Downtown Association of Fairbanks Summer 2009 Rediscover ...

[Pages:8]Downtown Association of Fairbanks

Summer 2009

Rediscover

Downtown Fairbanks

Inside this Issue:

Rediscover Downtown

1

Current Topics

2

Downtown Member List

3

Security Downtown

4

BP Midnight Sun Sponsors 5

Vision Fairbanks

6-7

BP Midnight Sun T-Shirts 8

Board Members:

Just like when the steamboat Lavelle hit ground and gold was discovered, downtown Fairbanks is still a place with hidden riches. Now, a hundred years later, we are ready to write the next chapter of our colorful history. A chapter filled with revitalization, prosperity and delight. New construction, major renovations, and landscaping are coming together to create an atmosphere filled with pride and potential.

The Chena Riverwalk, the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center, the Doyon Limited building, the

Rabinowitz Courthouse, Griffin Park, the new pedestrian bridge, improvements to the Golden Heart Plaza, and a multitude of new restaurants and businesses opening downtown, have brought real, positive changes to our downtown.

Pick up a copy of the new Fairbanks Downtown Guide and come and explore the wide variety of shops, cafes and activities right here in our golden heart city. The flowers are blooming and the sun is shining, it truly is time to come back, and Rediscover Downtown Fairbanks.

Therese Sharp Monty Rostad Ken Henry Georjean Seeliger Nelson Traverso Cindy Schumaker Buzzy Chiu Bart LeBon Charles Bettisworth Suzi Waugaman Gary Conaster Peter Beaver Frank Eagle

Be a part of the excitement!

Join the Downtown Association of

Fairbanks today.

410 Cushman Street Fairbanks, AK 99701

Ph. 907-452-8671 Fax. 907-457-8859

I

Antler Arch Going Up Downtown

The Downtown Association of Fair- caribou and moose antlers, will add inter-

banks, in conjunction with The Morris est and beauty to our downtown.

Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center,

While writing the proposal, the town

submitted a proposal to build an antler of Jackson Wyoming, of antler arch fame,

arch adjacent to the Chena River walk, was contacted to hear their viewpoint on

behind the Morris Thompson Center, to antler arches. It was good to find out that

the Fairbanks North Star Borough Parks over the past 50 plus years, their four ant-

and Recreation Commission on May 11th, ler arches have brought nothing but

2009.

prominence and prosperity to their town.

The commission unanimously ap-

And it's great to know that the Chief En-

proved the proposal and the GHEMM gineer of Jackson is cheering us on and

Company Inc. is preparing to begin the wishing Fairbanks well with our forth-

project. The arch, made out of donated coming arch.

Downtown Association of Fairbanks Newsletter

Page 2

Parking Authority Considers on Street Parking

Jerri Sapp, Operations Director Extraordinaire for the Downtown Association, is going to have a baby! Like a mid-summer's sweet dream, Jerri and her husband are expecting in mid-July. Their first baby "Sappling", will be a fourth generation Alaskan.

With direction from Mayor Strle, Director of Public Works Mike

Schmetzer has developed a plan to add on-street parking to the four city blocks between Cushman and Noble, 2nd and 3rd. Specifically:

7 to 8 spaces on north side of 2nd between Lacey and Noble with north lane of 2nd, east of Lacey becoming left turn-only;

2 to 3 spaces on north side of 3rd, adjacent to the parking garage; 2 to 3 spaces on north side of 3rd, adjacent to Courthouse Square.

This plan will be considered by the Parking Authority Board of

Directors June 10 at 8 AM in the Marriot Board Room.

The Downtown Association supports adding on-street parking and in

this instance considers Schmetzer's plan a splendid use of available,

unutilized asphalt. We credit the Mayor with helpful policy direction, and

credit Mike and his staff for developing a simple, workable plan.

We wish them the very best of every little thing and look forward to seeing their beautiful baby.

