Anchorage

Anchorage School District considering new South High stadium proposal

A protracted, bitter fight over plans for a new stadium at South Anchorage High School is flaring up again, with the Anchorage School District reviving efforts to build a facility and neighbors who oppose such a project pledging to dig in.

In February, the state-funded stadium project failed to gain approval from the city planning commission. With two commissioners absent, the vote was 4-3, short of the five votes required for approval.

Seven months later, the school district is preparing to bring a new application forward, with additional design changes aimed at further addressing concerns about noise and buffers between the stadium and surrounding community. A public meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday evening at the high school to gather feedback on the revised plans.

ASD Chief Operating Officer Mike Abbott said the district is weighing several modifications to the original proposal, including a wood fence to separate the stadium from the neighborhood, and changing the position of the bleachers to reduce noise impacts. The school has already spent more than a year studying ways to reduce noise, light and parking impacts on the surrounding neighborhood.

Supporters and school district officials say pursuing the project is a matter of fairness. For the last 10 years, Anchorage high schools have been installing facilities designed to host most of the schools' athletic events on their campuses. The funds for the South High stadium project came after a group of parents and students lobbied the Legislature in 2012 for a $2.2 million legislative grant for lights, bleachers and speakers.

The principal of the school, Kersten Johnson, said she's taking a stand on behalf of parents and students who want to see the project happen.

"I don't really feel like I'm in a position to say no, sorry, we're not going to do that anymore even after you've put all this time and energy into it," Johnson said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Abbott said the school district also wanted to "make sure the full (Planning and Zoning Commission) had the opportunity to participate in the decision."

But the fact the proposal is still on the table infuriates residents of the neighboring subdivision, who say there is no way to compromise when it comes to noise issues associated with a stadium that would seat some 1,600 spectators.

Alex Slivka, president of the Turnagain View Estates Homeowners Association, characterized the proposal and parts of the process that led up to it as "illegal." He has maintained there is no way for the school to build the stadium and simultaneously protect neighbors from noise.

At a coffee meeting Friday, Slivka produced a resolution from the February planning commission meeting. According to the resolution, four of the Planning and Zoning commissioners found the school district had done enough to find ways to mitigate noise levels, while three of commissioners disagreed.

Slivka pointed to a section discussing testimony from the Department of Health and Human Services as a signal of neighborhood concerns about enforcement and follow-up.

"DHHS provided testimony in regards to prior noise complaints for the baseball games," the resolution reads. "Many noise complaints were not investigated nor acted upon and the Commission expressed doubts about adequate enforcement."

Slivka is among those who feel the school has doubled back on assurances when the school first opened the playing fields would only be used for practice. He also shares the belief the school never should have been built in its current location in the first place.

"This has been our struggle with the school district ever since the school was built," Slivka said.

In a follow-up interview, Abbott noted it's the activities inside sports facilities that violate noise ordinances, rather than the facilities themselves. The school district has offered to limit the number of events to fewer than 10 a year, and restrict the use only to the school district.

"If the activities at the stadium do end up violating the standards for noise at property lines, then we'll have to...either change the activity, or seek special permits, or both," Abbott said.

Slivka, meanwhile, hinted that a lawsuit would materialize if the stadium successfully moved forward. The homeowner association has spent more than $70,000 in legal fees battling the proposal.

While the opposition in the neighborhood is not universal, it does appear to be widespread: At each homeowner association meeting about the issue, Slivka said 75 percent or more of those present have opposed the stadium project, a tally backed by meeting minutes.

Christine Monette, president of the Huffman-O'Malley Community Council, said the issue has "kind of ripped our community council apart."

She called the school district's decision to restart the application process "really unfortunate."

"Because the rest of us are required to to follow rules, and the school district thinks the rules don't apply," Monette said. "That's my personal opinion."

Monette added the council does not plan to change its stance of opposing the project unless the district brings forward significant changes to the stadium plans.

Devin Kelly

Devin Kelly was an ADN staff reporter.

ADVERTISEMENT