Latest news with #Anchorage
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Early proposal for homeless parking area in South Anchorage gets backlash from nearby businesses
May 30—The Municipality of Anchorage is pursuing a plan to allow around 50 vehicles to park overnight on two pieces of municipal land. The measure, referred to as "designated parking" by members of Mayor Suzanne LaFrance's administration, is one of several efforts to make new shelter options available for homeless people in the city. Though officials are still in the early stages of the process, one of the city-owned parcels that is a candidate for the vehicle parking site is in South Anchorage, close to several large businesses. This week, rumors about the plan spread on social media sites like Facebook and Nextdoor. By Wednesday, one of the two Assembly members representing South Anchorage was posting to social media about the proposal, referring to it both as a "homeless camp" and "a car camping site." "I learned the same way everybody else did," said Assembly member Keith McCormick on Thursday, explaining he first heard about the nascent proposal through a Facebook post by a local towing company that was widely shared. "I got dozens of emails, phone calls on my personal phone." The potential "designated parking" site in South Anchorage is municipal land, an easement running down what is technically a section of Cordova Street between 104th and 106th avenues and behind a large Bass Pro Shop that many people still refer to as Cabela's, which it used to be before the two companies merged. The administration has not identified other specific locations, but an information sheet prepared by city officials said they are considering "up to two areas for overnight parking" that could host up to 25 vehicles each. The idea from the LaFrance administration is to create a secure place for homeless people living in their cars, trucks or RVs to stay overnight, rather than guiding them into congregate shelters or having them skirt rules by parking on residential streets or big store parking lots. "This is intended to reduce illegal and unsafe car camping and the impact of unmanaged vehicles in residential and public areas during the summer months. It is a seasonal public health and safety measure to help prevent people from parking in unsafe, unauthorized, or high-traffic locations," according to a statement from the mayor's office. The administration said that alongside the new overnight parking areas, they will ramp up police enforcement "against prohibited vehicular camping everywhere else in the Municipality," and plan to introduce an ordinance to the Assembly that would let the municipality impound "any vehicle used for camping outside of designated parking." [Large homeless camp in Davis Park will be cleared in mid-June, Anchorage mayor says] During Mayor Dave Bronson's tenure, members of his administration worked with the Assembly on examining the potential of sanctioning overnight vehicle parking in a controlled environment as a tactic for managing homelessness. Though the plans never came to fruition, an ordinance submitted by the Bronson administration in 2024 and approved by the Assembly that spring tightened prohibitions on homeless encampments and included provisions on permitting "designated safe parking areas." "In recognition of the need for temporary housing for homeless persons living in vehicles, it is the purpose of this section to allow religious, non-profit, and governmental organizations to use property owned or controlled by them as designated safe parking areas, while preventing harmful effects associated with such uses, including crime or public nuisance," the ordinance states. The LaFrance administration pursued the idea. In a document it sent to the Assembly this spring, the administration included a brief description of the "designated parking" plan that was forming. "Vehicles must be roadworthy, and residents must have a valid driver's license. The site will be operated by a contractor who can offer security and facilities including bathrooms and showers," according to the document, titled "Turning the Tide." In a May 21 presentation to the Assembly's Housing and Homelessness Committee, Thea Agnew Bemben, a special assistant to the mayor, told members the administration hopes to have the Anchorage Health Department put out a Request For Proposal, or RFP, early this summer. The city aims to contract out services running the "designated parking" site, enforcing rules, managing the property and making sure occupants have