03/21/2012 09:00 AM House FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 115                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act designating a portion of Minnesota Drive in                                                                        
     Anchorage the Walter J. Hickel Expressway."                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:06:35 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CRAIG  JOHNSON presented the bill  renaming a                                                                    
portion of  Minnesota Drive and  a portion of  O'Malley Road                                                                    
in Anchorage  to the Walter  J. Hickel Expressway  after the                                                                    
former  governor. The  road starts  downtown and  leads past                                                                    
Walter  Hickel's home  and business.  Representative Johnson                                                                    
believed it  was time  to honor Walter  Hickel and  the road                                                                    
was   an  appropriate   measure.  The   governor  was   pro-                                                                    
development and the road honors him well.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
YASMINE HABASH, STAFF,  REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON presented the                                                                    
bill  that   concurrently  names  a  7.5   mile  portion  of                                                                    
Minnesota  Drive  and  O'Malley  Road in  Anchorage  to  the                                                                    
Walter  J. Hickel  Expressway. The  road  extends from  15th                                                                    
Avenue to the New Seward  Highway. No establishments will be                                                                    
required to  change their addresses. Governor  Hickel served                                                                    
as governor  twice and  as U. S.  Secretary of  the Interior                                                                    
under  President   Richard  Nixon  and  advocated   for  the                                                                    
development  of  the state  of  Alaska  and the  circumpolar                                                                    
arctic  region. He  successfully opened  Prudhoe Bay  to oil                                                                    
development  and  oversaw  the permitting  process  for  the                                                                    
Tran-Alaska  pipeline. He  was a  great advocate  for public                                                                    
roads and transportation.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stoltze  asked if  the  bill  was similar  to  the                                                                    
Eisenhower Corridor. Representative  Johnson agreed that was                                                                    
correct. The  reason for  the concurrent  names was  so that                                                                    
people and  businesses along the  road would not to  have to                                                                    
change their addresses.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze  asked if  it was  similar to  the Veterans                                                                    
Memorial  Highway.  Representative  Johnson  agreed  it  was                                                                    
similar  to many  things that  have been  co-named. Co-Chair                                                                    
Stoltze acknowledged  that it was  a better way  of handling                                                                    
the  situation   rather  than   forcing  people   to  change                                                                    
addresses.  Mr. Menefee  stated  that  originally a  shorter                                                                    
section was chosen  that did not impact  any businesses, but                                                                    
in terms  of honoring a  great Alaskan, it was  important to                                                                    
name the entire stretch.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Representative Costello  pointed out a touching  letter from                                                                    
Walter Hickel's wife (copy  on file). Representative Johnson                                                                    
added that the family supported the name change honor.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Thomas  asked  why   not  rename  the  Haul  Road.                                                                    
Representative  Johnson did  not  want to  compete with  the                                                                    
Dalton family as  the road is officially known  as the James                                                                    
W. Dalton  Highway. Co-Chair Stoltze  noted that  the Dalton                                                                    
Highway  was  named  after James  Dalton  of  Fairbanks  who                                                                    
played a significant part in building the highway.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Representative Johnson  interjected that the  Anchorage road                                                                    
runs by Walter Hickel's business and home.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
KIRK  WICKERSHAM,  SELF,   ANCHORAGE  (via  teleconference),                                                                    
supported the  bill and  hopes it will  pass out.  He always                                                                    
thought of  Minnesota as a  temporary name for the  road and                                                                    
believed it  was appropriate to  name the road  after Walter                                                                    
Hickel.  The  former governor  is  missed  and held  in  the                                                                    
hearts of many Alaskans.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze CLOSED public testimony.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze  noted in the  fiscal note the  building of                                                                    
signs for  the highway. He asked  if the signs would  be the                                                                    
brown signs. Representative Johnson  replied he would not be                                                                    
part of  the sign  design, but had  asked the  department to                                                                    
design something appropriate for the governor.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:16:33 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Guttenberg indicated  his great  respect for                                                                    
the former governor.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair   Thomas   remarked    that   the   Department   of                                                                    
Transportation  and  Public   Facilities  should  design  an                                                                    
appropriate sign for a governor.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Doogan   noted  his  many   encounters  with                                                                    
Governor  Hickel. He  believed Hickel  to be  a man  of firm                                                                    
principles who  never backed  down when  he believed  he was                                                                    
right. He  agreed that  the former governor  was one  of the                                                                    
most important Alaska  politicians in last half  of the 20th                                                                    
century.  He  supported  the bill.  He  hoped  people,  when                                                                    
seeing  the name  on the  highway would  research and  learn                                                                    
more about the former governor.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze  noted the  former governor's  deep imprint                                                                    
on Alaska.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Representative Edgmon  supported the bill. He  remarked that                                                                    
Walter  Hickel  was one  of  the  great visionaries  of  the                                                                    
state.  Originally  many  rural leaders  were  worried,  but                                                                    
later  learned to  appreciate the  former governor's  vision                                                                    
and impact. He would like the record to reflect his legacy.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Representative   Joule   acknowledged   that  he   did   not                                                                    
originally  appreciate the  former  governor's visions,  but                                                                    
later  realized  he had  many  great  ideas. He  would  like                                                                    
Alaska  to  be more  forward  looking  today. There  was  no                                                                    
question he was a great man.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:21:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Gara  agreed with Representative  Joule, that                                                                    
as  a  democrat  he  originally did  not  share  the  former                                                                    
governor's vision. He was surprised  by what Governor Hickel                                                                    
did as  a governor in standing  up for Alaska. He  proved to                                                                    
be an independently minded person.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze did not believe  any other governor has had                                                                    
as great an impact as Governor Hickel.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Vice-chair Fairclough  commented on the fiscal  note for the                                                                    
roadway   identification   signs.   There  was   a   onetime                                                                    
allocation of $30,000 for signs.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Vice-chair Fairclough  MOVED to report CSHB  115(TRA) out of                                                                    
committee   with   individual    recommendations   and   the                                                                    
accompanying fiscal  note. There being NO  OBJECTION, it was                                                                    
so ordered.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CSHB  115(TRA) was  REPORTED  out of  committee  with a  "do                                                                    
pass" recommendation  and with  new fiscal impact  note from                                                                    
the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:24:33 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:29:15 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED