03/26/2009 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE

        SB 142-TRANSFER RAILROAD LAND TO DOTPF:FAIRBANKS                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:38:28 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR PASKVAN announced SB 142 to be up for consideration.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
JEFF  STEPP, aide  to Senator  Paskvan, sponsor  of SB  142, said                                                               
this is  a pretty simple  bill. The Department  of Transportation                                                               
and  Public  Facilities  (DOTPF)   is  preparing  to  reconstruct                                                               
Illinois Street  in Fairbanks, which  provides primary  access to                                                               
the  downtown   area  from  the   north.  It  needs   to  acquire                                                               
approximately five acres to do  this, and according to the Alaska                                                               
Railroad Corporation  (ARRC) Act, the Legislature  has to approve                                                               
the transaction.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR. STEPP  said the  ARRC supports  this as well  as the  City of                                                               
Fairbanks.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PASKVAN said there is no  fiscal note as the purchase price                                                               
is part of the construction budget.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:40:44 PM                                                                                                                    
DONNA GIARDINO,  Metropolitan Planning  Organization Coordinator,                                                               
Fairbanks  Metropolitan  Area   Transportation  System  (AFMATS),                                                               
supported  SB   142.  AFMATS  is  funding   the  Illinois  Street                                                               
reconstruction  project  out  of its  transportation  improvement                                                               
program  that has  been going  on since  1985 and  is now  in the                                                               
final  stages  of  right-of-way   acquisitions.  This  is  a  top                                                               
priority  for  the Planning  Committee  and  they hope  to  begin                                                               
building in 2011 at the latest.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:42:23 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  THOMAS   asked  what  other  properties   remain  to  be                                                               
purchased for the project.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
JOHN BENNETT,  Northern Region Right-of-way Chief,  Department of                                                               
Transportation and Public Facilities  (DOTPF), answered there are                                                               
still quite  a few  parcels remaining to  be acquired.  They have                                                               
been  focusing on  the structures  in the  vicinity of  the Chena                                                               
River,  such as  Sampson's  Hardware  and they  have  just let  a                                                               
contract  for the  appraisal services  for the  remainder of  the                                                               
parcels heading north to College Road.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR THOMAS  asked if  the transfer of  the property  from the                                                               
intersection of Phillips Field Road  and Illinois Street would be                                                               
all taken care of if this bill passes.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR. BENNETT  replied no; there  are several more slivers  of land                                                               
still remaining to be acquired,  but they already have a majority                                                               
of the large improved properties south of Phillips Field Road.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PASKVAN asked  if this  is  the only  purchase that  needs                                                               
legislative approval.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MR. BENNETT replied yes.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PASKVAN closed public testimony.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  THOMAS  moved  to  report SB  142  from  committee  with                                                               
individual  recommendations and  attached  fiscal note(s).  There                                                               
were no objections, and it was so ordered.