Assembly delays vote on Hatcher Pass plan

PALMER — It took nearly four hours, but snowmachiners and cross-country skiers alike were given a chance to say their piece at Tuesday’s Mat-Su Borough Assembly meeting.

In the end, though, neither side prevailed. The occasion for all the activism — a resolution Assemblymen Mark Ewing and Ron Arvin proposed calling for a snowmachine corridor near where the borough plans to build a Nordic ski area — didn’t pass muster. But the assembly left the door open, scheduling a work session to talk about Hatcher Pass issues on April 13.

Tuesday was also the day that the state Department of Natural Resources released its draft of an update to its Hatcher Pass management plan. The department will spend the next two months receiving public input on the draft. The resolution from Arvin and Ewing was, in a way, an attempt to participate in that process.

But borough staff urged caution. The corridor envisioned in the resolution would run along roughly the same path as the old Carle Wagon Trail. In a memo, Borough Manager John Duffy said he felt the assembly should consider alternatives. Borough Planning Director Christine Nelson floated one possible idea: expanding three existing parking lots and putting new parking lots on the Willow side of the pass, at the end of Sunset Drive and at the end of Sushana Drive.

“We’re suggesting that three existing parking lots be expanded and three new trail heads be created,” she said.

Jim Turner, one of the leaders of the push for a corridor, stepped up to testify armed with a map drawn in marker on the back of a box. He said the borough’s proposed alternatives sent trails through critical habitat and over peaks that were often closed. They also pushed snowmachiners to the edges of the area. His preferred alternative, he said, wasn’t as bad as some would have it; it skirts the ski area and doesn’t cross any non-motorized trails.

“An alignment such as that has very little impact on any current development or any planned development,” he said.

Many who spoke from his side of the fence pointed out that cross-country skiers are welcome to use any part of the pass because there aren’t any no-ski zones. But the snowmachiners are losing ground as more trails are closed to them. They pointed out that older people and those with disabilities can’t ski but they can snowmachine. And snowmachiners, they argued, aren’t as rowdy and destructive as people think.

“To paint all snowmachiners with a big broad brush… is not fair,” said Paul Wilson. “You can’t punish everyone for what a few individuals do.”

On the other side, cross-country skiers argued that the snowmachiners had the run of the place and skiers were only asking for a small sliver of Hatcher Pass to be set aside for them to practice their sport in peace. Snowmachiners, they argued, run across groomed trials and make them unusable and dangerous. The machines are loud and smelly, they said. A number of the skiers spoke in metaphors.

Snowmachiners and skiers, “are like smoking and non-smoking patrons,” in a restaurant, Dan Harrison said. “Does it make any sense to establish a smoking corridor through the non-smoking section of a restaurant?”

Palmer High School ski coach Darin Markwardt said, “What this is is essentially putting a highway through an elementary school playground.”

Andrew Weaver warned of environmental degradation if snowmachiners were allowed to drive where they please in one of the few wild spaces left in the Valley’s core area.

When it finally came time for the assembly to discuss the resolution and take a vote, the clock was fast approaching midnight.

Ewing said the resolution didn’t necessarily dictate which route the corridor would take.

“This mountain belongs to everybody,” he said. “All we’re asking for is access.”

But that lack of a specific route was more of a negative than a positive for some of his colleagues.

“I would really like to see the details worked out on this,” said Assemblywoman Lynne Woods.

“I think we need to look at this more carefully,” said Assemblyman Vern Halter.

Assemblyman Jim Colver expressed his concerns directly to Arvin and Ewing, “I think you’re messing with fire here with our Nordic plans,” he said.

Assemblywoman Cindy Bettine eventually made the successful motion to kill the resolution, but leave the door open to a new proposal with a work session in April.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.

HOW THEY VOTED

Should the borough endorse a motorized corridor through the Government Peak area of Hatcher Pass?

• Ron Arvin: Yes

• Cindy Bettine: No

• Jim Colver: No

• Mark Ewing: Yes

• Vern Halter: No

• Pete Houston: No

• Lynne Woods: No