Rumors about zoning plan abound

MAT-SU -- The cloud of confusion and rumor surrounding the core area zoning ordinance seems to have taken on a life of its own, spilling into other borough planning commission business and keeping phone lines throughout the borough hot.

At the planning commission's regular meeting on March 4, the subject of core area zoning seemed likely to eclipse the evening's scheduled agenda items when local property owner Mike Sparks rose to speak about telephone calls he had received over the preceding weekend.

According to Sparks, callers had advised him that planning commissioner Lee Sharp and borough mayor Tim Anderson were intent on getting rid of float planes in the core area -- fighting words sure to get the attention of any Alaskan.

In a telephone interview later in the week, Sparks, a pilot and longtime resident on Finger Lake, told the Frontiersman he did not believe the calls were intentional misinformation. "It was just half a dozen different friends of mine who were concerned and wanted to know if I knew about this," he said.

During the interview, Sparks voiced concerns ranging from fears that the Shaws Tri-Lakes would be closed for aviation through a belief that Outside interests are attempting to control too many of Alaska's interests. He echoed many other topics that had came up repeatedly during the public hearings held on Feb. 12 and 15 at Palmer High School.

"You need to come out with it black and white," Sparks said of the rumors. "Put it in the newspaper. Not a generality, but specifics that bring people's attention to bear on the facts."

David Church received a call, as well, although his caller didn't identify herself.

"A lady called me and said they were calling everyone in the core area that owned five acres or more," he said in an interview Saturday.

"She wanted to know if I knew about the core area zoning ordinance. When I asked her who she represented, she said she was doing it on her own."

Church said the caller asked if he knew he would need a permit to do anything on his property. "I asked her where she had read that," he said. "I had read the ordinance and I didn't read anything like that."

The caller then told him that if he had a 5,000-square-foot building and it burned down, he would not be able to replace it.

"I told her that the planning commission was working to address comments from the public hearings, and that we should give them a chance to do that," he continued. "She seemed to be looking for a button she could push with me. When she couldn't find one, she wanted to get off the phone, like she was wasting time talking to me."

In an interview Friday, commissioner Lee Sharp told the Frontiersman he had received telephone calls himself.

"I received one call from a lady whose husband had been informed by someone that I was trying to ban float planes from area lakes and that there were a couple resolutions up before the planning commission having to do with lake management plans that would be a vehicle for banning float planes," he said.

Sharp went on to explain that there is a fair amount of confusion concerning lake management plans and the draft core area zoning ordinance.

"The lake management plan issues are just one more thing that can be aimed at core area zoning," he said.

"This is a way to get pilots riled up over something that doesn't exist. Float planes and aviation are a way of life here. There is no way that we can or should try to do anything to prevent that way of life."

What about closing Shaws Tri-Lakes area to aviation?

Sharp responded that the closure rumor stems from the first version of the draft ordinance in which the Shaws Tri-Lakes area was included in a district that would not permit airstrips. When that problem was pointed out, the planning staff took action to correct it.

"The borough planning staff met with pilots and came up with the air park and seaplane overlay districts for those kinds of areas," Sharp said. "Some people who oppose zoning may still be making noise about air parks but pilots mostly say you've solved our problem."

Does Sharp believe the telephone calls represent a campaign of misinformation? "Perpetuating rumors may serve the purposes of some people," he responded. "But those who are speaking out are obviously very concerned people."