their vehicle registration in order. Many of the operational details involved in the plan will be determined as a contractor is selected and protocols are implemented. According to the city's information sheet, parking will only be allowed overnight, with all vehicles required to leave by 8 a.m. Garbage disposal and bathrooms will be on site. At least two "safety monitors" will be present to ensure rules are followed, and outreach teams will go to the locations to "connect participants to housing, job training, and health care." The program will end in the fall before the weather gets cold. "This will not be a permanent location. Sleeping in vehicles is not safe in the winter, so designated parking will not be available after October. Designated parking is meant to be a temporary, cost-effective way to supplement Anchorage's shelter safety net during the summer," according to the administration. Though the city already has the money it would need to stand up the program, Bemben said the Assembly and public will have a chance to weigh in when the RFP and operations contract come before them. The information was shared by the mayor's office in a public meeting of the Assembly's Housing and Homelessness Committee last week. McCormick, who is vice chair of the committee, did not attend the meeting because of a work conflict. He said the mayor's office did not reach out to the South Anchorage Assembly members to give them a heads-up that the easement on Cordova Street was being looked at. On Thursday, he said he learned about the proposed site from a social media post by Vulcan Towing and Recovery, which leases a sizable vehicle lot running alongside the municipal easement. "Letting everybody know in South Anchorage that this is coming to our neighborhood. Please share this post on all social media sites," wrote Vulcan's owner, Justin Creech, on his Facebook page. "This location they have selected for a homeless camp will be directly next to Cabela's and target off of C St. It is directly next-door to my lot." Vulcan Towing and Recovery did not immediately respond to an email requesting to speak with Creech. A few other individuals with business connections in the area also weighed in online, criticizing efforts to establish homelessness resources in South Anchorage and accusing the mayor's office and Assembly of trying to sneak the policy through. Informal car camps have been a significant issue for the municipality in recent years. A sprawling encampment with a mix of tents and vehicles on Fairbanks Street last year saw a shooting death, widespread drug use, piles of garbage and violence before it was cleared. The year prior, close to 100 vehicles gradually amassed at an enormous encampment around Third Avenue and Ingra Street, including box trucks and dilapidated city buses being rented out to people to sleep in. Many of the people living in cars, trucks, and RVs say they are one of the few safe places for them to stay, store their belongings and shelter from weather, even if the vehicles don't run. In a video he posted to social media, McCormick said he has reservations about the proposal because of its potential impacts on businesses. "We've got Cabela's, (for) all the dads, all the guys, and outdoor ladies here in town. We got Target next door. Huge shopping area," McCormick said in the video. "This is one of the mainstay shopping spots that they just built for South Anchorage. Smashburger. Starbucks. Orangetheory. Yogas, Pilates. Like, this is the happening place to be." In a later interview, McCormick said his other concern is about the "scatter shelter model" of dispersing smaller facilities all around town that are more specifically tailored to the needs of different subgroups of people without permanent homes. "When we spread them out to every reach of our city, we can't get them the services they truly need ... I think we need to consolidate our resources," McCormick said by phone. Another worry he has is that after vehicles leave the designated parking area, they will be driven to lots belonging to nearby stores to wait out the day. "This is the central area for shopping, where moms go to buy diapers at Target," he said. "We're creating an unfriendly business environment in the center of South Anchorage's new shopping area." Farina Brown, a special assistant to LaFrance focused on housing and homelessness, said Thursday that the administration is "very excited to move forward with designated parking," and expects its RFP to be ready in early June, with the aim of having two sites available in July.
CNN
16 hours ago
- General
- CNN
A 700-pound boulder pinned Alaska man face down in a glacier creek for 3 hours
Anchorage, Alaska AP — An Alaska man who was pinned face down in an icy creek by a 700-pound boulder for three hours survived the ordeal with only minor injuries, thanks in part to his wife's quick thinking and lots of luck. Kell Morris' wife held his head above water to prevent him from drowning while waiting for rescuers to arrive after Morris was pinned by the boulder, which crashed onto him during a hike near a remote glacier south of Anchorage. His second stroke of luck came when a sled dog tourism company that operates on the glacier overheard the 911 dispatch and offered up its helicopter to ferry rescuers to the scene, which was inaccessible to all-terrain vehicles. Once rescuers arrived, it took seven men and inflatable air bags to lift the boulder off as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Morris, 61, said he realizes he is probably the luckiest man alive. 'And luckier that I have such a great wife,' he said Thursday. His wife, Jo Roop, is a retired Alaska State Trooper. They moved to Seward, about 120 miles south of Anchorage, from Idaho last fall when she took a job with the local police department. Last Saturday, they wanted to avoid the big crowds that converge on the Kenai Peninsula community during holidays and decided to hike near Godwin Glacier on an isolated and undeveloped trail behind a state prison, Seward Fire Chief Clinton Crites said. Their trail was actually a rocky creek bed lined with large boulders deposited by the glacier. Morris said he noticed dangerous boulders, some weighing up to 1,000 pounds along the banks of the creek and avoided them the best he could, until he ran into an area he couldn't pass. 'I was coming back and everything, the whole side, slid out from under me,' he said. He said things became a blur as he tumbled down the embankment about 20 feet (6 meters), landing face down in the water. Then he immediately felt the boulder hit his back in what Crites described as 'basically an avalanche of boulders.' The way Morris landed, there were rocks under him, in between his legs and around him that caught the weight of the boulder, preventing him from being crushed, Crites said. But the massive rock still had him pinned, and Morris felt intense pain in his left leg and waited for his femur to snap. 'When it first happened, I was doubtful that there was going to be a good outcome,' Morris said. His wife tried to free him for about 30 minutes, putting rocks under the boulder and trying to roll it off him, before she left to find a cell signal. Amazingly, she only had to walk about 300 yards to connect with 911 and relied on her law enforcement experience to send exact GPS coordinates to dispatch. A volunteer at the neighboring Bear Creek Fire Department heard the call while working at the sled dog tourism operation and diverted the helicopter used to ferry tourists to the scene. Ultimately, firefighters who couldn't navigate their all-terrain vehicles over the boulder field jumped out of the helicopter. By this time, Morris was hypothermic from the cold water running off the glacier, Crites said, and his wife was holding his head out of the water. 'I think if we hadn't had that private helicopter assist us, it would have taken us at least another 45 minutes to get to him, and I'm not sure he had that much time,' Crites said. The firefighters used two air bags normally reserved to extract people from wrecked vehicles to slightly lift the boulder. 'But then it just became an all-hands brute force of 'one, two, three, push,'' Crites said. 'And seven guys were able to lift it enough to pull the victim out.' An Alaska National Guard helicopter lifted them out of the creek bed with a rescue basket. Morris spent two nights at the local hospital for observation but walked away unscathed. 'I fully anticipated a body recovery, not him walking away without a scratch on him,' Crites said. Morris, who is now reflecting on his ordeal at home, acknowledged it might have been a little wake-up call to stop doing things like this at his age. 'I was very lucky. God was looking out for me,' he said. When he and his wife go hiking this weekend, they are going to stick to established trails. 'We're going to stop the trailblazing,' he said.
CBC
19 hours ago
- General
- CBC
Alaska man survives being pinned face-down in a glacier creek by a massive boulder for 3 hours
An Alaska man who was pinned face-down in an icy creek by a 318-kilogram boulder for three hours survived the ordeal with no major injuries, thanks in part to his wife's quick thinking and lots of luck. Kell Morris' wife held his head above water to prevent him from drowning while waiting for rescuers to arrive after Morris was pinned by the boulder, which crashed onto him during a hike near a remote glacier south of Anchorage. His second stroke of luck came when a sled dog tourism company that operates on the glacier overheard the 911 dispatch and offered up its helicopter to ferry rescuers to the scene, which was inaccessible to all-terrain vehicles. Once rescuers arrived, it took seven men and inflatable air bags to lift the boulder off as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Morris, 61, said he realizes he is probably the luckiest man alive. "And luckier that I have such a great wife," he said Thursday. His wife, Jo Roop, is a retired Alaska State Trooper. They moved to Seward, about 193 kilometers south of Anchorage, from Idaho last fall when she took a job with the local police department. Last Saturday, they wanted to avoid the big crowds that converge on the Kenai Peninsula community