Many people tuned in to see the draft Vision and Goals presented for the upcoming updated Girdwood Area Plan! (Recording and link to survey below.)
Join in creating the Girdwood you want to see in the future and discussing what is important to keep the same!
The Girdwood Area Plan is a huge over-arching component of what will happen going forward in Girdwood, in addition to several other plans which fall under it.
Your comments are due to HLB prior to Dec. 10, 2020.
45-day Public Review begins October 26, 2020 with tentative HLBAC Public Hearing December 10, 2020. Comments may be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to HLB at 4700 Elmore Rd., Anchorage, AK 99577 or faxed to (907) 343-7535.
The virtual meeting had a strong turn out with over 100 people who attended live. Great participation and live polls provided instant results for all to see in real time. Here is the recording of the Girdwood Trails Plan Virtual Meeting.
Girdwood Trails Committee is asking for your feedback! Here is the link to where you can participate on the Interactive Trails Map. Feedback will be taken until Dec 21 2020.
Girdwood Alliance did a quick poll question which is in alignment with our mission, here are the results:
Join Imagine! Girdwood to learn more about the Draft Vision, Goals, and Policies for the Girdwood Area Plan update. You will be able to ask questions and give feedback.
Earn $7,500! $15,000! $30,000 or more this week from the comfort and safety of your home or COVID bubble.
That’s right! This week only: The Municipality of Anchorage is offering COVID Relief Grants to non-profit arts organizations in Anchorage that have been doing good work in our community since at least January 1, 2019.
But you have to ACT FAST! The deadline for applying is TOMORROW at 5:00pm.
Little Bears Playhouse, a recognized 501(c)3, has been providing childcare services in Girdwood Alaska for nearly 40 years. The current facility is in disrepair and becoming increasingly unsafe. Physical distancing and COVID-19 public health measures are virtually impossible within the current building. Girdwood has become a destination location for tourists and has traditionally been recognized as an economic engine for the state. The tourism industry has been hit extremely hard and this has had a debilitating effect on service workers, who make up a large percentage of Girdwood’s population. This project would utilize CARES Act funds to construct a new childcare and distance learning space which would serve the residents of Girdwood, with full-time first responder parents as a priority (i.e – Girdwood Fire Department, Whittier Police Department, etc.), employees of Alyeska Resort, and others needing childcare services. The proposed project meets the September 2nd 2020 U.S. Treasury Guidance for using CARES Act funding, per the following:
“Expenses of actions to facilitate compliance with COVID-19-related public health measures,
Expenses to facilitate distance learning, including technological improvements, in connection with school closings to enable compliance with COVID-19 precautions.
Expenses associated with the provision of economic support in connection with the COVID-19 public health emergency,
Any other COVID-19-related expenses reasonably necessary to the function of government that satisfy the Fund’s eligibility criteria.”
Little Bears Playhouse has partnered with Pomeroy Lodging, the owner of Alyeska Resort, for this project. Alyeska is Alaska’s largest destination resort, a key regional employer with 700 employees and is very much connected to Alaska’s economic recovery from the pandemic. This project will provide critical current and future capacity and provide needed space to meet compliance with COVID-19 related public health measures.
Pomeroy Lodging is essentially giving the childcare center land for the purpose of constructing this new facility by offering a 99-year lease at $1/year in rent for the center. Alyeska’s owners and managers understand the need their employees have for childcare, as well as the needs of the community at large, for this public/private partnership.
Community Impact:
Many of Girdwood’s residents are service workers and are desperately in need of dependable, consistent, and safe care for their children. During the height of the pandemic, medical professionals at the only healthcare facility, Girdwood Health Clinic, were transporting children into Anchorage for care. There is tremendous community support for this project and is critical to Girdwood’s economic recovery. Without a safe space for children to be, service worker parents will be unable to return to work.
Financial Request:
$4.7M – Project Total, includes:
$700,000 – Sitework/Development of Alyeska Prince Addition Tract C
$4,000,000 – Construction Costs, permitting, inspections, general contracting, and project management.
Background:
The current childcare building was built by volunteers in the 1960s and is now a municipally owned building. It has structural issues that have been identified by municipal engineers and is at the end of its useful life. In April, nearly 80% of the Girdwood Valley Service Area voters supported self-taxation to fund a new childcare facility. The residents understood the dire condition of the current building, along with under-met demand and capacity constraints. Unfortunately, with not enough Anchorage voters understanding the bond would be solely paid for by Girdwood homeowners, the bond did not pass at an area-wide level and ultimately failed. The vote occurred just weeks after the pandemic set in. After 12 years of effort, Little Bears was back to square one in their goal of realizing a new building. Thankfully, Alyeska stepped forward with a new location and potential for increased capacity to better meet the community’s demand, as well as improve the non-profit’s ability to be more financially self-sufficient.
