From the Desk of Mayor Dan Sullivan: City Parks

June / 2011

Greetings!

It's almost one of many Alaskans' favorite holiday weekends, and there's been a lot going on in Anchorage in the weeks leading up to it. Our city recently played host to scores of international ambassadors to the U.S., who visited Anchorage as part of a familiarization trip. In addition, a delegation from our Sister City of Incheon, Korea, spent several days here meeting with business and city leaders and exchanging ideas about culture and education. Our commitment to clearing out the illegal campsites in public parks continues, and a meeting with Port of Anchorage users produced a clear path forward for the critical expansion project. Have a happy and safe 4th of July. As always, send your thoughts to me at mayor@muni.org or follow me on facebook or twitter.

Illegal Campsite clean-up continues in an effort to make public parks safer, cleaner

It's been headline news for a few weeks, but the clean-up of illegal campsites continues in our effort to make public places cleaner and safer for all citizens. As the sweeps continue APD is working hard to try and connect illegal campers with service providers in the community, the Homeless Action and Response Team (HART) team accompanies the police and helps assess what needs the campers may have: do they need a job? Do they need substance abuse treatment? Do they need shelter? Social service providers then attempt to find them the appropriate services. Read more...

Mayor Sullivan and staff and supporters of Loussac Library's new Teen Underground opened the facility on June 10.

Neighborhood Park Fix-its provide citizens with opportunity to improve local parks

In just three years the Parks & Recreation Department, the Anchorage Park Foundation and volunteers have completed Fix-it projects in more than 20 neighborhood parks, successfully leveraging $2 million in public and private resources.

Three more opportunities are available to participate this summer:

July 9 - Little Dipper Park
July 16 - Sand Lake Park
July 23 - William B Lyons Park

Incheon, Korea Deputy Mayor Dong-keun Shin, local musician Hobo Jim and Mayor Sullivan commemorate the 25th anniversary of Anchorage and Incheon's Sister Cities relationship.

Port users meeting provides additional direction for expansion plans

Earlier this month, I invited major stakeholders and participants in the Port of Anchorage Intermodal Expansion Project to a meeting focused on identifying project priorities and stakeholder requirements in the future. Meeting participants included representatives from the Governor's Office; Department of Defense; Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities; the U.S. Transportation Maritime Administration; and the shipping companies Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE) and Horizon Lines. Read more...

Mayor Sullivan and Katherine Gottlieb, President and CEO of the Southcentral Foundation, pose with runners before the start of the organization's annual fun run.

Legal Fireworks displays available for public during holiday weekend

Citizens who would like to attend a legal fireworks display have several options:

The Eagle River Lions Club will sponsor an Independence Day Celebration beginning at 6:30 pm and concluding with a fireworks display at midnight. Location: Lions Club Park in Eagle River, Mile 1.5 Eagle River Road.

The Anchorage Bucs will sponsor a fireworks display at midnight on July 4 after their double header game. Location: Mulcahy stadium, 230 E. 16th Ave. (next to Sullivan Arena).　

Anchorage played host to foreign ambassadors from across the globe

Ambassadors from countries around the world recently launched a whirlwind tour of Alaska right here in Anchorage. The ambassadors, who hailed from countries as far away as Ireland and the Ukraine, and even some African countries, visited Alaska as part of the "Experience America" program, where foreign ambassadors to the U.S. visit different parts of the country in an effort to obtain a better understanding of the country outside of Washington, D.C. Read more....

Title 21 revisions coming soon; public has several more opportunities to comment

For eight years now, revisions to the Municipality's land use code, usually referred to as Title 21, have been painstakingly crafted, discussed and debated. We are very close to finishing the revision process, but several key actions must take place before the document is finalized.