Borough commits $50K for winter rec

HATCHER PASS — The Mat-Su Borough is through waiting for someone to step forward and cultivate recreation opportunities here.

The Borough Assembly last week approved a $50,000 expenditure to study recreation development options for Hatcher Pass. Ron Swanson, the Borough’s project manager, will lead the effort.

Previous attempts to encourage someone to develop Hatcher Pass as a winter recreation destination have been unsuccessful, so the Borough is beginning the preliminary planning hoping that work will help attract a developer, Borough Manager John Duffy said. The Borough is studying a less-grand development option as a starting point

Overall, the highlights of winter opportunities at Hatcher Pass would include a day lodge, alpine ski area and nordic trails, he said. Proposals, which will include alternatives, are expected to be completed by late February 2008.

In addition to a development plan, the Borough also has about $5 million to invest in the project, which could make it more attractive to potential developers, Assemblyman Pete Houston said. That money could be used to build nordic cross-country ski trails as well as establish other infrastructure, including expansion and paving of existing parking areas.

“Personally, I like the idea of just developing a ski area,” Houston said. “I wasn’t really happy with the development of a residential and commercial area that was proposed in the past.”

An alpine ski area will be anchored by a 12,000-square-foot day lodge, Borough planning documents show. Along with being a place to grab some grub, services available at the lodge will include equipment rentals, storage lockers and ski school.

When it comes to downhill skiing and snowboarding, an Alpine ski area would feature three lifts — providing easy access to a variety of terrain, Borough plans show. Beginners and intermediate skiers would be skirted up the slopes by a T-bar or platter lift. More adventurous and skilled skiers would have access to intermediate and advanced terrain by way of a quad lift. The quad would carry riders 1,350 vertical feet up Government Peak, where they could either begin a daring decent or continue to advanced oriented territory. Those choosing the latter would use a T-bar lift to travel an additional 900 feet up the mountain.

A fast-paced downhill thrill ride might be appealing for some, but other visitors would have a chance to hone their cross-county skills on nordic ski trails, according to Borough planning documents. This part of the project includes 24 kilometers of nordic trails, 16 of which are planned to meet Olympic standards.

Although the Borough is investing time, money and staff to helping develop Hatcher Pass as a winter destination, it does not want to be in the business of running a ski area or other business, Duffy said. The hopes are that by investing in some of the basic infrastructure and preliminary planning that would be necessary for such an effort, the Borough would be more successful in attracting a private enterprise.

Although the Borough is considering a day lodge and Alpine ski area, Houston said support for the nordic portion of the project seems to be growing.

“Everybody says that if we have nothing else, we need to have nordic trails,” he said.

Duffy said the Borough’s environmental and engineering studies for the entire project are expected to reach completion by next summer.

Contact Chris Gillow at chris.gillow@frontiersman.com or 352-2284.