Chugach Electric would get free easements to bury power lines in Pop Carr Park

Mayor Suzanne LaFrance has asked the Anchorage Assembly to give Chugach Electric Association free, perpetual, nonexclusive easements to move aging overhead power lines underground across five city lots in Pop Carr Park, off Arctic Boulevard. The ordinance is set for introduction Wednesday, Nov. 4, with a public hearing Tuesday, Nov. 17.

The work would complete an electrical loop Chugach started in 2025. The administration's memorandum says the project would give Willow Crest Elementary School a more reliable, redundant power feed and reduce future outages for the school and the surrounding neighborhood, including the park. It says buried lines are less exposed to weather damage, and the ordinance says removing above-ground equipment would enhance the park's natural character.

The easements cover 10-foot-wide strips totaling about 7,350 square feet. They run along the north edges of four lots in Windemere Subdivision Addition No. 3 and the southeast edge of one lot in Devco Tract No. 1.

The Parks and Recreation Commission, which manages the lots through the Parks and Recreation Department, recommended approval Oct. 8. It found that installing the lines by directional boring, which drills underground rather than digging a trench, is not expected to significantly impair public use of the park.

City code requires Assembly approval to dispose of an interest in city land, but not for easements the Assembly finds to be without substantial value. The Municipal Attorney's Office determined that test measures the effect on the city's ownership of the land, and that these easements have none. The ordinance would have the Assembly make that finding. The memo says the deal has no immediate economic impact.

The Assembly took up similar requests in June, when Chugach sought permanent easements through Russian Jack Springs Park and Ira Walker Park to bury aging lines, Alaska News reported June 18.

If approved, the ordinance would take effect immediately.