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Glacier City Gazette

The Glacier City Gazette is locally owned and produced in Girdwood. The 12-page, full color newspaper will be published on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. The Glacier City Gazette’s coverage will include issues important to the Turnagain Arm communities and feature the work of local writers and photographers to reflect the dynamic, vibrant area we live in.

Marc DonadieuThursday, September 15th, 2016 at 12:23pm

The 14th issue of the Glacier City Gazette has been distributed to businesses and should arrive in P.O. boxes soon. With three major front page articles and eye-catching photography throughout, it is our strongest issue yet. I hope you enjoy what you read and see.
Marc Donadieu

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Rich LauterbachWednesday, September 14th, 2016 at 2:41am

I guess I should start going to the GBOS meetings. I have some questions and don't know if they've been asked or answered. What's the chance of Girdwood seceding from the MOA? What services do they provide for us here? If we were independent of the MOA could we elect our own city government, hire our own police force or sheriff and his/her deputies. How did this community become annexed by the MOA? What benefits does Girdwood get from being part of the MOA besides the school system which I question with sincere concern about its effectiveness? This whole business about our local police coverage is a huge mess to state the obvious. I've worked hand in hand in the past with the Whittier Police and have some very serious concerns about their professionalism and effectiveness.

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Marc DonadieuTuesday, September 13th, 2016 at 3:38pm

In Wednesday’s Glacier City Gazette
• Troopers Reject Writing Written Proposal
• FBI Investigates in Girdwood
• Glacier Valley Transit Goes Fare Free
• Marijuana: A Retail Update
• Kerry Dorius Enjoying Retirement
• And much more…
The photo is of Punchbowl Glacier above Girdwood. If you look closely, you can see the mushing trail used for Alpine Air’s Glacier Dog Sledding Tour.

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Marc DonadieuFriday, September 9th, 2016 at 2:10pm

I just received a copy of this email from Col. Cockrell stating AST will not write a policing proposal for Girdwood. The email was obtained from Public Information Officer Megan Peters.

Sent: Friday, September 09, 2016 1:06 PM
Subject: AST Girdwood Proposal

Good afternoon,

After careful deliberation the Alaska State Troopers (AST) have decided not to submit another proposal to enter into a contract providing law enforcement services within Girdwood. At this time, AST is in the process of moving positions to better meet our overall mission, in particular the Kenai Peninsula. After October 1, 2016, AST will no longer have an office in Girdwood. Until a time Girdwood signs a contract with the Whittier Police Department (WPD), AST will respond to Girdwood and the surrounding areas from our Seward/Cooper Landing offices. AST will continue to provide three Bureau of Highway Patrol (BHP) troopers dedicated to enhancing safety on the Seward Highway. It is regrettable that we have to close our Girdwood Post after having a rich history of providing service to the community of Girdwood but times have changed and so have the financial circumstances we now face.

I respect and appreciate everyone’s positions regarding our service in Girdwood. I wish there was another alternative, but at this time our resources are very limited and the foreseeable future doesn’t seem any brighter. There has to be a point when the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) decides how they will provide basic police services to all their citizens living within the MOA. It’s difficult for AST to provide those services within the MOA when we are already struggling to provide police services to our rural areas of the State.

Respectfully,

Colonel James E. Cockrell
Director, Alaska State Troopers
5700 E. Tudor Road
Anchorage, Alaska 99507

--
Megan A. Peters
DPS, Public Information Officer

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Marc DonadieuThursday, September 8th, 2016 at 2:05pm

GBOS Requests AST Policing Proposal
By Marc Donadieu
Glacier City Gazette

At last night’s special GBOS meeting, the sole topic was whether or not to request a written proposal from Alaska State Troopers. After considerable discussion between supervisors and community members, a motion to request an AST policing proposal and receive it in a week passed 3-1. Tommy O’Malley voted against the motion and Robert Snitzer was excused because he was working.

The decision reverses the lack of a motion to consider AST’s proposal alongside Whittier’s at the August GBOS meeting. If AST submits a proposal, the community would be given time to review the document before a community town hall meeting is held to present the proposals, discuss them and let residents choose one. Contract talks will still continue with Whittier, even if AST submits a proposal.

It was also announced that AST will leave its Girdwood post on Sept. 30, and that there will be no more extensions to keep troopers there. AST will only respond to calls at their discretion, which means a major emergency. On Oct.1, there will be no police coverage in Girdwood until a policing contract is signed.

Look for more coverage in the Glacier City Gazette on Sept. 14.

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