during holidays and decided to hike near Godwin Glacier on an isolated and undeveloped trail behind a state prison, Seward Fire Chief Clinton Crites said. Their trail was actually a rocky creek bed lined with large boulders deposited by the glacier. Morris said he noticed dangerous boulders, some weighing up to 454 kilograms, along the banks of the creek and avoided them the best he could, until he ran into an area he couldn't pass. "I was coming back and everything, the whole side, slid out from under me," he said. He said things became a blur as he tumbled down the embankment about six metres, landing face-down in the water. Then he felt the boulder hit his back. Crites described it as "basically an avalanche of boulders." The way Morris landed, there were rocks under him, in between his legs and around him that caught the weight of the boulder, preventing him from being crushed, Crites said. But the massive rock still had him pinned, and Morris felt intense pain in his left leg and waited for his femur to snap. "When it first happened, I was doubtful that there was going to be a good outcome," Morris said. His wife tried to free him for about 30 minutes, putting rocks under the boulder and trying to roll it off him, before she left to find a cell signal. Amazingly, she only had to walk about 274 metres to connect with 911, and relied on her law enforcement experience to send exact GPS co-ordinates to dispatch. A volunteer at the neighbouring Bear Creek Fire Department heard the call while working at the sled dog tourism operation and diverted the helicopter used to ferry tourists to the scene. Ultimately, firefighters who couldn't navigate their all-terrain vehicles over the boulder field jumped out of the helicopter. By this time, Morris was hypothermic from the cold water running off the glacier, Crites said, and his wife was holding his head out of the water. "I think if we hadn't had that private helicopter assist us, it would have taken us at least another 45 minutes to get to him, and I'm not sure he had that much time," Crites said. The firefighters used two air bags normally reserved to extract people from wrecked vehicles to slightly lift the boulder. "But then it just became an all-hands brute force of 'one, two, three, push,'" Crites said. "And seven guys were able to lift it enough to pull the victim out." An Alaska National Guard helicopter lifted them out of the creek bed with a rescue basket. Morris spent two nights at the local hospital for observation but walked away unscathed. "I fully anticipated a body recovery, not him walking away without a scratch on him," Crites said. Morris, who is now reflecting on his ordeal at home, acknowledged it might have been a wake-up call to stop doing things like this at his age. "I was very lucky. God was looking out for me," he said. When he and his wife go hiking this weekend, they are going to stick to established trails. "We're going to stop the trailblazing," he said.
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Alaska hiker rescued from under 700lb boulder in frigid creek
A hiker in Alaska miraculously survived after he was trapped facedown in a frigid creek for three hours under a massive boulder. Kell Morris was hiking with his wife below a glacier outside the city of Anchorage when a rock slide sent him plunging into the creek. A 700lb (318kg) stone came to rest on top of his leg, pinning him in wife positioned his head out of the water and called for help from rescuers, giving them the exact coordinates of their location. After a few days in hospital, he walked away nearly completely unscathed. The accident occurred on Saturday near Godwin Glacier. Mr Morris says that the rock that pinned him in place landed in a "trough" of other rocks, protecting him from being crushed but preventing him from being able to move. A rescue crew arrived by helicopter and had to use tools to lift the were also working against the clock: the glacier-fed creek was rising as the heat of the day caused ice and snow melt to occur more quickly. "I thought, I'm not going to last long in this water," Mr Morris recalled in an interview on Wednesday with the Anchorage Daily News."The water had gotten up to my chin," Mr Morris said. "I was going in and out of consciousness. I'd been shivering, but I stopped shivering every once in a while."His wife Jo Roop, who works as a police officer for the city of Seward, made sure he was able to hold himself out of the water in a press up position so she could hike to find enough mobile phone service to call for help. She still retained her sense of humour during the ordeal, he told Alaska Public Media (APM), recalling: "She graciously tells me, 'don't go anywhere. I'll be right back.'"Ms Roop was able to provide exact GPS coordinates for their location, according to rescue officials. In a stroke of luck, a volunteer firefighter overheard the radio call for rescue while working for a sled dog tour company. He was able to divert a helicopter used for shuttling tourists to pick up rescuers and take them to the accident site. But the helicopter was not able to land, due to the rough terrain."The patient was in a boulder field and the helicopter could only hover while firefighters had to jump from the helicopter to the ground as the helicopter could not land safely," the Seward Fire Department said in a statement posted to used inflatable airbags to lift the rock, and a National Guard helicopter brought Mr Morris to hospital where he was treated for recovered, Mr Morris says he suffered little more than bruises, and is already back on his feet. "I'm walking and, you know, if there was a band nearby, I'd go dancing tonight," he told APM.
