Health foundation grants $390K to light trails

MAT-SU — The Matanuska-Susitna Borough will receive $390,000 from the Mat-Su Health Foundation for Nordic trail lighting at the Government Peak Recreation Area near Hatcher Pass.

The grant will light 2.5 miles of trails including Pioneer Loop, the stadium area and Matanuska Loop.

The LED lights on the trail will enhance trail safety and help reduce unexpected moose encounters. In winter, residents have been skiing by headlamp until 8 p.m., when the gates close. Lighted trails are expected to increase the trail users by threefold, including youth ski team members and adults who work 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Some 300 young skiers on the Mat-Su Junior Nordics team may be learning to ski on well-lighted trails as early as this winter. This dead-of-winter exercise will add years to the lives of hundreds of Mat-Su workers and grit to the childhood of many Mat-Su youth.

The attraction already drives up spending at local businesses, and that spending will likely increase with these lights. Several hundred spectators are already drawn to each regional ski event at Government Peak.

“Funding this project is so forward-looking, thank you Mat-Su Health Foundation,” said Mat-Su Borough Manager John Moosey. “Your gift is investing in our health, our amenities, our economy. Government Peak is already shaping up to be the statewide winter recreation destination.”

The Mat-Su Health Foundation grant joins recent funding for the project by the Rasmuson Foundation: $9,934 for trails and $190,066 for chalet fire protection and kitchen upgrades. The borough funded $175,000 to the Government Peak trails, and $225,000 to the chalet project in 2014. The Fishhook Community Council joined the effort by contributing $20,000 to the chalet.

Other recent developments at Government Peak include the paving of the 1-mile access road (Mountain Trails Drive) and the parking lot.

Last summer, two non-profit recreation groups began building mountain bike trails and an equestrian trail.

A map of the preliminary lighting plan, showing the 2.5 miles of trails that will have lighting installed, is available online at matsugov.us.

Public Affairs wrote the grant the health foundation plans to provide the borough.

For more information, call Mat-Su Borough Public Affairs Director Patty Sullivan at 861-8577.

This information courtesy matsugov.us.