With the stroke of his pen, Gov. Sean Parnell had the power to give and take on many projects. Some state projects fared well, others did not. One loser that impacted thousands of people was the cutting of $4 million to purchase the 17-acre Waldron Lake property from the Boys and Girls Club.
This land, which was entrusted to them years ago by the Waldron family for public recreation (it is zoned Public Lands and Institutional), has been used for decades by them as well as by myriad other groups (dog agility clubs, soccer clubs, the Anchorage Fire Department's water rescue response team, and nature lovers). Because of the veto, made on the governor's lack of knowledge of the facts and the tremendous support, this unique and beloved public-use area is in real danger of high-density development.
Neighbors and users of the property have participated in news stories, gathered petitions, sent emails and letters, and made phone calls to the governor in support of the state money to buy the land.
Sen. Johnny Ellis made it exceptionally clear in the appropriation request that the muni's purchase of the property would not cost anything for maintenance as the Boys and Girls Club was committed to maintaining it for the next 20 years. This was also unequivocally conveyed by the club to the governor, although his rationale for the veto was that the muni couldn't pay for its parks now, so it shouldn't be burdened with more. Why not this one? It was a gift, had a commitment of maintenance and Mayor Dan Sullivan's support. Why would the governor go against our mayor's approval and the staunch support of so many citizens?
Considering the urgency, the one-time opportunity, and the fact that it had far more support than many other Anchorage capital projects, it makes no sense. Too many people and groups spent countless hours making their wishes known about retaining this gem in the middle of a large urban area.
Those who submitted supportive comments even received personally addressed emails from Gov. Parnell's OMB Director, Karen Rehfeld. On June 4 she thanked me for my comments on Waldron Lake and "participation in the public process," and invited me to call or email her if I needed any other information. I was curious about the "process" and wrote her that day asking about it. She replied, "(that) I should see all the budget- related emails -- those addressed to the Governor and those addressed directly to [her]. As you can imagine, there are hundreds of emails. We are doing our best to keep up with it!"
After the veto, I sent Ms. Rehfeld an inquiry on June 30 about the support documents, and she replied on July 1, "We reviewed the backup on the Waldron Lake appropriation and received several emails and letters in support of the purchase. There was no report to the Governor on the issue." She then contended that the specifics of the deal were not present, which is incorrect as the appropriation language clearly stated the maintenance would be covered by the Boys and Girls Club and not by the muni for 20 years, contradicting the veto rationale the governor gave at his press conference.
As far as the public process that we all were thanked for using, another email from Rehfeld on July 1 states that a variety of people in the governor's administration make decisions on what he will see and what he won't and how what is written is "interpreted" for him. This does not sound like open, transparent government, or one that uses the public process.
Those who want to save Waldron Lake are not the wealthy, we're not lobbyists, obviously we're not influential, but we are passionate and believed that there was a public process where our wishes would at least be heard. We will never give up and respectfully ask that the governor realize the mistake he made.
Cherie Northon lives near the Waldron Lake property in Anchorage and frequently enjoys its spendor.
By CHERIE NORTHON