03/11/2003 02:13 PM House TRA

HB 147-WILLIAM RANSOM WOOD CENTENNIAL BRIDGE                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR MASEK announced that the first order of business would                                                                 
be HOUSE BILL NO. 147, "An Act naming the William Ransom Wood                                                                   
Centennial Bridge in Fairbanks."                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Number 0104                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HOLM, the sponsor of HB 147, provided the following                                                                    
information:                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     House Bill  147 will  name the bridge  in honor  of Dr.                                                                    
     William Ransom Wood.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     In  1973, Dr.  Wood  retired as  the  president of  the                                                                    
     University of  Alaska after 13  years of service.   One                                                                    
     of two  University of Alaska presidents  who decided to                                                                    
     stay  in [the]  state,  Dr. Wood  opened  an office  in                                                                    
     Fairbanks  where   international,  state,   local,  and                                                                    
     academic  ideas   and  plans   were  given   birth  and                                                                    
     manifested as parks,  plazas, hospitals, and industrial                                                                    
     and agricultural growth.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     It is important to remember  that Dr. Wood was not only                                                                    
     an educator,  but also a  poet, a thinker,  an advocate                                                                    
     for   economic  development,   and   an  advocate   for                                                                    
     individual responsibility  and self-reliance.   He also                                                                    
     understood    the   requisite    relationship   between                                                                    
     successful,  self-reliant  individuals  and  a  robust,                                                                    
     prosperous community.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Dr. Wood  inspired thousands of individuals  around the                                                                    
     world through  his deeds and dedication  for this place                                                                    
     that  we  call  home.    He also  leaves  a  legacy  of                                                                    
     Alaskans   and  "Fairbanksans"   who  consider   him  a                                                                    
     regional and a  local hero - this from a  man who asked                                                                    
     no more from  life than to leave his  community and the                                                                    
     state a  little better than  he had  found it.   And at                                                                    
     that he succeeded.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Number 0233                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     As  the executive  director of  Festival Fairbanks,  he                                                                    
     desired  to  commemorate  the centennial  of  Fairbanks                                                                    
     with a pedestrian bridge crossing  the Chena River.  By                                                                    
     naming that  bridge the William Ransom  Wood Centennial                                                                    
     Bridge,  we will  hopefully inspire  future generations                                                                    
     of Alaskans to  ponder and aspire to  Dr. Wood's simple                                                                    
     yet  magnificent legacy,  to ask  nothing more  of life                                                                    
     than  to  leave our  state,  our  home, just  a  little                                                                    
     better than we found it.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Number 0263                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR MASEK  referred to the  committee packet and  noted that                                                               
it included  the following:   a series of resolutions  in support                                                               
of  HB  147,  a  letter  of endorsement  from  U.S.  Senator  Ted                                                               
Stevens,  a picture  of the  proposed bridge,  and a  map of  the                                                               
bridge's location in Fairbanks.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR   HOLM  testified   that  the   bridge  is   well  under                                                               
construction and is  expected to be finished this year.   He said                                                               
the  bridge goes  from  Griffin  Park to  the  Doyon Building,  a                                                               
Native  corporation building  located  at the  north  end of  the                                                               
park.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HEINZE  asked if  there was  currently a  name for                                                               
the bridge.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  MASEK  indicated  that  the bridge  was  not  currently                                                               
identified by name, but was identified as bridge number 1995.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Number 0401                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  HOLM moved  to  report  HB 147  out  of committee  with                                                               
individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  zero  fiscal                                                               
note.   There being no  objection, HB  147 was reported  from the                                                               
House Transportation Standing Committee.