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Assembly committee hears staff report on paving access roads at Birch Hill and Tanana Lakes
Summary
The Assembly Finance Committee reviewed an ordinance to appropriate $53,114 as the borough's match for federal FAST Planning surface upgrades to pave access roads at Birch Hill Recreation Area and Tanana Lakes Recreation Area; staff said paving will reduce maintenance costs and improve access, and they will provide more precise visitor counts at a follow-up report.
An Assembly Finance Committee meeting on Jan. 22 heard a staff report on ordinance 2025-20-1Q, which would appropriate $53,114 from the general fund balance as the borough's required local match for Federal Fiscal Year 2026 FAST Planning surface upgrades to convert access roads to paved asphalt at Birch Hill Recreation Area and Tanana Lakes Recreation Area.
Tricia Levasseur, Parks and Recreation staff, told the committee the funding will "support improving road access to 2 popular areas, the Birch Hill Recreation Area and the Tanana Lakes Recreation Area," and that the projects would convert gravel access roads to pavement to address poor conditions and lower gravel maintenance costs.
Levasseur said the Birch Hill Access Road paving would extend from the roundabout at Wilderness Drive up to the upper parking lot, and the Tanana Lakes portion would pave segments of West Lake and North Lake Lane. She said the FAST Planning policy board selected the projects and that the addition of the Tanana Lakes segment occurred in August 2025.
Committee members sought details about scope, user counts and phasing. Levasseur said annual visitation across the borough's recreation system "can anywhere between 100,000 visitors to maybe even 300,000 visitors a year," characterizing the figure as a rough, combined estimate and offering to provide more precise counts in the next staff report. She told members the appropriation covers the access‑road phase only and does not include parking‑lot paving.
Levasseur estimated the borough spends roughly $20,000 to $25,000 annually on gravel repairs for the two sites and said paving should reduce that maintenance burden and smooth access for vehicles and bicycles. She also agreed to provide clearer aerials and a more detailed map in a follow-up report.
The committee opened the item for questions and discussion; no formal vote on the ordinance was recorded at this meeting. The committee moved on to other agenda items after the staff Q&A.
