Legislature(2007 - 2008)BUTROVICH 205
05/09/2007 04:00 PM Senate RESOURCES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB186 | |
| HB176 | |
| HB165 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 186 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 176 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 165 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 176-CREATE FORT ROUSSEAU CAUSEWAY PARK
CHAIR HUGGINS announced HB 176 to be up for consideration. [CSHB
176(RES) was before the committee.] He asked Representative
Wilson to give them a brief background on the park.
4:08:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE PEGGY WILSON, sponsor of HB 176, replied that
during World War II the Army wanted to have a defense across
Sitka in case the Japanese came back. So, they connected 800 ft.
of causeway from one island to another and to this day many
historical artifacts are still there - like an anti-aircraft
gun, bunkers and ammo magazine structures. This causeway has
already been added to the National Registry of Historical Places
and has been designated as a landmark by the National Park
Service. This bill makes sure that it becomes the Fort Rousseau
Causeway State Historical Park.
SENATOR STEVENS asked who Rousseau was. When no one knew the
answer, he added that he was the commander of the American
troops when Sitka became a part of the United States in 1867.
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON said Alaska doesn't have many areas that
go back to WWII and this bill is trying to preserve this
history. She explained that Sitka Trail Works was awarded a
federal grant of $140,700 to begin work on renovating the Fort
Rousseau Causeway and $60,000 of the grant money was given to
the State's Historical Preservation Office in the Department of
Natural Resources (DNR) to pay for site mapping, culture survey
and inventory work; another $14,000 was used for a phase 1
environmental assessment. Another federal trails grant is
pending for this project in the federal transportation
legislation for 2008 and 2009.
She said the causeway business plan shows modest tourism dollars
of around $12,000 per year at first. As the program grows, the
budget will be about $16,800 per year which would eventually be
supplanted by tourism dollars with an additional $20,000 going
into the general fund to be used for other parks. She explained
further that the idea is to take tourists back and forth and
there is no way to get to the island except on a boat.
CHAIR HUGGINS asked if that was what the "boat charter costs
associated with assessing the site" referred to in the fiscal
note.
CLIFF STONE, staff to Representative Wilson, explained that the
fiscal note is based on what it would take DNR to manage the
site. He thought that need for the fiscal note would go away as
tourist dollars supplanted it.
4:13:51 PM
SENATOR GREEN and SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI joined the committee.
CHAIR HUGGINS said he knew of a proposed boat launch in a state
park that had a fiscal note of $100,000 just to run it.
SENATOR MCGUIRE commented, "It depends on whether they like the
project or not."
MR. STONE added that this is not done very often; the folks in
Sitka know it's a special occasion.
CHAIR HUGGINS asked if he had heard of any opposition to the
bill.
MR. STONE replied no and that he had a packet full of support.
CHAIR HUGGINS asked if it's on the National Register.
MR. STONE replied yes.
4:15:51 PM
SENATOR MCGUIRE asked if the community is already used to those
rules since it's already designated as a park.
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON replied that it is designated as a
historical place right now by the National Park Service.
4:17:19 PM
MIKE EBERHARDT, Superintendent for Southeast Area Parks,
Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, Department of Natural
Resources (DNR), explained that being listed on the National
Historic Register requires the land manager to abide by certain
rules to preserve the resources. That land currently is not
managed as a park unit. Actually the DOT has been managing it
with the FAA and its use has been very restricted because of
9/11 and airport security issues. Its management will be changed
from general state land to state park statutes.
4:19:13 PM
SENATOR MCGUIRE said she wanted more clarification on page 3,
lines 19 - 21, where it says the commissioner may designate by
regulation incompatible uses within the land and water of the
Fort Rousseau Causeway State Historical Park. She was afraid
that regulations would be written that were never intended. She
asked if "land and water" meant fishing, for instance.
MR. EBERHARDT responded that all water was purposely left out of
the bill except where the dock is so as to not create a conflict
with existing fisheries. The bill concerns only the uplands and
doesn't go into the park and local citizens have not voiced any
objections.
4:21:28 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON added that the land itself used to be
connected to the airport, but it was cut off in the 80s when the
airport was built. You can't walk or drive there.
CHAIR HUGGINS asked what activities are going on presently that
anyone would protest.
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON replied that the land is too close to the
airport to have shooting.
SENATOR GREEN asked what would happen if this bill didn't pass.
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON replied that there are lots of volunteers
who would try to keep up preservation of the area.
CHAIR HUGGINS announced that HB 176 would be held in committee.
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