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
Miracle escape for man pinned face-down in icy creek by 700lb boulder
An Alaskan man is lucky to be alive after a 700-pound boulder pinned him face down in an icy creek for three hours. Kell Morris was hiking near a remote glacier south of Anchorage when the accident occurred. His wife's quick thinking was crucial to his survival, as she held his head above water to prevent him from drowning while awaiting rescue. The location of the incident was inaccessible to all-terrain vehicles, but a sled dog tourism company overheard the 911 dispatch and offered their helicopter to transport rescuers to the scene. Upon arrival, it took seven men and inflatable air bags to lift the boulder, freeing Morris as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Despite the ordeal, he sustained only minor injuries. Morris, 61, said he realizes he is probably the luckiest man alive. "And luckier that I have such a great wife,' he said Thursday. His wife, Jo Roop, is a retired Alaska State Trooper. They moved to Seward, about 120 miles (193 kilometers) south of Anchorage, from Idaho last fall when she took a job with the local police department. Last Saturday, they wanted to avoid the big crowds that converge on the Kenai Peninsula community during holidays and decided to hike near Godwin Glacier on an isolated and undeveloped trail behind a state prison, Seward Fire Chief Clinton Crites said. Their trail was actually a rocky creek bed lined with large boulders deposited by the glacier. Morris said he noticed dangerous boulders, some weighing up to 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms), along the banks of the creek and avoided them the best he could, until he ran into an area he couldn't pass. 'I was coming back and everything, the whole side slid out from under me,' he said. He said things became a blur as he tumbled down the embankment about 20 feet (6 meters), landing face down in the water. Then he immediately felt the boulder hit his back in what Crites described as 'basically an avalanche of boulders.' The way Morris landed, there were rocks under him, in between his legs and around him that caught the weight of the boulder, preventing him from being crushed, Crites said. But the massive rock still had him pinned, and Morris felt intense pain in his left leg and waited for his femur to snap. 'When it first happened, I was doubtful that there was going to be a good outcome,' Morris said. His wife tried to free him for about 30 minutes, putting rocks under the boulder and trying to roll it off him, before she left to find a cell signal. Amazingly, she only had to walk about 300 yards (274 meters) to connect with 911 and relied on her law enforcement experience to send exact GPS coordinates to dispatch. A volunteer at the neighboring Bear Creek Fire Department heard the call while working at the sled dog tourism operation and diverted the helicopter used to ferry tourists to the scene. Ultimately, firefighters who couldn't navigate their all-terrain vehicles over the boulder field jumped out of the helicopter. By this time, Morris was hypothermic from the cold water running off the glacier, Crites said, and his wife was holding his head out of the water. 'I think if we hadn't had that private helicopter assist us, it would have taken us at least another 45 minutes to get to him, and I'm not sure he had that much time,' Crites said. The firefighters used two air bags normally reserved to extract people from wrecked vehicles to slightly lift the boulder. 'But then it just became an all-hands brute force of 'one, two, three, push,' ' Crites said. 'And seven guys were able to lift it enough to pull the victim out.' An Alaska National Guard helicopter lifted them out of the creek bed with a rescue basket. Morris spent two nights at the local hospital for observation but walked away unscathed. 'I fully anticipated a body recovery, not him walking away without a scratch on him,' Crites said. Morris, who is now reflecting on his ordeal at home, acknowledged it might have been a little wake-up call to stop doing things like this at his age. 'I was very lucky. God was looking out for me,' he said. When he and his wife go hiking this weekend, they are going to stick to established trails. 'We're going to stop the trailblazing," he said.