Status and Support:
Since April, a childcare community needs assessment survey was conducted as well as planning, budgeting, and community presentations. In July, Girdwood Board of Supervisors wrote a letter of support for funding the childcare facility with CARES Act funding. In September, the conceptual project passed at Girdwood Land Use by unanimous vote and a letter of support was obtained from Girdwood Board of Supervisors for the proposed location. This project would be well received by the community of Girdwood and has demonstrated great support by having already gone through the public meeting process. Many letters of support from a wide array of community members are available for review. Girdwood is ready to proceed on this project without delay.
Design:
1.) Preferred Design: Z Architects – 2 story Design – Can easily scale up by adding additional classrooms. This building has already been constructed in the Mat-Su valley and has undergone full engineering. Z Architects has walked the property with Little Bears board members and has created a site plan. Utilities are located at the Pump House. Water, sewer and electric all very close by saves with development expenses. Road access off on a main road, minimizes neighborhood traffic impacts.
conceptual Playground design:
Location:
Alyeska – Prince Addition Tract C
Zoned GRST2 – Childcare Conditionally Permitted
Memorandum of Understanding between Pomeroy/Alyeska Resort & Little Bears Playhouse.
99 year lease at $1/year.
Site Plan:
Proposed winner creek extension re-route:
The trail will become on integrated part of the childcare facility as an interpretive trail. We will incorporate at least 4 learning and playing stations with Girdwood-centric themes such as 1.) Alaska Native Culture 2.) Mining history 3.) Glaciers 4.) Animals/Rain forest. Each station will include a feature to climb on/go inside/interact with along with educational signage geared toward children.
Background:
A lack of adequate childcare has emerged across the country as a key challenge for community first responders, and that situation has been exacerbated in Girdwood by the public health mandates forcing a temporary closure of Little Bears Playhouse. Little Bears has provided quality, licensed childcare services in the valley for nearly 40 years. Little Bears staff did not believe they had the capacity to operate under the public health suggested guidelines and closed from mid-March to June 1.
As the only full-time licensed childcare operation in Girdwood, the facility is essential, especially to support parents who are healthcare providers and first responders. Little Bears Playhouse, Inc. Board of Directors is supportive of this CARES Act request and seeking to meet the demand for childcare in our community. The organization has committed to creating a “First Responder/Healthcare Parent Priority Policy” should the non-profit utilize a new proposed building, whereby children of first responders/healthcare workers would have preference for services rendered at the facility. The proposed facility would also include a designated space for those opting to participate in distance learning programs, consistent with US Treasury Guidelines.
Little Bears currently operates in an extremely dated building with many defects. Roof leaks are not uncommon. Roof snow over 3” must be removed immediately to avoid a possible collapse, per requirement from the Municipality of Anchorage. Currently, Little Bears Playhouse, Inc. is the only non-profit utilizing the deteriorating public building. No other existing Girdwood building has been identified as a suitable replacement for childcare.
During the daycare closure, the COVID crisis provided examples of Girdwood Health Clinic employees taking their children into Anchorage for childcare, returning to Girdwood for work, driving back to Anchorage to pick up children and finally returning home to Girdwood. This is an unrealistic and nearly impossible expectation of most Girdwood working parents. It specifically emphasized the unquestionable need for first-responder childcare being locally available in a safe environment.
Conclusion:
For many working parents to return to work, a safe place for children in a COVID-threatened environment is essential, especially for healthcare and first-responder parents. Our goal is to procure funds from CARES Act, any other possible grant opportunities, traditional or non-conventional financing if required. Little Bears Playhouse seeks this new building to better implement our mission statement “to provide a safe, caring environment that promotes sound emotional, social, cognitive and physical development of children while strengthening and encouraging positive relationships among childcare professionals, families and our community.”
Are you a Girdwood trail user? Come see the progress of the upcoming Girdwood Trails Master Plan tonight at 6:00 PM, followed by Trail Committee at 7:30 PM. This meeting is open to the public. Details to join the Zoom are below!
Girdwood Trails Master Plan Regular Meeting Date: October 6, 2020 Time: 6PM Location: Via Teleconference
Come participate in the Girdwood planning process. A new Girdwood Area Plan is currently being drafted and your input matters! It’s easy to join via Zoom! Below is link and agenda information.
Call in information +1 346 248 7799 US Meeting ID: 842 7117 7404 Passcode: 725452
Guiding Girdwood land use: creating a framework for the future of Girdwood.
