ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Anchorage officials and the U.S. Air Force are working toward a solution after finding that the city may have to start paying hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for a 78-acre park on military land.
The city had been in discussions with Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson officials about future plans for improving Davis Park when it was discovered that the city’s no-cost lease for the park had expired several years ago. When the city asked to have the lease renewed, the Air Force found that it was required by federal law to charge fair-market rent for the park, which sits directly south of the base, The Alaska Dispatch News reported (https://bit.ly/1NhGzyS).
The city must now pay $10,000 to $12,000 for an appraisal to see how much the park is worth. According to the city’s 20-year plan for Davis Park, if the fair-value market is the same as a neighboring 12-acre snow dump, the lease could cost $775,000 a year. That would likely be more than the city can afford, said Anchorage parks chief John Rodda.
Al Lucht, deputy director of civil engineering on JBER, said the military is caught between strict federal policies and keeping the park available for nearby residents in the low-income neighborhood of Mountain View.
“It’s always been politically sensitive,” Lucht said.
Both the city and the Air Force say they would like to work out a deal that would allow the city to offer resources or services in exchange for permission to keep the park.
The city’s master plan for Davis Park includes adding a Frisbee golf course, a skate park and a bouldering wall. Officials have been trying to increase the park’s appeal to nearby residents, not just outside groups.
“The needle is definitely pointing in the right direction,” said David Barney, clubhouse manager for the Mountain View Boys and Girls Club. “I’d hate to have something slow that down right now. I think it’s becoming more of a destination.”
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Information from: Alaska Dispatch News, https://www.adn.com
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