Check out our new Website @

Downtown Association of Fairbanks Newsletter

Page 3

Downtown Association of Fairbanks Member List

5th Avenue Design & Graphics, Inc. A Bed and Breakfast Inn on Minnie Street Advance Printing Co., Inc. Ah, Rose Marie Bed & Breakfast Alaska Heritage House Alaska House Art Gallery Alaska Public Lands Information Center Alaska Rag Company Alaska Rare Coins Alaskan Gold Rush Fine Jewelry All Seasons Bed & Breakfast Arctic Travelers Gift Shop Aurora Energy, LLC Bahn Thai Baker & Associates, Inc. Beads and Things Bettisworth North Architects and Planners, Inc. Big Daddy's Bar-B-Q Big I Pub & Lounge Big Ray's Bobby's Downtown Bridgewater Hotel C & A Distributors Calypso Farm & Ecology Center Carlson Center The Cat's Meow Chatanika Lodge

Chena Hot Springs Resort Chez World Cooking School Co-Op Diner Cook & Haugeberg, LLC The Craft Market Dance Theatre Fairbanks Denali State Bank Dick Randolph Insurance Agency, Inc. The Diner Ebony & Ivory Elegant Memories Antiques Fairbanks Bed & Breakfast Fairbanks Community Museum Fairbanks Convention & Visitors Bureau Fairbanks Ice Museum Fairbanks Memorial Hospital & Denali Center Fairbanks Parking Authority Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre Fairbanks Title Agency Festival Fairbanks First National Bank of Alaska The Fudge Pot The Fur Factory Gambardella's Pasta Bella Glow Putt Alaska Golden Valley Electric Association Great Northwest, Inc. Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Hops Hallmark If Only...a fine store Information Insights, Inc. Interior Alaska Fish Processors, Inc. JL Properties, Inc. Journey Christian Church Kenneth A Murray Insurance, Inc. The Knotty Shop Kohler, Schmitt & Hutchinson L'assiette de Pomegranate L64 Design LTD. Lavelle's Bistro Law Office of Nelson Traverso Loretta Ann Inn MAC Federal Credit Union Marshall Arts Design McCafferty's, A Coffee House, Etc. Mecca Bar Midnite Mine Mocha Dan's Caf? Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center Mt. McKinley Bank Music Room New York Life Out in Alaska

PhotoSymphony Productions, Inc Pike's Waterfront Lodge Red Couch Regency Fairbanks Hotel River City Caf?' & Espresso River City Investments, LLC Ron's Service & Towing Inc. Royal Celebrity Tours Rural Alaska Insurance Agency, Inc. Sadler's Home Furnishings Soapy Smith's Pioneer Restaurant The Stash Sunrise Bagel & Espresso Suzi Waugaman Towne House Motel & Steward Apartments The Turtle Club UAF Tanana Valley Campus Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc Walsh, Kelliher & Sharp, CPA's Westmark Fairbanks Hotel and Conference Center Willow Physical Therapy, LTD. Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race Yukon Title Company, Inc.

Members of the Downtown Association of Fairbanks enjoy many promotional benefits. The Diner restaurant was the first winner of our new Member Spotlight, one component of our current promotional campaign. The other components include our Live after Five posters, our new and improved website and the 2009 Fairbanks Downtown Guide.

Downtown Association of Fairbanks Newsletter

Page 4

Security Presence Downtown

On behalf of Mayor Strle, you are invited to a meeting to

discuss a community response to downtown security issues:

June 9th 6:30 ? 7:30 PM

City Council Chambers

The Community Service Patrol and the Fairbanks Police Department team-up on Summer Security

Effective June 1, the Community Service Patrol will resume `normal' staffing levels of three Ambassadors wearing new uniforms. While the Ambassadors' primary job is to ensure behavior downtown stays within norms good for business, the new uniforms will identify our Ambassadors as such to visitors.

Most importantly, you can expect the CSP to log more time downtown. They will be a foot-patrol with access to a van ? not a van patrol that sometimes walks. As the accompanying map illustrates, they will patrol a smaller area ? a downtown core. This new boundary was established in consultation with many parties and was drawn with reference only to: incidence report logs, prevalence/density of commercial and retail activity, boundaries of other supplemental service providers, and available resources ? we believe a small force can effectively patrol a smaller area.

The FPD has detailed Officer Adams downtown on bike patrol, though he remains available to city-wide call-out.

