New Butte trailhead parking lot paves way for progress

BUTTE — An age-old problem has a newly paved solution. The West Butte trailhead has a new 80-space parking lot, which aims to remove the chronic summer congestion issues along Butte’s Mothershead Lane. A ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday brought together those behind the project to celebrate an effort 20 years in the making.

“It’s like a concrete manifestation of what’s happening in the Mat-Su Valley, how big trails have become in the community,” Patty Sullivan, Public Affairs Director for the Mat-Su Borough.

The Butte is one of the Valley’s most popular trails and more than 24,000 people hike the west side every year according to borough statistics. The area has been the subject of debate for almost two decades. Previously, there was only a small parking lot that could only fit a handful of cars. The trailhead is nestled in a residential neighborhood and neighbors have complained about local roads being blocked by the spillover of countless cars. There was even an incident with a house fire in the neighborhood where the road was so congested responders were unable to get through.

“This is sort of the answer to a prayer that started almost 20 years ago,” said Mike Shields, the supervisor for the Greater Butte Road Service Area.

Despite a concerted push to get the parking lot made, the project took a lot of time, effort and communication to come to fruition. For years, the neighborhood’s covenants prohibited the creation of the parking lot. The project needed an 80 percent approval rating, which meant all but two residents had to sign. According to Mat-Su Borough District 1 Assembly member Jim Sykes, in 2014 Butte resident Lisa Archibald hosted a neighborhood barbeque to get everyone on the same page to get the parking lot built.

Sykes said state budget cuts slowed but didn’t stop the project.

“This parking lot really represents relationships between the local government, private organizations, nonprofit organizations, local homeowners, the community councils; and this really highlights if everyone works together, everyone makes some compromises — we can do great things and provide access to great things,” said Kim Sollien, the Mat-Su Program Director for the Great Land Trust.

Numerous people representing various aspects of the project were handed their pair of scissors to cut the gold ribbon, which was tied to the poles of the exit of the parking lot.

“We had a big pair of scissors but someone was caught running with them,” Sykes said.

After the ribbon cutting and the last round of applause, some of the presenters made their way out of the parking lot, down the trail and up the mountain.

Sykes said the parking lot would minimize trespassing and noise complaints in the surrounding neighborhood. Sollien said that having access to trails is a part of the Valley’s “culture.”

“This is much more than a parking lot. It’s access to what makes the Mat-Su so special. It’s views of glaciers, recognition of farmland, and access to the most beautiful mountains in the world,” Sollien said.

There are currently two ways to pay admission for the borough’s trails and campgrounds, the traditional cash-in-envelope method, and the new electronic method where visitors can use their phone and card to pay by visiting ecommerce.matsugov.us/Pages/CD/AnnualParking.aspx

A third payment method — electronic pay pikes — are in the works. The parking lot will feature the devices in the near future and so will other trailheads across the Valley. All of these new ways to pay are part of the borough’s Smart Communities program.