Talkeetna Parks Advisory Committee (TPAC)

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TALKEETNA COMMUNITY COUNCIL & THE MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH WITH RESPECT TO TRAILS & OTHER FACILITY DEVELOPMENT IN TALKEETNA AREA PARKS

The underlying intent/goal of these procedures is to provide for meaningful community participation in development projects to ensure a high quality development standard in Talkeetna’s Borough parks. Specifically community participation will help determine whether a project moves forward, how it moves forward, and that it is completed according to its specified guidelines and scope of work.

MSB Comments from director of Community Development (in italics):  MSB needs a 30-day limit on the review period, except maybe in case of larger/more complex projects which may require an extended review and comment period. In such cases, the onus will be on the borough to get started early!  We also ask when Borough officials visit Talkeetna to meet with TPAC or TCCI to discuss projects, that the meetings be well noticed within the community.  This policy assumes good-will negotiations between the community and the borough, but is advisory in nature and non-binding. Sometimes (not often I hope) we may disagree.  Lastly, this should be a two-way street with TPAC and TCCI projects needing Borough approval as well.

1. Proposals for new development (new trails, facilities, infrastructure, etc.) within Talkeetna area borough parks will be accepted from individuals & organizations, including, for example, Mat-Su Borough, YCC, DNSC. 

    This does not include routine maintenance & upkeep activities. 

2. Proposals can be submitted to TCCI (or directly to TPAC) and will be reviewed during the regular monthly meetings. 

3. TCCI will forward the proposals to TPAC for evaluation and advice whether the project meets the needs and criteria for the Talkeetna area Parks development. 

4. If the applicant submits directly to TPAC rather than to TCCI, then TPAC will inform TCCI of the proposal for its review. 

5. The applicant should follow the Project Application Guidelines (see separate document) when presenting the proposed project to TPAC or TCCI. Ideally this application would be an in-person presentation. 

6. TPAC will review the application materials, and will make a recommendation to the TCCI. The recommendation may consist of:

    -SUPPORT
    -SUPPORT, WITH CONDITIONS that are acceptable to both TCCI and the Borough
    -DOES NOT SUPPORT
    -INCOMPLETE (In which case additional information from the applicant will be requested). 

7. TCCI will consider TPAC’s recommendation and take the action it deems appropriate. 

8. Once TCCI has recommended approval of a project (with or without conditions), TPAC & TCCI will jointly chart a path forward, including informing the Mat-Su borough of TCCI’s action, and assigning a community member(s) to represent TCCI as a liaison to coordinate with the Borough. 

9. As this Borough-Community partnership moves the project forward, TCCI and TPAC will work with the Borough to ensure that the community is properly noticed (this is a must from the get-go) and offered the opportunity to participate meaningfully in defining the specific details of the project and what the completed project will look like. 

10. If the community is funding all or part of the project (e.g., through grants it obtains) it may request to participate in the preparation of the Scope of Work for the RFP and in the selection of the contractor. TCCI/TPAC would participate in the selection of the contractor only in cases where the funding source is a grant with no requirement that it go through the Borough’s Purchasing Division.  

11. The liaison will stay in close contact with the Mat-Su borough and keep the TCCI and TPAC informed about the progress of the project and, upon completion of the project, the liaison will submit a written report to TPAC; 

12. The TPAC will evaluate the finished product and report to TCCI.

PROJECT APPLICATION/PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

 Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

 Applications are evaluated by TCCI/TPAC based on the following criteria

General

• Name and Contact info

• Organization if applicable

• EIN if applicable

• Project name

• Brief description (1-2 sentences) of proposed project

Detailed description

• Detailed description of the project

• Intended use

• Map and description of the project or facility location (including topographic challenges and affected waterbodies)

• Land ownership of lands underlying the proposed area / trail

• Easements present and to be acquired

• Permits required

• Material, equipment to be used

Community Support

• Demonstration of community support or other evidence of support

• Included in and conforms to a Park Management or Community Plan or other evidence of support.

• Partners, support from user group

• Leadership/champion of the project

Funding and timeline

• Estimate of cost of the project

• Anticipated timeline

• Estimate the amount of funding to complete the project

• Potential funding sources

• Volunteer and in-kind contributions

Management

• Capacity to manage the use

• Maintenance and sustainability of the facility or trail in the future

Community benefit

• Project’s benefit to the community, local and regional recreation, and visitors

• Contribution to local economy

Subcommittees / Projects

A & Main Access

The committee is investigating and resolving the issue of a safe riverfront access for pedestrians. (2017)

Currently, the footpath is studded with large rocks and often under water during times that the river is high. The footpath is a popular tourist walk to the river to view Denali and is also used by at least two groups that lead river walks. The concerns regarding safety rises from slippery conditions for pedestrians as well as mobility issues for some.

ComSat

Information about walking paths, trailheads, parking lots, and most other thing ComSat related can be found in Google Drive.

If you are looking for information on the ComSat Rock Quarry, please visit our ComSat Quarry Committee page.

Fish Lake Easement

Fish Lake info can be found in Google Drive.

The Fish Lake Recreation Area Access committee is a sub committee of TPAC. It works on the development of access to the Fish Lake Recreation Area.

For more info contact:

• Chris Love (Sub-committee chair) - chlove54@hotmail.com

• Iris (TPAC-chair) - iris.vandenham@gmail.com

MSB007251 PUBLIC NOTICE

The easement was realigned in 2017 and adopted by the MatSu Borough Assembly.

Lakes Park

Lakes Park info can be found in Google Drive.

Ridge Trails

Files can be found in Google Drive.

Trails Plan

The Talkeetna Community Council, Inc. (TCCI) and its subcommittee Talkeetna Park Advisory Committee (TPAC) have developed a Ridge Trail – Trail Development Plan (RT – TDP) .

The RT-TDP planning area consists of approximately 600 acres, located 2-3 miles north and east of Talkeetna.  

The RT-TDP project involves the upgrade of the existing Ridge Trail, reclassifying the MSB lands to Public Recreation, recommending secondary trails/loops that would better meet the needs of specific user groups that are currently not well served, as well as recommending trailheads, informational kiosks, and signage.

The project is funded by the MatSu Borough, the Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation and a lot of dedicated volunteers. 

The project is assigned to Agnew::Beck

Link: The Ridge Trail - Trail Development Plan. 

Reclassification

OR 17-111 reclassifies the borough owned land over which the Ridge Trail exist to "public recreation".

This excludes the existing Beaver gravel pit, which will keep the land classification: "public recreation recourse management reserve use". 

Implementation

The Borough has reallocated $313,500 for the Ridge Trail project from the 2016 Recreational Bond 

Phase A implementation - multi use trail development is rewarded to: Happy Trails, Inc
Ground work for the project starts in the spring of 2020.

Phase B - non-motorized trail upgrade:

Currently the subcommittee and borough are working on the RFP.

Ground work for this project starts in the fall 2020 or spring of 2021

Relevant Files