Legislature(2003 - 2004)
02/27/2003 01:32 PM House TRA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE TRANSPORTATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 27, 2003
1:32 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Jim Holm, Co-Chair
Representative Beverly Masek, Co-Chair
Representative Hugh Fate
Representative Cheryll Heinze
Representative Vic Kohring
Representative Albert Kookesh
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Mary Kapsner
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING
Commissioner, Department of Transportation & Public Facilities
Mike Barton - Juneau
CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
PREVIOUS ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
MIKE BARTON, Commissioner
Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointed commissioner of the
Department of Transportation & Public Facilities.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 03-5, SIDE A
Number 0001
CO-CHAIR BEVERLY MASEK called the House Transportation Standing
Committee meeting to order at 1:32 p.m. Representatives Masek,
Holm, Kohring, and Heinze were present at the call to order.
Representatives Fate and Kookesh arrived as the meeting was in
progress.
CONFIRMATION HEARING
Commissioner, Department of Transportation & Public Facilities
CO-CHAIR MASEK announced that the committee would consider the
confirmation of the appointment of Mike Barton as commissioner
of the Department of Transportation & Public Facilities.
Number 0092
MIKE BARTON, Commissioner, Department of Transportation & Public
Facilities (DOT&PF), told the committee that he grew up in
Illinois, went to school at the University of Michigan, served
in the United States Army, worked for the U.S. Forest Service in
northern Minnesota as well as in other parts of the country, and
was working at national headquarters when he was asked if he was
interested in relocating to Alaska. He said that it took him
"about 10 seconds" to reply, because of his interest in Alaska.
He relocated to Douglas Island in 1979, and there are now three
generations of Alaskans in his family. His work as a regional
forester included road building programs, and aircraft and boat
operations. He served as commissioner of [DOT&PF] under then-
Governor Hickel, and since that time has chaired the Juneau
Airport Board.
Number 0232
CO-CHAIR MASEK asked why he changed from working in forestry to
working in transportation.
COMMISSIONER BARTON replied that he had responded to Governor
Hickel's request, and also told committee members that the
correlation was that forestry work involved a road construction
program, since roads in Southeast Alaska were constructed under
the auspices of the U.S. Forest Service.
Number 0280
REPRESENTATIVE HEINZE asked how he felt about the closing of the
[Division] of Agriculture under the Division of Natural
Resources (DNR).
COMMISSIONER BARTON responded that, quite honestly, he wasn't
aware of that situation and didn't have an opinion, as long as
it wasn't going to be placed in [DOT&PF].
CO-CHAIR MASEK referenced the Alaska Division of Legislative
Audit report to which Representative Heinze was referring,
wherein it is recommended that the state delineate the position
of Director of Agriculture. Co-Chair Masek also mentioned that
at this point, there is uncertainty as to how the administration
will proceed with that recommendation.
REPRESENTATIVE HEINZE said that she hoped that with Commissioner
Barton's background, he would provide some input regarding the
reorganization of the [Division] of Agriculture.
Number 0406
REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING asked what Commissioner Barton would like
to accomplish during the next few years.
Number 0420
COMMISSIONER BARTON mentioned that he would like to see more
construction of new roads rather than the reconstruction of old
roads; the implementation of the fast-ferry concept; and a
reduced reliance on the general fund for departmental activities
- the fast ferries being one way to accomplish that within the
marine highway system. Regarding aviation, he'd like to see the
[Ted Stevens] Anchorage International Airport terminal finished,
and would like to continue the program of lengthening runways
and obtaining additional lighting for rural airports.
REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING asked if Commissioner Barton was in
support of the Knik Arm Crossing project, and whether he
considered it to be realistic.
COMMISSIONER BARTON responded that he certainly was supportive
of the project and considered it to be a good investment in
Alaska's future, but noted that it was an expensive project, and
that its reality hinged upon finances.
REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING commended DOT&PF for jobs that have
successfully accommodated growth within the state.
COMMISSIONER BARTON acknowledged that accommodating the rapid
growth of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley ("Mat-Su") is a challenge
that will need to be addressed.
CO-CHAIR MASEK asked what Commissioner Barton's position was on
maintenance and operations, specifically pertaining to the
winter months; she referenced operators who were removed from
last year's payroll at the Willow Station.
COMMISSIONER BARTON responded that winter maintenance is
fundamental for Alaskans, that he hoped that Governor Murkowski
would continue to support winter maintenance, and that he was
not expecting to be faced with choices [such as the previous
occurrence at the Willow Station].
CO-CHAIR MASEK inquired about plans for the "Old Willow
Maintenance Station."
COMMISSIONER BARTON confirmed that the current solution was
temporary, that the station was on the list as a construction
project, and that federal assistance had been requested.
CO-CHAIR MASEK referred to the management of the Willow Airport
and asked if the airport could be kept open throughout the year.
