Anchorage Daily News
(Published: November 29, 2003)
Having tried and failed to get federal money to finish a key step in the proposed extension of the city's Coastal Trail, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich has now asked a private philanthropic group for help.
He has requested that the Rasmuson Foundation contribute $450,000 needed to complete environmental and route studies.
Foundation board chairman Ed Rasmuson, who lives along the existing section of the Coastal Trail, said he personally supports the extension and encouraged the city to apply to the foundation for some help. But he said he doesn't know how the board will respond. "I'm one voice on there.
The board is scheduled to decide this Monday and Tuesday.
The existing Tony Knowles Coastal Trail runs 11 miles from downtown to Kincaid Park. The extension would push it another 13 miles, mostly along the coast, to Potter Marsh.
Begich said recently that he'd like this contribution to be the first of many.
"My hope is we look at this trail as an opportunity for Alaska families that have been here for many years to contribute," he said. "I'd like to see it (the extension) called the legacy trail."
Other long-time Alaskans say they'll help out with easements and rights of way across their land for the extension, Begich said.
A draft environmental report for the extension was completed a year ago, but the project has been without funding since the public comment period ended in May. For the plan to move forward, the public comments need to be analyzed, final decisions must be made about routes and costs, and a final report published.
The state transportation department, which managed the project until May, has estimated it would take $700,000 to complete the report.
The city, meantime, has contacted the private consulting firm responsible for the environmental impact statement and got the company to agree it can complete the job for $450,000, Begich said.
The project has been bogged down since early summer, when then-Mayor George Wuerch convinced AMATS to drop the extension project down the Anchorage trails priority list from No. 3 to No. 11. AMATS is the committee of state and city officials that decides how to spend Anchorage's federal roads and trails money.
At the lower ranking, the Coastal Trail extension was not budgeted for any funding for 2004.
In September, Begich convinced AMATS to dedicate $300,000 in leftover federal transportation funds from fiscal year 2003 to the project. He said he would raise the balance needed to finish the environmental report from private sources.
But no private funding was in hand at the time, and the Federal Highway Administration rejected the mayor's approach, saying federal rules prohibit partially funding a project.
State transportation officials have been warning that without money to advance the project, it is in danger of violating another federal rule -- for taking too long.
"You get into a situation called a time trap," state transportation planning chief John Tolley said.
Federal regulations say that 10 years after the environmental studies begin, a project must move on to the next phase -- acquiring right-of-way to begin construction, Tolley said.
If a project isn't progressing after 10 years, the federal government can ask the local planning authority for the money back, Tolley said. About $3 million has been spent on the environmental, route location and related studies to date.
Tolley said he thinks there are about three years left before the time trap closes.
But Begich said the state can ask the federal government to waive that requirement and has asked for waivers many times on road projects. Tolley agreed that can be done.
Daily News reporter Rosemary Shinohara can be reached at rshinohara@adn.com or 257-4340.