Heel! Council could nix Iditarod funds

By Chris Gillow

Frontiersman

WASILLA — As the Iditarod draws near, how much the city should financially support the event is getting a second look.

Wasilla City Council will take up the issue of the city’s financial contribution to the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and other events held outside of the city at its Feb. 25 council meeting. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at Wasilla City Hall in council chambers.

Sponsored by Councilman Steve Menard, the resolution aims to encourage Wasilla Mayor Dianne M. Keller to eliminate funding for events held outside of the city. Specifically, the resolution points out three — the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, the Junior Iditarod Sled Dog Race and the Tesoro Iron Dog — as events held outside city limits to which Wasilla government contributes. Wasilla provides $10,000 annually for both the Iditarod and the Iron Dog. The Junior Iditarod receives $5,000 a year in city financial support.

“I think it’s irresponsible to fund an event outside the city,” Menard said, adding that Wasilla should focus on events held within its boundaries.

Menard said he began looking into the issue when the Iditarod Trail Committee announced the race’s restart would not be held in Wasilla. For Menard, the decision is frustrating, not just because the committee moved the restart to Willow, but because it didn’t bother bringing the issue to the table in Wasilla.

“The initial reason why we gave the Iditarod money is because they didn’t know if they could fund the race year to year,” he said. “Now it’s grown so big they don’t even come to us for advice.”

Menard said he understands the Iditarod Trail Committee has every right to make the decision, but he would like some communication between the city and trail committee before such a huge decision is made. In the last several years, he only knows of one time that the Iditarod came before the council.

Although city funding is the issue at hand, Menard said the $10,000 isn’t the only contribution Wasilla makes. In addition to that financial contribution, the city leases the land on which the Iditarod Trail Headquarters is located to the organization for free.

Stan Hooley, executive director of the Iditarod Trail Committee, said he doesn’t believe discussing the restart move with the council is a necessary step. Overall, it’s a decision made by those who are “intimately involved with the race.”

“It’s a decision that’s based on what we know the needs of the race are,” Hooley said.

Hooley said the committee made the decision to move the restart to Willow to keep the competitors safe. Some people try to hold on to a vision of what the Iditarod was 30 years ago, but don’t realize the needs of the race have changed. With the traditional Wasilla trail broken by development, it would be hard to ensure the safety of people and dogs in Wasilla.

“I don’t foresee a day this race will travel the ditch between Wasilla and Knik,” he said. “It’s not in the best interest of the two- and four-legged competitors.”

The executive director said one of the only ways for the race return to Wasilla is if a trail system is created that travels from Wasilla to Big Lake — one that would require input from the trail committee. There is talk about constructing such a trail, but Hooley said people shouldn’t get their hopes up because an area that could be used for the trail has problems. Generally, the area is a wetland, which would require extensive environmental impact studies and lots of cash to build.

Despite facing a resolution that aims to eliminate city funding, Hooley said he believes there is enough support on and off the council to keep resolution from passing.

“Frankly, I don’t expect this resolution to go anywhere,” he said.

When it comes to cash flow, Hooley said the race has 40 organizations sponsoring the race, which amounts to about $1.2 million. While the $10,000 contribution may seem small in the overall scheme of the event’s funding, it’s more than just money, he said. It’s a demonstration of support for a race that has a long history, a large economic impact and a home in Wasilla.

Laura Bedard, executive director of the Iron Dog, said she hopes the council considers what these events bring to the city.

“I would hope they revisit the idea of economic impacts of those events,” Bedard said.

Along with money pouring into Wasilla from race competitors and spectators using local services, Bedard said the Iron Dog has another active Wasilla presence. For example, the pre-race safety inspection takes place at the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex.

While some may not think the city’s contribution is a big part of Iron Dog support, the executive director said that’s not the case.

“Ten thousand dollars is a big impact for the Iron Dog,” she said.

Overall, Bedard said it’s not just the city that contributes. Wasilla businesses and residents are a huge help for numerous aspects of the race.

Although the resolution reaches the council on Monday, Menard said he doesn’t expect widespread acceptance. The goal is to provide an opportunity to debate the issue with council members and residents.

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