JULY 2, 2015  

Neighborhood Celebrations & Happy 4th of July!

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I wanted to thank everyone who came out to the Mountain View Street Fair on Saturday! You really made it a great event and I really enjoyed catching up with so many neighbors. 

Rep. Geran Tarr and Sen. Johnny Ellis meet with constituents at the Mountain View Street Fair.

During the Fair, the Anchorage Community Land Trust, partnered with the Mountain View Community Council, held an open house for the Mountain View Targeted Neighborhood Plan. The plan is a culmination of 3 years of focus groups, discussions, countless surveys, and a whole lot of hard work.  

I remember attending the weekend neighborhood summit that kicked off this project. It's great to see all the work that's been done. It's been helpful to me in advocating for projects for our area. For example, increasing lighting along Mountain View Drive has been identified by neighbors as a high priority. With that in mind Senator Ellis and I were able to secure funding for new lighting. You may see work crews this summer as they begin work on this exciting project! 

Have a look at a draft of the actual plan. It’s well worth reading!

If you missed out on the Mt. View Street Fair, don’t worry –there’s plenty of other events happening around Alaska:

July 4th Celebration

Anchorage Fairs & Festivals will be producing the annual July 4th Celebration. As well as the traditional event, this year’s celebration includes a few special entertainments related to the Anchorage Centennial.

The day begins with a pancake breakfast and parade, continues with the Firefighter Combat Challenge, and concludes with a free outdoor concert by the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra. The detailed schedule is as follows:

8 a.m. – Pancake Breakfast: $5 cost, with all proceeds benefitting the Polynesian Association of Alaska

11 a.m. – Community and Veterans Parades
All day – Family fun with two stages of non-stop entertainment!

Noon – Firefighter Combat Challenge, Mayor’s Centennial Cup Relay, and Kid’s Firefighter Combat Challenge

12:30 pm – Special performance by members of the University of Washington Marching Band

1 p.m. – Reading of the Declaration of Independence by The Harvard Club

4 p.m. – Commemorative Centennial Photo (event participants in the shape of 100)

6-8 p.m. – Free concert by the full Anchorage Symphony Orchestra

July is Parks & Recreation Month

The beautiful Alaska State Park System provides endless recreational opportunities year-round. Take advantage of longer days and summer weather and celebrate Parks and Recreation month by getting outside and exploring Alaska.

You can find all the information you need about parks near you, programs, facilities, fees, etc. on the Alaska State Parks website.

Speaking of State Parks, I wanted to bring some proposed changes regarding public use in Chugach and Chilkat State Parks to your attention.

The Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation Proposes to amend regulations to:

•  Allow use of off road vehicles in Bird Valley within Chugiak State Park only from April 1 to November 30;
•  Include llamas and alpacas under the same considerations as horses in Chugiak State Park;
•  Define fat tire bicycles and allow their use within Chugiak State Park on trails currently open to bicycle use and on certain trails during the winter; and
•  Allow for discharge of a weapon for lawful hunting and trapping within Chilkat State Park except within 0ne-half mile of a developed facility.

To read about the proposed changes in greater detail, as well as the reason for the proposed changes, visit The Department of Natural Resources webpage.

You may comment on the proposed regulation changes by submitting comments in writing by mail, fax or email, addressed to:

Attn: Claire LeClair
Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation
550 W 7th Avenue, Suite 1380
Anchorage, Alaska 99501-3561
E-Mail: dnr.parkregs@alaska.gov
Fax: (907) 269-8907

Have a safe and happy 4th, 

Representative Geran Tarr