Anchorage trails plan keeps Muldoon trail but drops JBER from its name

The Air Force asked Anchorage to delete a proposed trail along the edge of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Planners kept it, took the base's name out of the title, and redrew it as a hatched corridor instead of a line on the ground.

JBER made the request during the public comment period this winter, saying the trail was incompatible with its mission. That stretch of installation boundary is "mostly unsecured, easily accessible by the public, and has a high incidence of trespassing resulting in delayed and cancelled training opportunities impacting Soldier readiness," the base wrote.

Planners kept the concept anyway, citing "substantial public support received and the potential for a trail in this location to connect existing park land through an underserved neighborhood," while acknowledging the landowner does not support it. Leaving it in the plan, they wrote, keeps room to find a route the base can live with.

The idea has been around a while. A connection along the military-civilian boundary "has been documented in plans since 1979 and continually supported by the community," the plan says. The 2013 East Anchorage District Plan carried the same concept and flagged the same conflict with live training safety zones.

The trail would run north and south between Muldoon neighborhoods, Far North Bicentennial Park and Chugach State Park. Planners rate it high priority, long timeframe, and in the most expensive tier. Far North Bicentennial draws an estimated million visitors a year. One possible funding source is the voter-approved Chugach State Park Access Service Area.

The draft carries no updated maps or figures, which planners attributed to time and budget. A version with new maps may follow if the plan is approved.

AMATS staff have recommended approval, and its Technical Advisory Committee takes up the plan Thursday.