October 2005
Agenda
O'Malley Elementary School
Thursday, October 20, 2005
HALO AND HILLSIDE COMMUNITY COUNCILS formed a group to kick start the creation of the HDP a few years ago. That was partially successfull when $100,000 was budgeted for 2005.
The group's general theme is that the HDP should be guided by what residents want. Technical studies that follow would be designed to see how to achieve those desires.
Forward motion has been jerky since the people most involved are awful busy doing lots of other things and have at best limited experience with writing plans.
But there has been progress. There's an outline to do a scoping meeting, followed by a professional survey and followed by another large meeting after results of the first two are digested.
There was a decision to include the Basher area and to draw the boundary for the study east of Lake Otis.
The well attended meeting on September 29th provided lots of direction. A website has been set up. We're looking around for a professional to help manage things and look for money. All of this is so far without MOA support (HALO dug deep to pay $7,000 for the newsletter advertising the meeting!)
At the same time this work has gone on, the Assembly has come up with a framework for groups like Community Councils to prepare District Plans.
As things have progressed, more people are getting involved. HALO and your Community Councils are on track to see this plan through.
THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT IS ALSO MOVING FORWARD. Prepared for next year is a budget of $1.2 million. (Wow!) This is heavy with studies of on-site water and septic, public water and sewer, drainage, transportation and trails. There's also $160,000 for several levels of community surveys. This budget includes a project manager from the MOA and a paid consultant.
While the study topics make sense for our area, there is a tone that community preferences are at best an equal part of the equation, but not the guiding influence.
The Scope of Work envisions a MOA Project Manager hired at the end of this year and a Lead Consultant (probably a planning company) hired early in 2006. A Draft Plan is expected in the first quarter of 2007.
The boundary for the Planning Department does not include the Basher area and draws the west boundary at the Seward Highway.
At this point, it is very encouraging to see a realistic effort put forward by the Planning Department.
Are the efforts by the HALO and the Community Councils redundant if the Planning Department gets full funding for their scope of work? That remains to be seen.
For HALO and the CC's to be strong partners in the process, we'll need the legitimacy of the public process that we've already started.
If the Planning Department fails to get full funding, the public input we've already gotten should help prioritize the limited funds.
For more info: http://www.anchoragehillside.org/
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OCTOBER IS OUR ANNUAL MEETING! At Mid-Hillside, three seats are at the end of the two year terms and one board member moved. Hillside East has loads of room on the board. There's a lot going on in our area. We are more effective when we have a big diverse board that fairly represents the area.
If you are reading this newsletter, we know you are smart, alert and you care. Those are the main qualifications!
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THE FRIENDS OF BIRCH PARK have requested that the park be renamed the Bob and Arlene Cross Park in honor of the couple who donated the land in 1955. The Friends are looking for a show of support from our Council. A short history of the park is at www.weddleton.com/CC/history.htm
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BYLAWS CHANGE FOR THE HILLSIDE EAST COMMUNITY COUNCIL. The Assembly recently set new guidelines for Community Council Bylaws. The Hillside East CC Bylaws need significant changes. Tom Newins will propose changes for discussion. This was tabled at the September meeting.
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THE LARGE ANIMAL ORDINANCE was introduced at the Assembly last month. We did not get to developing a position on this in September so we will try again. Linda Perkins will present points for a proposed resolution regarding this ordinance.
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THE ZONING LAWS ARE STILL CHANGING!
At our September meeting, we formed a committee to comment on sections of the Title 21 Update that concern life in our area. Copies will be at our meeting and are posted at: www.weddleton.com/CC/Title21Update.htm We'll propose these as a resolution at October's meeting.
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SLOWER THAN A SCHOOL ZONE! Assembly representative Janice Shamberg has introduced Ordinance AO 2005-128 to set a maximum speed limit on unpaved roads at 15mph. A lot of us live on dirt roads so this should be a point of discussion. See http://www.muni.org/iceimages/clerk1/AO2005128_ASSEM_SpeedLimits_Shamberg.pdf
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THE HILLSIDE DISTRICT PLAN MEETING on September 29th was a real success. A head count totaled over 100 participants. Ky Holland did a great job getting people involved. Katie Nolan handled the logistics and the food was great. A summary is at www.anchoragehillside.org
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THE O'MALLEY ROAD PROJECT was the subject of a few comments at the HDP meeting. According to Anne Brookes, the public participation coordinator, the Environmental Assessment is still awaiting FHWA blessing. As far as Anchorage's draft Long RangeTransportation Plan is concerned, there are no changes in the O'Malley Road project as a result of the LRTP analysis. The project is still needed and it didn't get any bigger with the projected population.
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TWO SHORT PLATS: Case 11423-1 is in the Audubon Hills Subdivision off Downey Finch on the north side across from where Waxwing Circle intersects. This is to change the two lots into two different lots.
Case 11422-1 is off Birch Road on the east side two lots north of the intersection with West Tree. That would divide the one lot into two.
We'll have details at the meeting. If you have something to say, that's the time to say it!
Mid-HillsideBoard Members
John Weddleton -President 349-8370 john@weddleton.com
Brian Johnson -Vice President 345-5883 brian.johnson2@akanch.ang.af.mil
Tom O'Grady -Secretary 345-6948 ogrady@gci.net
Linda Perkins -Treasurer 346-2558 miniaturehorses@alaska.com
Kim Ross -Registrar 344-0333 kimross@alaska.com
Shirley McGrath 345-1606 smcgrath@alaska.net
Mark Miner 336-2383 akminers@alaska.net
Lance Powell 346-2327 lwpowell1@juno.com
Hillside East Board Members
Tom Newins, President 345-8881 newins@gci.net
Bjarne Holm, Vice President bjarneholm@ak.net
Assembly Representatives
Janice Shamberg jcshamberg@gci.net 343-4124
Chris Birch chrisbirch@gci.net 346-3265
APD Liason Cindi Stanton 786-2668 c:317-0985
Our next meeting is Thursday, October 20.
We meet at 7pm on the third Thursday of the month at O'Malley Elementary School
on Rockridge off O'Malley. www.communitycouncils.org/MidHillside/hillmid.html