Opinions

Neighbor Power makes a park in Muldoon

Nothing says community building like the new Chanshtnu Muldoon Park. Ten years in the making, Chanshtnu Muldoon Park, located at the corner of DeBarr and Muldoon, is a case study in successful community advocacy – at Anchorage Park Foundation we call this "Neighbor Power!" By the time we step out onto the brand new ice skating ribbon and raise cups of hot cocoa in cheers, we will celebrate not just a gorgeous new neighborhood park, but the fact that hard work and dedication can result in building the park of your dreams.

With a name like Chanshtnu Muldoon Park, you can imagine this space has a deep history in Anchorage, and indeed it does. Chester Creek runs through it – did you know historians say there never was a "Chester"? That word appears to be a mispronunciation of the Dena'ina word "Chanshtnu," which means "grass creek." The naming committee combined this indigenous place name with the contemporary neighborhood name to coin a new place name: Chanshtnu Muldoon.

[Anchorage gets federal grant to develop Muldoon park]

But a new name is just the tip of the iceberg in the park planning process. Getting the park of your dreams is hard work; just ask a Muldoon neighbor about the ten-year process spanning four mayoral administrations simply to secure the land parcel as a park. Neighbors advocated for the need for community green space in Muldoon, and secured the parcel for Chanshtnu the week Mayor Ethan Berkowitz took office. Neighbors lobbied the state Legislature for a capital budget grant, which was secured years ago by Sen. Bill Wielechowski. Neighbors worked with park planners on a master plan for the space. Neighbors went door to door with flyers — and put up rogue signs — reminding each other that their own park was on the 2016 parks bonds, and the bonds passed!

And then they kept going. Neighbors hosted a fundraiser with the Anchorage Park Foundation to build the inclusive playground of their dreams — a playground designed for children of all abilities, with a big net climber that resembles the municipal greenhouse that for many years stood on the land.

The fundraiser itself was a neighbor-powered event, from the businesses who contributed and served food and drink, to the venue of Muldoon's beloved Alaska Native Heritage Center, to the silent auction items contributed by neighbors and purchased by other neighbors. I am proud to hail from Anchorage, where a community council can claim their space and work with public process, private business owners, and neighbors until they almost can't see straight, and then work some more. Neighbor Power: this is how we do it.

And now in a few months, I'll be driving across town to the Muldoon Farmers Market. I'll be buying their honey and listening to their music and tasting their shrimp tacos. And one day soon I'll eat the apples they grow in the orchard they will plant next summer. I bet people will get married there, and it will certainly be a great space and picnic shelter for class and family reunions. Do you think we could even catch a fish there one day?

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You see where this is going. When people come together in parks, pretty soon we are building community. Building community through parks and trails is why we created Anchorage Park Foundation. The next time you see a neighbor you know is working hard for you, thank them. And when you see a Rasmuson Foundation Board or staff member, thank them for helping to build community ownership in neighborhoods all over town, thank them for helping neighbors make things happen. And when you see me, tell me your park dreams … we may be able to harness some Neighbor Power in your neighborhood!

Beth Nordlund is executive director of the Anchorage Park Foundation. 

The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com. 

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