COMMISSIONER BARTON said he was unfamiliar with the situation,
and would look further into it.
Number 0728
CO-CHAIR HOLM asked what the commissioner's thoughts were
regarding regional funding rather than use of the Statewide
Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) process. He also
asked for input on the difference between center-line-mile
adjustments and appropriations versus population appropriations.
COMMISSIONER BARTON responded that he intends to evaluate the
merits of the STIP process. He said he doesn't know of anyone
who is truly happy with that process, although it is a federal
requirement for federal highway monies. He said that during the
summer, the department will look at how the implementation of
the STIP process might be improved upon.
CO-CHAIR HOLM agreed that the process could be improved upon,
pointing out that one problem is that many different projects
have been started and then, when monies are redirected, the
process begins all over again. This is not cost-efficient and
it is also very hard on the public - telling the public "no"
would be handled easier than being given a carrot, he added. He
referred to the Fairbanks Metropolitan Area Transportation Study
(FMATS) program and the Metropolitan Planning Organization
(MPO), and asked how funding would be handled.
Number 0905
COMMISSIONER BARTON said he looked forward to the implementation
of the FMATS program because local people will have more control
over the program. He mentioned that one of his staff, Jeff
Ottesen, Statewide Planning Chief, was recently in Fairbanks to
iron out issues pertaining to FMATS, and that the program would
be implemented by May 1. He said the basic answer to the
question is that operation will be very similar to the Anchorage
Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS). He said DOT&PF
has one seat on the board in Anchorage, and will have one seat
on the board in Fairbanks, and local people will have more of a
voice in the decision-making process.
CO-CHAIR HOLM commented that with the numbers being down from 36
percent to 6 percent in [President Bush's] budget, it "will be
interesting to see how this plays out" regarding MPO funding; he
asked if Commissioner Barton had "seen anything pertaining to
this in the omnibus bill."
COMMISSIONER BARTON responded that he had not seen anything that
would lead him to be alarmed.
CO-CHAIR HOLM asked, in light of the tremendous overruns at the
[Ted Stevens] Anchorage International Airport, how future
projects would be proposed and implemented.
COMMISSIONER BARTON acknowledged that the overrun at the airport
had been caused by the security requirements resulting from
[the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001] and from
additional work needed to upgrade the seismic aspects of the
airport's design. He said that sometime during the next two to
three weeks there would be further discussion between the
department and the legislature to address the airport overrun.
Number 1133
REPRESENTATIVE HEINZE asked the commissioner about building the
road to Donlin Creek. She also asked why the roadwork done this
past year near Talkeetna resulted in a road that was three lanes
rather than four lanes.
COMMISSIONER BARTON responded that he didn't know why
construction resulted in three lanes rather than four lanes.
Regarding the road to Donlin Creek, he said that $4 billion was
in the general obligation (GO) bond package for Donlin Creek.
He said their best estimate of the cost of the entire road is
about $20 million, so they are working with Alaska Industrial
Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) to determine how to
best utilize that $4 million to build the road, and to possibly
use it to leverage more money. He said that there are so many
suggestions for roads of this type that creative means are
needed to address the challenge for funding.
Number 1270
REPRESENTATIVE HEINZE asked how the road to Donlin Creek might
rank if it were included on a list of 20 projects.
COMMISSIONER BARTON, in response to Co-Chair Masek's request to
locate the Donlin Creek Road, described the location to the
committee. He said it was east-northeast of Bethel, near
Crooked Creek, and referring to a map being circulated among
committee members, noted that it was "number 8 on that map." He
confirmed that the road goes from the Kuskokwim River to the
Crooked Creek area.
CO-CHAIR MASEK said this was the area where Calista
[Corporation] was working, and that more involvement with gold
mining would ensue.
COMMISSIONER BARTON made a reference to Placer Dome, Inc.
REPRESENTATIVE HEINZE reiterated that this would open up the
mining area.
COMMISSIONER BARTON responded to an earlier question, saying
that one consideration in the prioritization of a project is how
quickly a project needs to be built.
CO-CHAIR MASEK ascertained that there were no further questions,
and thanked Commissioner Barton for his views on transportation
issues facing Alaska.
COMMISSIONER BARTON commented that there was a need to "strike
while the iron's hot" regarding the multitude of opportunities
in the state.
REPRESENTATIVE FATE then inquired as to how much new
construction was involved with the road to Donlin Creek.
COMMISSIONER BARTON replied that the total distance was about 12
miles.
Number 1440
CO-CHAIR MASEK said that the confirmation hearing on
Commissioner Barton was finished, that the confirmation report
would be signed by members, and that the name would then be
presented to the full House and Senate for a [vote].
[Although no motion was made to advance the confirmation, the
confirmation of Commissioner Mike Barton was treated as advanced
from the House Transportation Standing Committee.]
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Transportation Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 1:57
p.m.
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