|
Welcome to Anchorage Update
Greetings!
Welcome to the latest newsletter from the mayor's office. With the
warm weather comes good news about flowers and clean streets, and announcements
about how the Muni is using technology to improve customer service. As always,
send feedback to mayor@muni.org.
|
|
City Creates Flower
Endowment Fund
Tourists rave about them. The mayor calls them a community
treasure. Now downtown businesses, the municipality and gardening enthusiasts
are teaming up to keep the city's flower beds and hanging baskets flourishing
for years to come. The newly created City of Flowers endowment fund and first Festival of
Flowers aim to involve the private sector in funding the city's beautification
projects.
The Festival of Flowers, scheduled for Saturday, June 5, from 12 to 6 p.m. in
Town Square Park, will feature several highlights, including art and flower
auctions of several of the city's signature marigold and lobelia baskets that
hang on Fourth Avenue, live music, garden education seminars, Town Square
flower tours led by horticulturists, children's planting instruction,
educational booths, and a raffle for a one-of-a-kind potting shed painted by
renowned local artist Romney Dodd.
The event is the kick-off fundraiser for the endowment fund that also will
benefit from private donations, flower sales and other activities.
"This is great news for citizens who enjoy the city's famously beautiful
flower displays every summer," said Mayor Sullivan. "I'm particularly
pleased that we are able to partner with private groups and organizations to
maintain this service despite challenging budget times."
The Festival of Flowers is supported by Anchorage Downtown Partnership, Ltd.
and the Anchorage Parks Foundation, both of which have donated staff time and
funding.
|
Anchorage streets
swept ahead of schedule
You're
not imagining things if you think the streets seem clear of dust and gravel a
little sooner this year. Mayor Dan Sullivan recently announced that because of
improved coordination and newer, better maintained equipment, municipal streets
have been swept faster than in years past. State environmental laws dictate that Anchorage's streets be swept three
times every summer: the first sweep must be complete by June 1, the second by
Aug. 1, and the third by Oct. 1. The first sweep was completed two weeks ahead
of schedule.
"Our
Street Maintenance employees deserve a lot of credit for working hard to remove
the gravel from our streets this spring," said Mayor Dan Sullivan. "We're doing
things better by being more efficient, and this proves it. My goal is to see
more of these successes as we streamline city services."
Dan
Southard, superintendent for the city's Street Maintenance & Operations
division, says several factors led to the quick clean up. "We refined our program
this year to make sure we had no wasted motion when sweeping our streets," said
Southard. "The Fleet Maintenance division worked to make sure our equipment was
up and running, and we worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week to get the job
done. The fact that we ended up two weeks ahead of schedule is great news for
drivers, cyclists and pedestrians."
Because
state roads are maintained by the Alaska State Dept. of Transportation and
other streets are serviced by private contractors, residents may still notice
some gravel on certain roads. All roads under municipal jurisdiction, however,
are clear. Information about which jurisdiction roads fall under can be found
online on Street Maintenance's website: www.muni.org/departments/operations/streets/.
Click on "Maps" for a list of map links.
|
Roads, Trails Closed
for Construction: Please Observe Signs and Detours
Road
construction crews recently have been hampered in their work by pedestrians and
bicyclists entering closed areas. City officials would like to remind
citizens that construction signage applies to pedestrians and bicyclists as
well as motor vehicles. Entering these areas can be dangerous, is
illegal, and diverts workers' efforts to complete their projects and jeopardizing
their safety.
Of note is the new bypass known as Martin
Luther King Blvd., that will connect Elmore Road (at
48th) and Boniface Parkway.
Workers report that walkers and cyclists are using the uncompleted roadway and
the Tour of Anchorage Trail that passes under the roadway that is closed for
the duration of construction. Several cyclists have reportedly ignored
flaggers and put themselves in considerable danger. Several individuals also
recently were observed and cited for moving construction signs in the parking
area of the ball fields just south of Animal Care and Control. It is a
citable violation to move street signs without authority to do so.
The other trail that is experiencing intermittent closure is the footbridge
over Northern Lights Blvd.
near Goose Lake. It is closed during daytime
work hours because of construction and heavy equipment in that area. Trail
users are encouraged to cross Northern Lights only at the nearby crosswalks and
to observe the crossing signals.
|
Bus passes, dog
licenses now available for purchase online
In an ongoing effort to modernize its
customer service functions, municipal dog licenses are available at muni.org/animal by clicking on the
"Licensing Your Dog" link. Current rabies vaccination certificates,
spay/neuter certificates (if applicable), and a credit card are necessary to
make the purchase.
Animal Control officials hope the easier
online process will encourage more people to license their dogs. Licensing can
help in the return of runaway or lost animals.
"The more dogs that are licensed, the
more dogs that are going to be returned to their families," said Brooke
Taylor, public coordinator for Animal Care and Control.
Bus passes are also available on the
municipal website at muni.org/transportation.
"We want to make riding the bus easy," says Jody Karcz, public
transportation director. The new process "will allow people to buy passes
when it's convenient for them, in their own homes."
|
Be Bear Aware: City
website a resource for staying safe in Anchorage
The
Municipality Of Anchorage has revamped its website detailing bear sightings and
trail closures in the Anchorage area. The site, http://bears.muni.org,
allows citizens to submit online bear sighting reports, view bear activity maps
and offers information about being safe in bear country.
Information on trail closures also will be
posted on the site, although none is currently planned.
|
Internships available
at City Hall
A
limited number of unpaid internships are available in the mayor's office this
summer. For more information, email mayor@muni.org.
|
Live @ The Library
summer concert series kicks off June 1
This
summer, come out and enjoy the sunshine and great music on the Loussac lawn. A
different concert will be held every Tuesday at noon starting June 1. Types of
music represented at the weekly concerts include jazzgrass, big band, opera,
Japanese drumming and more. For more information, visit the Library's facebook
page at http://www.facebook.com/anchoragelibrary.
|
|
|
|
|
Mayor's Calendar
- June 3
Nine
Star graduation
- June 5
Festival
of Flowers
Town
Square Park
- June 8
Regular
Assembly meeting
- June 12
National
Get Outdoors Day Celebration
|
|