The mission of Imagine! Girdwood (formerly the Girdwood Area Plan Update Committee) is to fund and complete a transparent, inclusive review of the Girdwood Area Plan to guide Girdwood land use in an orderly and understandable process that is respectful of all views.
Call to order, Erin Eker, Chair 1) Introductions and Welcome 2) Agenda Approval for August 26 meeting 3) Minutes Approval for July 22 meeting Announcements and Invited Presentations: Reports: 4) Chair’s report (Erin Eker) 5) Treasurer’s report (Diana Livingston) 6) GBOS / Land Use updates (Mike Edgington) Old Business: 7) Presentation and Approval of Housing Vision/Goals (Holly Spoth-Torres / Shanna Zuspan) 8) Presentation of draft story map & next steps (Holly) 9) Schedule for sharing with stakeholder groups and the broader community (Holly) New Business: Future Meetings Regular Meetings: (usually 4th Weds of each month) Wednesday September 23, 2020 Wednesday October 25, 2020 Work sessions: none scheduled Adjourn
Girdwood Alliance is currently collaborating on a Girdwood Health & Childcare COVID-19 Impact Project.
Summary:
Girdwood’s community clinic and childcare center have been severely impacted by events related to the COVID-19 public health crisis and are at a potential breaking point. Both facilities face capacity constraints and an uncertain future moving forward. They are jointly seeking immediate CARES Act funding for upgrades toward proper facilities that would serve the current and future needs of the local community, first responders, residents of greater Southcentral Alaska, and a rebounding visitor industry, consistent with recent U.S. Treasury guidance on use of CARES Act funds.
Girdwood Project Consistency with Treasury Guidance on CARES Act Funds:
The proposed project meets the April 22 U.S. Treasury Guidance for using CARES Act funding, per the following:
“• Expenses of establishing temporary public medical facilities and other measures to increase COVID-19 treatment capacity, including related construction costs. Expenses of actions to facilitate compliance with COVID-19-related public health measures, such as
• Expenses to facilitate distance learning, including technological improvements, in connection with school closings to enable compliance with COVID-19 precautions.
Any other COVID-19-related expenses reasonably necessary to the function of government that satisfy the Fund’s eligibility criteria.”
Total Financial CARES Act Funds Request: $10,235,000
Includes:
Girdwood Health Clinic Project – $5,525,000
Childcare Facility Project – $4,710,000
Background:
The COVID-19 crisis has had a dramatic and devastating impact on our local community. As the public health situation evolves there is vast uncertainty about how the tourism industry and local communities will provide necessary public health support services for residents and visitors in a ‘new normal’ world. The pandemic has accentuated Girdwood public health and childcare facility issues in a dramatic way and has emphasized the need to support Girdwood’s residents, visitors, and first responders with a more direct approach.
Girdwood’s existing health clinic and childcare center have both been dramatically impacted by the pandemic. The health clinic’s facility operation has been turned upside down almost overnight, and the only licensed childcare center in the community closed as they felt they were unable to operate under public health guidance due to COVID-19. These two long-time non-profits have come together in support of new improvements to address the situation, and provide improved “measures to increase COVID-19 treatment capacity” and “compliance with COVID-19-related public health measures”– per April 22nd Treasury Department guidance.
Girdwood is in a central location and serves as a regional resource. Girdwood first responders cover as much as 50+ miles of highway and serve a much broader population than just its residents. Girdwood has traditionally been an economic engine for the municipality and the state, but has seen its tourism economy devastated by closure of the Alyeska Resort during the crisis, with associated job losses and economic impacts. At the same time, Girdwood’s unique location is essential for responding within the municipal boundary, as identified on the attached map, and investment is desperately needed to adequately serve the public in this crisis and beyond. (See Appendix 1)
Girdwood Health Clinic Background & COVID Impacts:
The Girdwood Health Clinic is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) with a defined service area of Indian to Hope. The Clinic provides both primary and acute care for the residents and visitors and as an FQHC the clinic provides care to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay – serving patients in their service area and from the Mat-Su Valley, Anchorage and all communities on the Kenai Peninsula, including Whittier. The clinic has coordinated care for multiple COVID-19 patients. Testing and spacing requirements presented a situation where their facility has literally been turned upside-down (for more detail, see Appendix 2).
In the past 18 months the community of Girdwood has experienced two emergency situations, a significant earthquake in November 2018 and the current COVID-19 pandemic. Both scenarios have highlighted the limited ability of the clinic to function independently from Anchorage for an extended period of time. Any time access, either north or south on the Seward Highway, is restricted due to earthquake, accidents, avalanches, etc. the clinic is left to function with the supplies and equipment that is needed to treat a patient surge. These events illustrate the need for a more robust and local healthcare infrastructure to support our residents and visitors in emergency situations.
