The Assembly Finance Committee on June 5 reviewed an ordinance to appropriate $27,455 from the general fund balance as the local match required to secure FAST (Fairbanks Area Surface Transportation) Planning Improvement Program funding for non-motorized improvements to a portion of the Chena Riverwalk Pathway and two trails at the Chena Lake Recreation Area.

A staff member explained the work: "This funding will support non motorized transportation improvements to a portion of the Chena Riverwalk Pathway and two trails in the Chena Lake Recreation Area," including asphalt spot repairs and upgrading a Peninsula Trail segment from gravel to pavement to create continuity with the existing South Lake Loop Trail. The staff member said the photos shown to the committee documented heavy cracking, roots and accessibility issues on existing surfaces.

Committee members sought detail on ownership and contracting. A staff member said Chena Lake is on a long-term 50-year lease with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and that the Parks and Recreation Department manages the Chena Lake Recreation Area segment under borough jurisdiction. The ordinance authorizes the mayor to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) and waives an FNSB code provision related to temporary use licenses to allow DOT to perform the work on borough property.

On funding mechanics, staff said the FAST program is federal funding funneled through FAST planning; the local match in this ordinance is not a reimbursement grant but a check written to DOT to cover the match amount. "For this program, everything is ready to go," a staff member told the committee; the memorandum of agreement with DOT is included in the packet for signature.

Committee members asked how projects are selected for FAST and whether this site was prioritized due to a critical condition. Staff said the list is developed in coordination with FAST planning and that this project was judged the best use of available funds at this time. Questions about contracting and whether DOT would bid the work were deferred to DOT for clarification.

No formal committee vote on the ordinance was recorded in the discussion transcript; staff presented the ordinance and answered questions. The ordinance’s sponsor is Mayor Hopkins and the project description and the memorandum of agreement were included in the meeting packet for committee review.