

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Have you ever seen water flow uphill? The Anchorage Waste Water Utility invites you to the final set of public meetings on the 2002 Anchorage Water Master Plan Update. The meeting is May 20 at 6:30 pm in the Loussac Library Public Conference Room.

Not concerned because we don't have city water up here? Maybe not now, but a lot of pipe can be laid in 20 years! And remember, the rule of thumb is that where city water goes, there must be 3 homes per acre.

For more information, contact: Roberta Piper, AWWU, at 564-2767 or Daniel Billman, HDR Alaska, Inc., at 907-274-2000, or see www.awwu.ci.anchorage.ak.us/project/WMP/

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May must be TRAILS MONTH! The Anchorage Trails & Greenways Coalition invites you to its annual meeting on Wednesday, May 22, 7-9 p.m. at Kincaid Chalet. The discussion will focus on the missing links in Anchorage's trail system. Our area is mostly missing links so this sounds great! Meet other trail enthusiasts to discuss making the vision of the Anchorage Trails Plan a reality. For further information, call Mike Mitchell at 269-5159 or 258-0465.

If you want more hands on trail work, you can help neighbors south of us who have been working steadily on a greenbelt along Rabbit Creek. They'll be doing trail work on Memorial Day. Contact Dianne Holmes 345-1514.

And celebrate National Trails Day fixing the Tour of Anchorage/Homestead trail near where it meets the Coyote Trail that comes off Abbott Loop Road. There's a pond in the middle of the trail that will be filled. The fun starts Saturday June 1 at 9am and goes to 2pm. Meet at BLM's offices off Abbott Loop Rd. Last year they had great chow after the work was done.

Ironically, while you can talk about and work on the trails, you can't use lots of them in May! The trails at Bicentennial Park are closed in May until they harden up. Stay off the trails! A few weeks of restraint will leave us with better trails all summer and earlier ski trail grooming in the winter.

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FIND THE BAD STUFF IN OUR CREEKS! The Anchorage Waterways Council invites you to spend a day in our local creeks to help pinpoint potential pollution by collecting water quality information at our city's storm drains. Time commitment is one 4-hour training session followed by one 9-hour field day on a Saturday. This event is dependent on dry weather, but is tentatively scheduled for late May. For more information and to sign up, contact Emily Creely at Anchorage Waterways Council: 277-9287.