Welcome
West Anchorage Snow Disposal Project Online Open House
Navigating this site
You may begin navigating through this Online Open House by using your keyboard arrows to scroll up and down, your mouse to scroll up or down, or the gray dotted bar located on the right side of your screen, which allows you to jump from station to station. To begin, please scroll down.
Welcome!
This open house features information to educate you about the West Anchorage Snow Disposal Project and to solicit your feedback on site selection criteria.
We encourage you to gather your comments as you navigate through this Online Open House and send them to our team via email or mail. You may also scroll to the bottom of this page to leave us a comment. You may also click on the poster to enlarge it.
The Online Open House comment period is now closed.
Reference Documents
Throughout this Online Open House, we reference various documents. You may download and view those documents at your convenience. Adobe Acrobat reader is required to view these documents.
Meeting Handouts:
PURPOSE & NEED
The project’s purpose is to identify and select a future location for the disposal of snow in West Anchorage.
The existing location is leased from the State of Alaska and is located on land owned by the Anchorage International Airport. The Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) would like to own the snow disposal site for long-term use and operational needs. The current site is on a year-to-year lease contract.
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE SITE
CURRENT LOCATION
The current West Anchorage Snow Disposal site is on the corner of Minnesota Drive and West International Airport Road and is located on State of Alaska land owned by the Anchorage International Airport.
LOCATION SELECTION CRITERIA
The project team is conducting a site selection study to identify potential locations for the future snow disposal site. As part of the site selection study, you are invited to provide comments and feedback on potential sites.
Potential locations will need to meet certain site selection criteria. A partial list has been developed:
- A size of 14 acres or more of vacant land
- Centrally located to the current West Anchorage snow removal operations area to minimize haul times
- Allowance for operations to occur 24 hours per day, 7 days per week
- Ability for loud commercial vehicles and bright lighting to be on-site and in the vicinity
- As few residents as possible are impacted, or not close to the public and local residents
- Economically viable development and operation costs
- Access from a collector roadway or higher-classification roadway
- Able to be permitted for intended use (zoned appropriately)
We would like your assistance with determining the criteria for screening potential locations. Please submit comments with suggested additions or changes to the list above.
It is important to note that municipal and federal permitting and approvals will be required once the final site is selected.
POTENTIAL SITES FOR CONSIDERATION
During the information-gathering phase for the site selection study, the team identified two potential sites to be considered: Connor’s Bog and Strawberry Bog. The following sections of this Online Open House give you a detailed look at both sites.
Each potential site has advantages and disadvantages.
Potential Site #1 Connor’s Bog
Connor’s Bog is located near the current site near Minnesota Drive and West International Airport Road.
Advantages:
- No changes in current snow removal truck traffic flow due to the proximity to the existing snow disposal site and established access through the nearby Kloep Maintenance Facility.
- Part of the project’s budget will be allocated towards improving access to the existing utilized parkland.
- Acquisition costs are not an issue because Connor’s Bog is on MOA-owned land.
- This location is park space with very limited to no utilization.
- Able to handle the area’s heaviest snow years.
Disadvantages:
- A small amount of wetlands will be depleted.
- The snow pile could have a negative aesthetic impact during the spring melting season. This could be partially mitigated with trees and berms
Potential Site #2 Strawberry Bog
Advantages:
- Not near any utilized parkland.
- Aesthetic impacts could be minimized by hiding the majority of the snow pile from view.
- Able to handle the area’s heaviest snow years.
- Acquisition costs are not an issue because Strawberry Bog is on City-owned land.
Disadvantages:
- Hauling operations to access site will have an increase in traffic congestion and truck volume on Northwood Street.
- A small amount of wetlands will be depleted.
WHAT’S OUR TIMELINE? WHAT’S NEXT?
PROJECT SCHEDULE & TIMELINE
This is the project’s projected schedule and timeline. The timeline currently shown is subject to change and dependent on funding and approval by the Anchorage Assembly.
The project is in the site investigation and selection phase. The project team has evaluated criteria for potential sites to be considered and is working on a site selection study.
This is the first public meeting and open house on the project. As the project progresses, additional opportunities to learn more and provide input will be available to the public. You can sign up for the project distribution list to stay up to date on project progress.
Next Steps
After the Online Open House period ends on April 24, 2020, the project team will integrate feedback, ideas, and information from the public into the screening criteria.
The screening criteria will be used to help determine sites to be considered.
The public will be invited to comment and provided feedback on the proposed locations.
Once the project team works with agencies and the public to determine the proposed site for consideration, a final location will be recommended.
We will then need to receive permitting and state/federal approval.
The construction will begin only after funding and all necessary approvals are obtained.
We Want to Hear From You!
Thank you for taking the time to visit this Online Open House to be introduced to the West Anchorage Snow Disposal Project.
All public comments received will be considered by the project team and included as part of the site selection criteria.
There are several ways to leave a comment:
Download a PDF version of the Comment Form below and send your comments to us via email or US mail.
Mail:
West Anchorage Snow Disposal Project
c/o HDR, Inc.
2525 C Street, Suite 500
Anchorage, AK 99503
Email:
Email the project team: [email protected]
For more information regarding this project, visit “Welcome” at the top of this page. You may also sign up for our project email list (below) to have project updates sent right to your inbox.
