Mat-Su Borough Assembly approves Raceway compromise

PALMER -- In what one Mat-Su Borough Assembly member dubbed a "watershed event," the assembly, last week, approved the sale of approximately 25 acres of land to Alaska Raceway Park and the classification of nearly 185 acres of nearby land for non-motorized public use.

The land sold to Alaska Raceway Park, through its parent company, Top End Inc., will allow the corporation to purchase the state land on which it sits. The company, headed by Earl Lackey for approximately the past seven years, has been operating on state-owned land leased with a 55-year lease. Although the Lackeys and previous owners have made improvements to the land over the years, it was not possible for large renovations to be done unless the land was owned outright.

"You can't improve leased land," said Karen Lackey, Earl's wife of 38 years and partner in Top End. "No [bank] in their right mind would loan you money."

Although the state agreed several months ago to allow the Lackeys to purchase the lease, there was an area of encroachment onto nearby borough-owned land that needed to be satisfied first.

"It's a strip that would satisfy encroachment and also be used as parking," Lackey said.

And owning the land will allow the Lackeys to make some needed improvements to the track. Lackey was careful not to suggest that the track would expand, but she did say they are interested in making improvements.

"We're not planning any major changes," Lackey said. "We're just planning on fixing things that need to be fixed and improving things that need to be improved."

Lackey said they would like to install a permanent septic system so those at the track are not forced to use portable toilets. Some of the buildings need to be improved as well, including the oft-used concession stand.

"There's a lot of things for either comfort or safety," Lackey said.

But there's more to the issue. Hand in hand with the land sale is a reclassification of 185 acres for non-motorized use only. The two transactions are the result of a lot of community discussion.

"It's a compromise that was worked out in the community council at Butte," Lackey said. "Nobody's thrilled spitless, but everybody's thrilled."

Originally, according to Butte Community Council member Brit Lively who has been involved in the project since the beginning, the borough had different plans for the land.

"What the borough and the state had proposed was a 200-foot greenbelt, and then the borough was going to subdivide the rest," Lively said. "The community and the racetrack got together because we figured that wasn't a good thing for any of us."

The two groups, after much discussion, arrived at a plan that was workable for both. The plan has worked its way through the various borough agencies and, at long last, was before the assembly last week. And, as Lively and Lackey have both said, the two groups each got a little of what they were hoping for -- and sacrificed a little to make the project work.

"It's a step in the right direction," Lively said. "It doesn't filter out the noise, but it's nice to know that there is a non-motorized area that we can all enjoy throughout the week."

Lively spoke with enthusiasm about the moss and lichen-covered stumps that pepper the area, hearkening back to logging done decades ago to provide timber supports for the Independence Mine.

"I can see . . . good economic ramifications coming from that," Lively said. "The trails are flat . . . this would be a wonderful place where people can go hike and go for walks and be part of nature."

Lively said she expected to see bed and breakfasts springing up to take advantage of the greenbelt.

At the meeting, few people testified about the sale, an unusual occurrence when it comes to issues involving racetracks -- which usually pack assembly chambers. Even more surprisingly, the comments were all positive, although they came from a broad spectrum of borough residents.

"Mr. Lackey has been really good about coming to the community and trying to work this out," said Butte resident Lucille Frey. Frey was one of five to testify in favor of the sale.

Another person who testified in favor of the sale was Friends of Mat-Su executive director Michelle Church -- a planning advocate who is thought, by some, to be opposed to racetracks and development in the Valley. Church said Friends of Mat-Su was not involved in the discussions, but was in favor of the results.

"We did not play a role in it, other than to simply recognize that this was a compromise that the community itself came up with," Church said Wednesday. "Because of that, we're supportive. Lackey has shown that he is a part of the community and . . . we just wanted to applaud him for sticking it out and coming up with some way to [work out a solution]."

Assembly members unanimously approved the sale and reclassification, but not before remarking on the situation.

"This track issue and the lack of a filled assembly room is a watershed moment for this borough," said assembly member Jim Colver. "This is a major credit to this administration."