02/06/2020 01:30 PM House TRANSPORTATION

               HB 186-NAMING IRENE WEBBER BRIDGE                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:35:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES announced that the  first order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL NO. 186, "An Act naming the irene Webber Bridge."                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:35:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SARA PERMAN,  Staff, Representative  Louise Stutes,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature,  presented  HB  186   on  behalf  of  Representative                                                               
Stutes, prime sponsor.   She noted that the three-line  HB 186 is                                                               
quite  simple:   a bridge  formerly  known to  the Department  of                                                               
Transportation & Public Facilities  (DOTPF) as "Bridge 406, Scott                                                               
Glacier Number 6 Bridge" would  be renamed "irene Webber Bridge."                                                               
Ms.  Webber passed  away in  2018  and this  bridge, if  renamed,                                                               
would serve to remind Cordovans of the legacy she leaves behind.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS. PERMAN  stated that Ms. Webber  was an Alutiiq woman  born in                                                               
Cordova,  where she  and her  husband  of 61  years raised  their                                                               
three children.   She added that Ms. Webber took  up running as a                                                               
way to overcome alcohol dependency  issues and will be remembered                                                               
as the  original founder of  the Cordova Running Club  and Salmon                                                               
Run  Marathon, even  making clam  chowder at  her house  for race                                                               
committees to help  attract more attendees when  the entrant list                                                               
was  low.   Ms. Perman  stated that  'irene' is  not a  typo; the                                                               
family wishes her to be remembered with a lower case 'i'.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS.   PERMAN   related   that  Ms.   Webber   was   an   involved                                                               
philanthropist,  having  volunteered   for  St.  Jude  Children's                                                               
Research  Hospital as  well as  lending her  help with  Cordova's                                                               
Bike-a-Thon and the Cordova 2x2  Cancer Walk, the latter of which                                                               
has raised  over $100,000  for cancer patients  in Cordova.   The                                                               
City  of Cordova  and the  Native Village  of Eyak  have included                                                               
letters supporting the  renaming.  The bridge is  located at mile                                                               
9.5 from Cordova City Center.   During the Salmon Runs Ms. Webber                                                               
founded, runners use this bridge.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:40:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN asked which creek  or river the bridge goes                                                               
over.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:40:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. PERMAN said she wasn't sure.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:40:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  STUTES said  that perhaps  one of  Ms. Webber's  daughters                                                               
would know.  She then opened invited testimony on HB 186.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:41:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KIM ASPELUND, daughter  of Irene Webber, related  that her mother                                                               
was an inspiration to the  people of Cordova, having impressively                                                               
overcome  many obstacles  in her  life.   Having  had a  drinking                                                               
problem for  a very short time,  Ms. Webber ended with  37 years'                                                               
sobriety.   Running became her  needed outlet; even when  she was                                                               
out salmon fishing, she would ask  to be dropped off on the beach                                                               
to  run her  requisite  miles for  training.   She  was a  highly                                                               
dedicated person, not only to  herself but also to the community,                                                               
even taking the  time to encourage runners she drove  past in her                                                               
vehicle.  Ms.  Aspelund related that her mother  helped people in                                                               
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and in  the running club alike, as well                                                               
as through  her role as  a boundless volunteer whose  legacy will                                                               
be upheld by her children.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:44:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN asked which creek  or river the bridge goes                                                               
over.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:44:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES  surmised that it may  be the Scott River.  She then                                                               
thanked Ms. Aspelund for her emotional testimony.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:45:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KATRINA  HOFFMAN,   Irene  Webber's  daughter-in-law,   said  she                                                               
believes that  the bridge  does indeed  go over  a branch  of the                                                               
Scott River.   She  went on  to relate  that although  Ms. Webber                                                               
spelled  her  name with  a  lower  case  'i,' there  was  nothing                                                               
diminutive  about her  accomplishments.   She was  raised in  the                                                               
village of Ellamar  near Tatitlek, and later moved  to Cordova to                                                               
raise her  three children  with her  lifelong love,  Bill Webber.                                                               
That  resulted in  10 grandchildren  and "about  as many"  great-                                                               
grandchildren,  all of  whom have  very deep  ties to  Alaska and                                                               
Cordova.  Ms.  Hoffman imparted to the committee  that Ms. Webber                                                               
was a  businesswoman in the  community, a good neighbor,  a great                                                               
sourdough  cook, a  doting grandmother,  and the  admiral on  the                                                               
family fishing  vessel, having  overseen multiple  generations of                                                               
family members make their living off commercial salmon fishing.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS. HOFFMAN  related that at  Ms. Webber's memorial  service, the                                                               
deceased's grandson  Christopher said he knew  his grandmother to                                                               
be two  people:   a wonderfully loving  grandma and  a formidable                                                               
deck boss whose  word was law on the water.   Ms. Webber's Salmon                                                               
Run  has become  a key  feature of  the Copper  River Salmon  Jam                                                               
summer festival  in Cordova.   The bridge in question  is enjoyed                                                               
in all  seasons by outdoor recreators,  and from it one  can even                                                               
view the  "9-mile sand pile,"  where families gather for  joy and                                                               
fun.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:48:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES opened public testimony on HB 186.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
PETE HOEPHNER stated  that Irene Webber has  increased the health                                                               
and  well-being of  Cordovans,  and that  "just  seeing her  made                                                               
people smile," as  seeing her name on the bridge  would likely do                                                               
as well.   Mr. Hoephner echoed the testimony of  Ms. Aspelund and                                                               
Ms. Hoffman  when he spoke  of Webber's dedication to  her family                                                               
as well as her dedication to volunteering in the community.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:50:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JERRY MCCUNE  related to the  committee that Irene  Webber taught                                                               
him how  to make  fried bread while  waiting months  for herring.                                                               
He  also related  that,  before the  fishing  season opened,  the                                                               
Webbers would  stop and talk to  each fisherman and make  sure he                                                               
was going to be safe for the season.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:51:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  STUTES,  after ascertaining  that  no  one else  which  to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:51:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON  thanked testifiers and let  listeners know                                                               
that hearing the  stories of Ms. Webber brought to  his mind some                                                               
pillars  of the  community in  his own  home of  Dillingham.   He                                                               
urged the committee to take swift action on HB 186.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:52:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  STUTES echoed  Representative Edgmon's  remarks by  saying                                                               
that  when  she  mentioned  HB   186  in  Cordova,  she  received                                                               
extremely positive feedback from the community.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:53:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease at 1:53 p.m.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:53:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN  moved to  report HB  186 out  of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes. There being  no objection, HB 186 was reported  out of the                                                               
House Transportation Standing Committee.