In addition to serving the local Girdwood community, ill patients arriving via cruise ship from Whittier, Seward, and visitors to Alyeska Resort and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, are often transferred to Girdwood Clinic for health services. The community must plan for a return to a new normal where travel is eventually flowing at previous capacity, but with greatly expanded healthcare services. The clinic must be prepared and equipped to handle all incoming sick patients in the new normal with a greater emphasis on potential recurrence of COVID-19 or other future pandemics.
The COVID-19 experience has created a nearly impossible situation for the staff at Girdwood Clinic to operate in their current space. Presently, the current facility utilizes temporary structures and mobile units to offer care. The current facility lacks storage space for PPE, medications and supplies that are needed to meet a patient surge. The facility lacks a physical safety net structure, such as separate entrances for contagious patients, to protect well patients and staff. It lacks adequate laundry and cleaning facilities for high-level virus mitigation, and an adequate exterior structure for providing parking lot testing during a patient surge. It lacks any type of air exchange or a negative pressure room which creates a huge burden if a contagious patient has been seen in the building. The administrative space has been sacrificed as clinical space to provide adequate distancing and protection for the staff. It has not been optimal to have clinic leadership working remotely during times when their guidance and direction is needed the most.
Girdwood Childcare COVID Impacts & Background:
A lack of adequate childcare has emerged across the country as a key challenge for community first responders, and that situation has been exacerbated in Girdwood by the public health mandates forcing a temporary closure of Little Bears Playhouse, a Girdwood non-profit adjacent to the Fire Station. Little Bears has provided quality, licensed childcare services in the valley for nearly 40 years. Little Bears staff did not believe they had the capacity to operate under the public health suggested guidelines and closed from mid-March to June 1. Already constrained in a tight space with a wait list for services, new physical distancing requirements will further reduce capacity, making operation financially unsustainable.
As the only full-time licensed childcare operation in Girdwood, the facility is essential, especially to support parents who are healthcare providers and first responders. Little Bears Playhouse, Inc. Board of Directors is supportive of this CARES Act request and the demand for childcare in our community. The organization has committed to creating a “Healthcare Parent Priority Policy” should the non-profit utilize a new proposed building, whereby children of healthcare workers would have preference for services rendered at the facility. The proposed facility would also include a designated space for those opting to participate in distance learning programs, consistent with US Treasury Guidelines.
Little Bears currently operates in an extremely dated building with many defects. Roof leaks are not uncommon. Roof snow over 3” must be removed immediately to avoid a possible collapse, per requirement from the Municipality of Anchorage. Currently, Little Bears Playhouse, Inc. is the only non-profit utilizing the deteriorating public building. No other existing Girdwood building has been identified as a suitable replacement for childcare.
During the daycare closure, the COVID crisis provided examples of Girdwood Health Clinic employees taking their children into Anchorage for childcare, returning to Girdwood for work, driving back to Anchorage to pick up children and finally returning home to Girdwood. This is an unrealistic and nearly impossible expectation of most Girdwood working parents. It specifically emphasized the unquestionable need for first-responder childcare being locally available in a safe environment.
Conclusion and Request:
As the COVID-19 crisis evolves, it has become painfully obvious that the Girdwood Clinic and the existing child care center’s current infrastructure is not designed for a current or future pandemic. Creating a safe space for youth and access to childcare services, with emphasis on healthcare professional priority, as well as an expanded clinic, has been identified as a possible solution for our public health and community resiliency.
Girdwood Alliance leadership is in strong support of securing financial means to help our community bounce back from the COVID-19 crisis. Upgrading our health and childcare facilities would expedite our economic recovery process, create new jobs, provide critical public health and childcare capacity for community health in a changed world with greater pandemic risk, consistent with U.S. Treasury guidance on use of CARES Act funds. (See Appendix 3).
Purpose of funds:
To acquire land, or site control satisfactory to the participating non-profits, for the purpose of constructing adequate health, first responder and associated childcare facilities to serve Girdwood and adjacent municipal public areas. The non-profits shall be responsible for the care, upkeep and maintenance of the building(s), in addition to operating expenses and utilities.
