Assemblymember Wilson sponsored an ordinance that the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly passed unanimously on July 24, 2025, to lease roughly 75 acres at Newby Park to the Friends of the North Pole Park and Recreation Complex.
The lease gives the volunteer group exclusive long-term use of borough-owned land identified as Tract B 1 A (Newby Park) and includes a substitute that waives a competitive leasing provision in borough code so the administration can negotiate a sole-source lease with the Friends group.
Why it matters: Newby Park supporters and borough officials said the 75-acre site is the closest thing to a large community park for North Pole and the Badger Road area; volunteers have maintained and used parts of the parcel for years. Supporters said a borough-administered lease will let the Friends group fund and build parking, fields and other infrastructure while the property remains publicly owned.
The assembly heard more than a half dozen supporters at a public hearing who described ongoing volunteer maintenance and event use and urged approval. John Lohrke, who helped operate youth baseball in the 1980s, told the assembly that the park “needs to be much larger so that the people at North Pole and the surrounding areas have recreational area to do what they wanna do.” Rita Trometter, a long-time North Pole resident, said that the Friends group was “more than willing to take on [management] at no cost to the borough taxpayer.”
Administration and legal staff told the assembly that a lease, coupled with a reversionary clause, is the fastest way to return the park to active community use while retaining borough ownership. Mayor Hopkins said the lease allows the Friends group to “grow into it” and that a direct sale later would be governed by borough rules. Administration staff noted limits that apply to future sales under borough code: direct sale procedures would require fair market value plus 10%, notification to neighbors, and by code direct sale provisions currently limit parcels to 40 acres unless the code is later changed.
Assembly action and votes: Assemblymember Wilson moved the ordinance and Assemblymember Haney seconded. The assembly adopted a substitute to waive the competitive-lease requirement and then voted 9–0 to approve the ordinance and substitute. A later motion to reconsider failed 0–9, making the lease approval final.
What the ordinance does and next steps: The approved substitute enables the borough to make the lease a sole-source arrangement with the Friends of the North Pole Park and Recreation Complex for the full roughly 75-acre parcel rather than pursuing a competitive bid. Administration staff said the lease will allow volunteers to start work quickly, including expansion of parking and field repairs, and that the group can seek a direct sale under borough code in a future lease-extension period if they choose to pursue ownership.
Community context: Speakers and assembly members repeatedly stressed volunteer efforts that have sustained the park since borough maintenance was reduced years ago. Supporters said the site would serve North Pole, Eielson Air Force Base families, Saltchа and surrounding neighborhoods and provide space for sports, large events and vendors. Park volunteers said they are organized as a nonprofit corporation in the state and plan fundraising and volunteer labor to restore facilities.
Looking ahead: Administration staff said they will begin negotiations next week and that the ordinance becomes effective the following Monday at 5 p.m. The lease will include terms and monitoring; changes in borough code affecting direct sale thresholds would require future assembly action.