Rediscover Downtown Fairbanks

Downtown Fairbanks is home to an amazing array of talented artists and musicians. Look for Live after Five's eye-catching poster of weekly events showcasing all of the exciting things to do downtown in the evening.

The map above details the Supplemental Service Area Boundaries for various organizations downtown. The dark yellow line indicates the new Community Service Patrol boundary.

Downtown Association of Fairbanks Newsletter

Thank you BP, Title Sponsor of the 2009 Midnight Sun Festival

Eclipse: $1,250 and above

Solstice: $250 and above

Royal Caribbean International, Inc 9th Army Band

Towne House Motel & Steward River City Investments, LLC

Apartments

Bridgewater Hotel

ConocoPhilips

Doyon, Limited

Sadler's Home Furnishings

Mt. McKinley Bank

Sani-Can, Inc.

Mecca Bar

Alaska Waste

Fairbanks Parking Authority

Walmart

Yukon Title Company, Inc

The Turtle Club

Midnight Sun: $500 and above

Kohler, Schmitt & Hutchison, PC SPF 100: $100 and above

SpringHill Suites by Marriott

Christopher S. Nash, LLS

Big Ray's

Goldpanners Chevron

First National Bank Alaska

Cook & Haugeberg, LLC

MAC Federal Credit Union

Denali Industrial Supply, Inc.

JL Properties, Inc.

The Stash

Mt. McKinley Bank

Stephenson, CPA

Denali State Bank

Willow Physical Therapy

If Only...a fine store

Dance Theatre Fairbanks

Walsh Kelliher & Sharp, CPA

Yukon Quest International

Festival Fairbanks

Golden Valley Electric Association

Page 5

Downtown Association of Fairbanks Newsletter

Page 6

Implementing

CALENDAR:

? Illinois Street Reconstruction Public Hearing: June 3rd, 4-7 PM Noel Wien Library

Implementation of the Vision Fairbanks Downtown Plan has been underway since its adoption by the Borough Assembly on August 21, 2008. A 20-year revitalization plan, Vision Fairbanks will enhance pride in and encourage economic development in downtown Fairbanks. The first two implementation steps are the adoption of Standards and Guidelines and restoring two-way traffic flow to Cushman Street. Standards and Guidelines `get ahead of the curve', and Cushman two-way will change the game downtown.

Standards and Guidelines

? Downtown Security Meeting : June 9th, 6:30 ? 7:30 PM City Council Chambers

? Parking Authority Board of Directors Meeting: June 10th, 8 AM Marriot Board Room

? Vision Fairbanks Drafting Committee: June 11th, 4 PM Downtown Association

? Pre-Midnight Sun Festival Meeting for Downtown Business Owners: June 16th, 6:30-7:30 PM Downtown Association

? 2009 BP Midnight Sun Festival: June 21st, Noon to Midnight

Standards and Guidelines will create a stable investment environment for redevelopment and revitalization downtown. Authored by drafting committees comprised of Fairbanks volunteers and City and Borough officials, with help from consultant Crandall Arambula, Standards and Guidelines embody Fairbanksans' expectations of the downtown built environment (buildings and public right-of-way). It is an important first step to get the community's expectations `on the books' through a combination of City and Borough code to get ahead of the curve as Fairbanks steers downtown re-development to form an atmosphere comfortable for people, conducive to commerce and recreation.

The drafting committees have nearly completed updating the Standards and Guidelines with hundreds of public comments from the February, 2009 public workshop hosted by the Downtown Association to present the draft Standards and Guidelines to Fairbanks. Once updated, we will have final working documents from which to derive enacting ordinances for consideration by the City Council and Borough Assembly. The ordinance adoption process ? another Vision Fairbanks public process ? will be underway (we estimate) by late summer.

