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SUNDAY, APRIL 2, 2017
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Inside Today
Second- and third-graders share their thoughts on the American lag. » OUR TOWN, B1
Chena River retaining wall draws criticism
By Amanda Bohman
[email protected]
Concerns are being raised
about a $2.5 million road
safety project to widen and
add shoulders to Phillips
Field Road.
The project is slated for
construction this summer
and aims to make the road
safer for motor, bicycle and
pedestrian traffic, but it
involves removing streetlights and adding a 600-foot
retaining wall along the Chena River.
The fate of the project is in
the hands of the Fairbanks
North Star Borough Planning Commission, which
meets Tuesday to decide
whether to provide local
approval.
Officials with the Departm e n t o f Tra n s p o r t at i o n
and Public Facilities hope
to work through the concerns quickly; otherwise, the
project could be delayed or
scrapped.
“If we don’t get this project buttoned up, we are
risking losing the funding,” DOT engineer Sarah
Schacher told the Chena
River front Commission,
which held a special meeting Wednesday to discuss
the road plan.
The commission is drafting
a letter of recommendations
for the Planning Commission
to consider.
The borough Department
of Community Planning also
has concerns.
Planning staff suggest the
project be approved with
conditions, namely the DOT
work on problems with the
retaining wall.
Traffic travels along Phillips Field Road on Tuesday. ERIC ENGMAN/
RETAINING WALL » A3
NEWS-MINER
GOOD
MORNING
The weather.
Mostly cloudy with
afternoon rain showers and highs in the
lower to mid-40s.
High today ..............38
Low tonight .............17
WEATHER » A5
Aurora forecast.
Auroral activity will
be active. Weather
permitting, active
auroral displays will
be visible overhead.
This information is provided
by aurora forecasters at
the Geophysical Institute
at the University of Alaska
Fairbanks. For more information about the aurora,
visit http://www.gi.alaska.
edu/AuroraForecast
Matt Hall gives a sled dog ride to Elijah Johnson, 9, and his sisters, Layla, 4, and Aria, 3, at Mush for Kids on Saturday. The
event was held at Pioneer Park by the Alaska Children’s Trust. MATT BUXTON/NEWS-MINER
Mush for Kids:
Annual event offers sled dog rides, fun
in warming weather at Pioneer Park
By Matt Buxton
[email protected]
•••
The temperatures might be on
the rise, but there was still plenty
of snow at Pioneer Park for a sled
dog ride.
Saturday marked the 20th year of
the Alaska Children’s Trust Mush
for Kids event, an event aimed at
providing families and kids with
a free day of fun in the snow and
some close-up time with sled dogs.
The park grounds and the Civic
Center were jam packed with families getting out in the sun with
temperatures that climbed above
50 degrees. There were puppies
to pet, face painting and plenty of
SOURDOUGH JACK:
“I could use mush
more fun like
that in my life!”
other activities.
Tony Johnson brought his kids,
Elijah, Layla and Aria, to the event
because Elijah, 9, loves mushing.
“It’s a nice day today and my son
is really into dog mushing,” Johnson, who’s stationed at Eielson Air
Force Base, said. “Anything Iditarod or Yukon Quest is his thing.
Today is his day.”
Of the many activities offered at
the event, the most popular by far
was the opportunity to get a ride
with one of the sled dog teams.
Elijah Johnson and his sisters
got a ride with 2017 Yukon Quest
champion Matt Hall, and Elijah’s
MUSH FOR KIDS » A3
Siblings Jose, JoJo and Arionna Gomez pet a puppy Saturday at the
Mush for Kids event at Pioneer Park. MATT BUXTON/NEWS-MINER
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