Financial breakdown for COVID compliant construction, interior and equipment:
Total Financial CARES Act Funds Request: $10,235,000
Includes:
Girdwood Health Clinic Project – $5,525,000
Childcare Facility Project – $4,710,000
The above number is consistent with other recent development projects in the Girdwood Valley. It considers: Girdwood School Project (2013), prior and current cost projections from Anchorage-based architects, as well as a 2020 municipal estimate for development costs in Girdwood. The 2020 recent cost projection was municipally reviewed by Heritage Land Bank management and municipal legal department.
Appendix 1 – Girdwood First Responders cover a large amount of Municipal land area.
Appendix 2: Additional Details on Girdwood Clinic challenges during the COVID pandemic
We lack a negative pressure room, so if we have a suspected COVID patient in any exam room, we are then unable to use that room for at least 2 hours as we allow for it to ventilate naturally. With only three exam rooms, this is a significant impact.
During COVID we are requiring staff to change into scrubs when they get to work and leave them at the clinic after their shift. Our laundry facility is inadequate to keep up with the cleaning needs. Also, we should upgrade to a washing machine that can kill virus and we do not currently have that. And we do not have the space for a commercial washer and dryer. Right now we have a very small, apartment-style stacked unit.
We lack a shower facility that staff should have access to if they have exposure concern.
We are trying to keep COVID patients in the parking lot for testing, but we lack a dedicated entrance for clinical staff to bring in swabs into the lab. Our options are to 1) go through the lobby which risks patient safety, 2) go through the staff lunch room which risks staff safety or 3) to use the emergency exit out of the x-ray room which potentially contaminates the x-ray room and ties up that space if we have a trauma patient. We are currently using the x-ray room option. This is a very serious concern for us.
We lack any outdoor covering to keep patients and staff out of the elements during parking lot services. We have had to utilize a pop-up tent which can be ineffective given our heavy amount of rain and snowfall in Girdwood.
We are unable to use our cleaning service company during the pandemic. We lack storage space for adequate cleaning supplies. We are storing our cleaning materials in the staff bathroom.
We lack storage space to have a stockpile of PPE, hand sanitizer, testing supplies and mailing materials, test kits and medical supplies. When we do get an order, items are stored in the staff lunch room, administrative offices, in the hallways, etc.
In order to reduce staff exposure we have physically separated provider teams during clinic hours. In order to do this, the Executive Director, the Director of Operations and the Director of Finance have all had to give up their work space/offices in order to accommodate clinical staff. It is challenging, at best, to have the leadership working off-site during a time when so many decisions related to work flow, staff/ patient safety and constantly changing testing and treatment guidelines.
We lack a space for staff audioconference meetings and have had to utilize the staff lunchroom to accommodate these meetings. The lunch room is very small (seats about 5 at a time) so it’s difficult to even maintain any adequate social distancing during meetings.
To eliminate patient exposure we have used telemedicine heavily, but again lack any private space for providers to conduct these appointments unless they are constantly moving from space to space. There are also connectivity issues within the old building that make this challenging.
We do not have a private or secure lab space. This makes it challenging to process labs under HIPAA guidelines if, and when, we have a patient in the clinic. The lab also lacks a sink. Patient samples are processed on a counter in a hallway that patients pass through when going to an exam room.
One of our exam rooms is not plumbed and lacks a sink. We have been unable to secure hand sanitizer so it makes this room virtually unusable for anything other than telehealth appointments. At this time we have two exam rooms and a trauma/x-ray room. We do not have any additional space to handle any significant patient surge.
We lack space to provide therapy services needed to meet the behavioral health demand that we have seen during the pandemic. Currently our behavioral health is through telemedicine only, but we would like to plan to move back to face-to-face services as we head into summer but we do not have a physical space to do this in.
Our nurse case manager is extremely busy working with patients during this time and she does not have a dedicated desk to work from. She floats around to whatever is available.
The clinic lacks any meeting space whatsoever. If the integrative clinical team or the administrative team needs to meet they have to use the staff lunchroom. There is no privacy in this space so sensitive, confidential information, such as PHI or clinic financial information, is difficult to discuss.
Finally, the clinic lacks space for any longer patient support services, such as breathing treatments and/or IV hydration. If/when we do provide these services it ties up a normal exam room that should be utilized for other patients.
“I’ve seen the proposal from the Girdwood community and I think it’s a great proposal … I am 100% supportive of the improved public health infrastructure, Girdwood Clinic, any of those things, so I am happy to support the work that you guys are trying to do and I am looking forward to it. I can totally empathize and it looks like a great project.”
Natasha Pineda – Municipality of Anchorage – Director of Director of Health & Human Services – June 22, 2020 GBOS Special Meeting Re: COVID-19
If you are interested in providing a letter of support for this project, please email [email protected]
This proposal is currently under review with Municipality of Anchorage for CARES Act Funding.
