Press Releases
March 20, 2009
Fair Pursues Alternative Solution to Land Sale
After hearing testimony at the March 12 Alaska State Fair board of directors meeting, the Fair board approved a framework to pursue an alternative to selling a 40-acre parcel of farmland to Northern Industrial Training (NIT) for use as a job skills training center.
The original plans call for NIT to purchase 40 acres of land, formerly part of the Hamilton Farm, to construct a training center, complete with classrooms, a shop, offices, dorms and a cafeteria. In anticipation of the deal, NIT had a site master plan and initial design completed by Architects Alaska, and the Fair was in the process of developing legal documents.
However, in response to concerns – and possible solutions – posed by area farmers and Fair neighbors, the Fair is now considering an alternative solution that seeks to benefit all parties.
“We’re looking at a solution that will meet common goals that are shared by parties directly and indirectly involved in the development of a training school, maintaining a buffer between the fairgrounds and its neighbors, obtaining low-cost capital project and maintenance assistance, retaining farmland and developing financial resources to purchase adjoining land,” said Ray Ritari, Fair manager.
The alternative, which is still in the early stages of development, involves selling NIT an alternative parcel of Fair land, located along the Fair’s southern boundary, which is not shared by residential neighbors. The parcel is smaller than the original site – 30 acres compared to 40 acres – but is closer to the truck range that NIT currently uses to train students. According to Ritari, NIT has agreed to the alternative site, and will move forward immediately following the culmination of the land sale agreement and zoning approvals.
As a result of a suggestion from a farmer at the March 12 board meeting, NIT is also now considering the development of a curriculum for expanding agriculture into other areas of Alaska, including the Bush.
As for the 40-acre parcel of farmland, area farmers have agreed to help obtain funding that will enable the property to be preserved through the Alaska Farmland Trust Corporation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping farmers preserve and protect their land from non-agricultural development through the creation of conservation agreements.
“This new framework came as a result of the Fair listening to its neighbors, the willingness of NIT to consider another location, and the stated desire of the farming groups to become part of the solution and actively support Fair infrastructure development,” Ritari said.
The alternative solution being explored has the potential to offer all the same benefits to NIT, the Fair and the community – with the added benefit of preserving farmland. For example, NIT will still be able to centralize all of its facilities by constructing the new training center in close proximity to the fairgrounds. Meanwhile, the community will still reap the benefits of the new facility, including approximately 80 new temporary and permanent jobs and an estimated $3 million in annual revenue.
Furthermore, area farmers and Fair neighbors will have the certainty that the farmland will be preserved for agricultural use, and the 40 acres will continue to provide a buffer between the fairgrounds and surrounding housing developments.
Finally, the Fair will still receive labor assistance from NIT for grounds development, electrical, plumbing, carpentry and food services. Through the NIT land purchase and the funds from the farmland trust transaction, the Fair will also still obtain the funds necessary to re-purchase a parcel of land from Alaska Demolition, once that land becomes available.
“The farmland trust transaction will take some time to materialize, but that is acceptable as the Alaska Demolition land will not be immediately available for purchase,” Ritari said.
For more information, please contact Ray Ritari at ritari@alaskastatefair.org or 907-746-7162.
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