Residents skeptical of South Denali plan

WASILLA -- Representatives from the Mat-Su Borough, state parks and National Parks Service are on a road trip this week, shopping around a plan that some say is simply a boondoggle.

The plan isn't a new one to most Valley residents -- it's been discussed in various forms since the 1970s and beyond, although critics say it's been freshened up a bit this time around. The idea is to put a nature center on state park land on the south side of Denali National Park, using Petersville Road as an access route.

Proponents of the plan say it would give Alaskans greater access to the area by paving Petersville Road at least to the Kroto Creek parking lot. They also say it would increase business and job opportunities for residents and provide a new tourist destination for visitors.

But critics say adding improvements would only increase congestion and reduce access in the area and, with potential cuts in state funding, could be a weighty burden on the state's dwindling fiscal resources.

"If you put a nature center out there, you're going to ruin it for everyone else," one resident said at a meeting held in Wasilla Monday. "Let's put those out there for the people here -- forget the tourists! I'm tired of footing the bill for tourists."

Pete Panarese, the chief of field operations for Alaska's Division of State Parks, has been involved in discussions about the South Side Denali Project for many of his 28 years with the state. He said he believes local recreation alternatives can be combined with tourism opportunities -- that's partially the intent of the scoping project, he said, to gather ideas from people who use the area about how recreational and tourism opportunities can coexist.

Many at the meeting said both tourism and resident groups who use the area would benefit more from a facility along the Parks Highway than they would from a 30 or more mile trip off one of Alaska's main arterials.

"If they want a solution that's acceptable to Alaskans, there's Byers Lake," said Ruth Wood, a Talkeetna resident. "We've said it time and time again."

A location such as Byers Lake or another spot along the Parks Highway, Wasilla resident Dan Elliot added, are physically closer to Mount McKinley. Building in those areas, he and others who spoke at the meeting said, would provide a spot for a nature center and a different location for tourists without overtaking an existing community, as some say would happen if visitors flock to the Peters Hills area.

"Every 10 years I say the same thing -- we could have it next year if we put it on the highway," Elliot said.

Panarese pointed out that people could give comments on where they would rather see a nature or visitors center, even if it was outside the proposed study area. He added that a potential location for the nature center isn't the only topic up for comment -- the agencies also want to know what improvements are needed along Petersville Road to address the current levels of use.

While some suggested leaving the road unpaved and unimproved, some area residents said they'd like to see trash cans at the Kroto Creek parking lot where winter road maintenance ends, and a parking area set aside for residents. For many, support hinged on where future funding for maintenance would come from. With tight state road maintenance budgets, and state parks operations being contracted out around the Valley, many were reluctant to add to that burden.

"I wouldn't get anywhere if I had to say, first, I've got the money in hand," Panarese said, adding that the state had some options to help pay for operations at new park facilities -- user fees, parking permits and the like.

Others at the meeting were reluctant to endorse any improvements, on the grounds that it could bring access restrictions along with it.

"I want an assurance that I'm not going to be restricted in this area; I don't care if it's right next to your nature center … I want unrestricted access to my playground," Kevin Peterson said.

"This is the first thing I hear at almost every meeting -- 'You're going to restrict snowmachines,'" Panarese said. "I've had it up to here with that. I can't guarantee [unrestricted access] forever."

Peterson and several others at the meeting alleged the process, which has so far been largely funded by Congress, has been driven by large tourism corporations. Elliot and others expressed concerns that, because mining claims are near the proposed nature center location, large tourism companies could purchase patented claims and convert them to large hotels.

Panarese said such a purchase would not fit within the Susitna Area Plan for development in the area, but was unable to say whether such a purchase could take place. Panarese and Mike Tranell, chief of planning for Denali National Park, said large tourism agencies have not played a part in the continued analysis of the plan.

"As far as large tourism entities who operate in Alaska, the Alaska Tourism Industry Association is very much in favor of a new destination in Alaska, and they're more interested in having a site in the Peters Hills than on the Parks Highway," Tranell said. "If you think there's more to it than that … I invite you to our office … it's all public records."

Panarese added, "Nobody in industrial tourism has spoken with me or our director. They have not been pushing this more than any other group -- this is something for us, for the community involved, and for the borough."

Several representatives of the three agencies involved held meetings in Healy and Fairbanks Thursday and Friday, and will continue to take comments on the plan through April 15. To comment or for more information, visit the project Web site at www.southdenaliplanning.com or contact Miriam Valentine at 733-9102.

Contact Rindi White at rindi.white@frontiersman.com.