After many months of community controversy, Anchorage has the opportunity to do the right thing for Russian Jack Springs Park. Of the four development scenarios now under consideration, two would allow improvements to existing golf facilities without clear-cutting trees.
Alternative 1 calls for no action, Alternative 2 calls for upgrading the existing course and Alternative 3 would reroute the existing course within the same footprint and add a small new practice area along the road. Only Alternative 4 calls for substantial tree clearing for a driving range, which would destroy a popular natural area and ignore the weight of public sentiment against golf course expansion at Russian Jack.
As a former director of Anchorage Junior Nordic League and a small-business owner who regularly supports youth recreation programs, I know the value of getting kids outdoors. But I don't believe we need to sacrifice the natural beauty of one of our favorite community parks, or the park's plans for Russian Jack that have existed for years, when better alternatives are now on the table.
The current Russian Jack Master Plan calls for wooded trails, not a clear-cutting, in the area slated for the driving range. The Russian Jack Community Council and Parks and Recreation Commission approved the plan in 1997 and it was finalized by the Planning and Zoning Commission in 2002. Neither the 1997 nor 2002 plans contemplate golf course expansion or related developments anywhere in the park, including the area in question.
In 2006, the municipality adopted the Anchorage Bowl Park, Natural Resource, and Recreation Facility Plan. This plan identified almost all of Russian Jack Springs Park as a "Preservation Area." While it recommended upgrades to the Russian Jack golf course and trail system, it again made no mention of expanding the golf course or related facilities.
The proposed golf course expansion was first brought to the public's attention in late 2007, when it was presented on behalf of the new First Tee youth golf program, which leases facilities at Russian Jack. Although Alternative 4 is scaled back from the original 2007 proposal, it still entails clearing acres of trees in an area set aside for preservation by all the major plans for Russian Jack over more than a decade. Allowing a driving range to go forward under this circumstance would permit just the type of park development that sensible planning is supposed to avoid: ad hoc projects for specific users that override the broader goals and visions of the community. With such an outcome we would be left to wonder why we create park plans at all, if we'll be driving bulldozers -- literally -- right through them.
As someone who has worked closely with youth recreation programs, I applaud any effort to engage people in healthy recreational opportunities. But as someone who also values good land use planning and a fair and consistent public process, I say clear-cutting a swath of Russian Jack for a driving range is a bad idea.
The other development alternatives currently under consideration would provide improvements to the golf course and ensure a better golfing experience for First Tee participants and others. Also, the other alternatives would better protect traditional park uses like skiing, hiking and neighborhood dog walking and preserve the natural values of Russian Jack that many of us hold dear. And finally -- and most important -- the other alternatives would more closely honor the Russian Jack Springs Park Master Plan and help restore the integrity of the park planning process.
To me, the answer is very simple: no on Alternative 4.
Anchorage resident Dirk Sisson is a member of Friends of Russian Jack Springs Park. The views here are his own.
By DIRK SISSON