AS SEEN IN THE MAT-SU VALLEY FRONTIERSMAN
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Resolution needed in railroad flap
The Alaska Railroad Corporation and Princess Tours made a good start
Saturday. They sent representatives to Talkeetna to meet with neighbors
concerned about the future uses of 300 acres of prime riverfront property
and the traffic those uses will generate.
That was only a start. Now there must be meaningful action.
Neighbors of the siding at the end of East Woodpecker Road were, until
recently, in the dark about plans to offload tourists there, only finding out
about it when a businesswoman and some reporters called the railroad to
ask about rumors of construction at the siding.
It's a good thing the story broke when it did. Residents would have been
downright shocked otherwise when a huge swath of woodland at the end of
East Woodpecker turned into matchsticks last week under heavy
machinery working to extend the road and accommodate tour buses.
The decision to put down some recycled asphalt pads then turn the old rail
yard into a stop isn't a random choice. There are big railroad scheduling
problems leading to congestion due to a special tourist train to and from
Whittier.
Residents need to know whether this is a first step to a heavier use of that
land, up to and including what some fear the most - development of a new
lodge.
Whatever happens, the neighbors and the borough's budget should not
bear the brunt of a new rail siding that will cause tour buses to rumble
eight to 10 at a time down a dirt road that serves as access to a rural
subdivision off the Talkeetna Spur.
The level of use projected will have a cumulative effect of degrading this
road. If this road is going to be used year after year for this purpose,
neighbors should get a say in how it will be maintained, treated or
resurfaced.
Solutions that cost money will be the immediate answer, like at least
$5,000 within the next month to cover the first of three needed
applications of a dust control agent. That option isn't even popular with
some, who would have to keep foot and animal traffic to a minimum for
two weeks to let the roadbed cure.
A disturbing aspect of this issue is the secrecy. Those who called the
railroad for details about rumored construction at the end of the road
found that the project was already moving ahead. Only then did the word
officially get out that the decision to load buses there had been made.
Pat Gamble, president and CEO of the railroad, will attend the joint
Talkeetna Town Council and Chamber of Commerce meeting May 7 at 6
p.m. to meet with the community. The timing couldn't be better.
A community that already has had one informal meeting just to get ready
for the May 7 meeting will likely come out in force to Talkeetna
Elementary School to seek concrete answers to either confirm or alleviate
fears. They've set aside an hour for that talk. We hope the railroad brings
some of those answers to Talkeetna, or it'll be a long hour, indeed.