Public invited to comment on Denali National Park concession facility

An Environmental Assessment for construction of new concessioner support facilities in the entrance area of Denali National Park is now available for public review and comment. The National Park Service is proposing to construct new permanent facilities on the Concession Land Assignment that would support the park’s current and future bus operations and services concession.

The proposed new facilities include:

• Maintenance shop and covered storage area for the carpenter, plumber and electrician maintenance functions, replacing the current ATCO and trailer.

• Recycling center building to provide a centralized collection and processing facility for concessions and park recycled waste materials.

• Commissary to support food storage and assembly of the meals and beverages provided on the tour buses, and additional food storage for the employee dining room and Morino Grill.

• Employee Fitness Center

The project is necessary because the existing facilities are inadequately sized, dilapidated, and/or inappropriate for their functions.

The Concessions Land Assignment (CLA) is Park allocated land and facilities assigned to the concessionaire, presently Joint Venture, Incorporated, to carry out and support visitor services within the park. The CLA’s main purpose is to support/facilitate bus fleet operations and maintenance in the park. Additional buildings on the CLA include housing, dining, and recreation facilities that support concession employees. The concessionaire is required to carry out a building and utilities maintenance operation for the land assignment facilities and other directed services throughout the park.

The National Park Service has published an Environmental Assessment for this project titled “EA for Concession Facilities Construction.” It is available at the NPS planning web site at parkplanning.nps.gov. Comments on the Environmental Assessment may be submitted through May 22,, preferably via the website.

Alternately, comments may be:

• mailed to Steve Carwile, DENA Compliance Project Manager, NPS Alaska Regional Office, 240 West 5th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501;

• faxed to (907) 644-3803;

• or, emailed to Steve_Carwile@nps.gov.

If you have any questions about the Environmental Assessment or need paper copies, call project manager Erik Hendrickson at (907) 683-9578 or Steve Carwile at (907) 644-3612.