Cushman Street Two-Way

Cushman Street is an early implementation piece because it will change the game downtown. Restoring two-way traffic flow to the Cushman corridor will make it a place to be ? a signature street ? not a thoroughfare (Noble and Barnette will serve as mobility streets). Additionally, it is true of Cushman two-way that:

? Stimulate new development and private investment downtown; ? Intentionally reduce traffic speeds to create a safe pedestrian environment; ? Widen sidewalks for pedestrians;

Downtown Association of Fairbanks Newsletter

VISION FAIRBANKS

? Include on-street parking for better access to shops and services; ? Reduce out-of-direction travel, fuel consumption, and driver

frustration in getting to downtown destinations; ? Demonstrate the community's commitment to implement the

plan; ? Accommodate emergency vehicles and snow removal; ? Uses state funds that cannot be re-allocated without FMATS Pol-

icy Committee concurrence and legislative approval; ? Meshes with the Illinois Street project and Barnette Bridge.

Two-way Cushman remains on track after early scrutiny and a minor adjustment. First, we re-confirmed that two-way circulation works with the Illinois Street Project's "signalized" intersection north of the Chena River ? and it does (see Cushman-Barnette Intersection Revision on ). Second, because Cushman two-way relies on Barnette Street going two-way, the timing of converting this "couplet" is doubly critical. The City of Fairbanks sought and won approval for a measure from the Fairbanks Metropolitan Area Transportation System policy committee that allows the City to convert the couplet all the way to the Chena River all at once ? not piecemeal, as originally planned. This `delay' implies the City's need to engineer the Barnette side of the couplet, a process only possible should the Federal Highway Administration approve a pending DOT request to change the scope of the Illinois Project to drop Barnette 1st to 7th from the Illinois Project's scope.

In sum, the Cushman/Barnette couplet will convert to two-way as soon as phasing with the Illinois Street Project allows, perhaps as early as 2011. Finally, the Downtown Association of Fairbanks will work with the Alaska legislature as necessary to complete the two ?way conversions, replete with wider sidewalks for pedestrians and Cyclists, and ADA compliant features.

With the Standards and Guidelines almost ready to debut before the City Council and the Borough Assembly, and with Cushman 2-way pointed in the right direction, the Downtown Association is taking early steps to recruit retail, restaurants, offices and services to ? first and foremost! ? increase the occupancy rate downtown.

Page 7

Renew

Exhibition

The University of Alaska Museum of the North's recent special exhibition, RENEW: Fairbanks Cityscapes, featured two map images from the Vision Fairbanks plan as well as a host of other images, objects and artworks from various downtown landmarks.

The exhibition was topical and relevant to the Downtown Association's goals of promoting, preserving and revitalizing downtown.

The image below is titled: A Mix of Uses and was featured in the exhibition. The various colors represent different types of land uses. A Mix of Uses shows how each parcel ? or city block ? or the downtown as a whole ? is a microcosm serving multiple needs.

Downtown Association of Fairbanks Newsletter

Page 8

Join us June 21st from Noon until Midnight for the biggest &

best Solstice Festival Ever!

Thousands

B and efore the beginning of recorded time thousands

people have been celebrating the return of of visitors,

the sun. In the sub-arctic, the swift arrival families

of light culminates on June 21, also known and friends, 180 booths of arts, crafts,

as summer solstice. Fairbanks, so subjected merchandise, information, food and fun.

to the extremes of forty below and waning Great shopping, three stages with over 30

daylight for so many winter months, sees live performances, featuring the best local

the summer solstice like few other

musical talent, playing all day and evening

locations on the planet. Thus downtown long. 3x3 basketball tournament, classic

Fairbanks has become the wellspring of the cars, gold panning, kid's games, a petting

biggest single day event in Alaska.

zoo, remote control car racing, sidewalk

At noon on June 21st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th art, face painting and so much more.

Avenues are closed to traffic and become The kids search for snow cones and cotton

pedestrian only. Booths go up, grills start candy, Dad hunts for the BBQ and Mom

cooking, music starts playing, passionate looks for fresh squeezed lemonade, the day

people set up displays and start telling their has begun. The positive energy is palpable.

stories. Sun seekers start heading

Come and be surrounded by the aromas,

downtown.

the melodies, and the warmth that defines

the Midnight Sun Festival.

Come to the Downtown Association office from 11am to 4pm to pick up your 2009 collectible Midnight Sun T-shirt. Adult sizes Small to XXX Large: $20.00. Youth sizes Small, Medium & Large: $15.00. In Glacier Blue & Spruce Green.

Ask about discounts for Downtown Association Members.

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