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State Works with Villages on Transportation Plans
Week of January 27, 2003

On January 23, Assembly Chairman Walter Sampson, Borough Planning Director Noah Naylor, State Department of Transportation/Public Facilities representative Mike McKinnon, and I met with people of Ambler, Shungnak and Kobuk to review State transportation plans for our region. The tri-village meeting was hosted by Shungnak, with folks from the other villages coming in by snow machine.

The purpose of the meeting was to provide an update on the planning of both industrial and community transportation projects for the Northwest Arctic Borough and gather public input on the merits of proposed projects. Similar meetings will take place throughout the region so that everyone will have the opportunity to be heard.

Before reviewing the status of plans, I would like to point out that these meetings reflect the strong voice that our people have in determining our future and how fortunate we are to be organized into a Borough government. Unlike parts of rural Alaska outside of the North Slope and Northwest Arctic Boroughs, we have the power to grant and/or add stipulations to permits that are required for development within our boundaries.

The focus of resource development in our state over at least the next four years will be on oil and gas, as announced by Governor Murkowski last week. Plans for transportation corridors from the eastern part of the state to our region have been put to rest for the foreseeable future. The State has determined that neither highway nor railroad transport of ore is economically viable. That information was welcomed by many village residents who didn't like the prospect of more accessibility to the region. The most significant part of the proposed master plan for Red Dog development may be a new, industrial-sized airport at Noatak and a road to the mine. The Village Council will be adopting a resolution to address their position on that development in the near future.

There was a great deal of discussion about local transportation projects. There will be a major push to get all our village runways up to 4,000 feet, with Ambler probably the first in line for extension in 2005. The longer runways will be necessary to handle larger aircraft, which are expected to be primary transporters of fuel to the villages. Dust control for village airports is also being advocated. DOT/PF is examining a number of alternatives for accomplishing that. Bridge repairs and additional bridges for road and trail systems have been brought to the forefront as well, and we can expect good support from the State planners there as well.

There was discussion about constructing a road from Shungnak to Kobuk that would basically follow the power line. We will wait until both village councils have reviewed the subject and passed resolutions before considering the addition of that project to the transportation plan.

Another subject was the need for airport shelters for the convenience and safety of waiting passengers. While many such shelters were constructed in the past in rural Alaska, most were destroyed by vandalism. A different approach, such as combining the shelters with VPSO housing and office space at the airports, might have a better result. Mike McKinnon said his department would explore the concept of a combined facility, which certainly makes sense financially.

I would like to thank Mike and his department officials for making such a solid effort to gather public input. It was clear that the 64 people in attendance welcomed the opportunity to both inform and be informed. I also would like to thank Walter Sampson for serving as an interpreter and all those who took time to participate at the meeting.

While in Ambler and Shungnak, Noah Naylor and I had the opportunity to address students as part of Career Day activities at the respective schools. It is always a special pleasure to have the opportunity to visit with the young people. My message was a simple one: You can accomplish anything if you take the time to identify all the steps it takes to be successful, and then take them one at a time.

Arctic Economic Development Summit: Humbling

Northwest Arctic Borough Assembley President Walter Sampson	NWABSD Superintendent Michael Dunleavy and Asst. Superintendent Robert Boyle flank North Slope Superintendent Freda Arnhart	NANA Regional President Marie Greene
By Mayor Ross Schaeffer, Sr. If I could sum up the conclusion of the 2003 Arctic Economic Development Summit in just one sentence, it would be: I feel so humble to have been a part of this meeting. In fact, I believe all the participants, whether they represented regional leadership, private industry, government, elders or just themselves, were moved by this summit. I would first like to thank the two assembly presidents, Charlotte Brower of the North Slope Borough and Walter Sampson of the Northwest Arctic Borough for chairing the meetings so capably. In the future, their continuing leadership will be very important in meeting our challenge to make a positive difference in every community within the boundaries of both boroughs. Mayor Ahmaogak's dynamic leadership style is much appreciated by all of us. I would like to thank him for his commitment to working together and his patience. I am sure we will be able to move forward on some major joint resource development projects when the economic climate is right and our landowners are ready to move forward. As those who listened closely to the proceedings on the radio know, the primary focus of the summit became the status of our most important resource, the people of our regions. The report of the Workforce Development Task Force painted a graphic picture of the state of affairs for both boroughs ... and it wasn't pretty. Even though most of us had heard segments of this report at various times, the results were overwhelming when presented in total. I was moved almost to tears, as were many others, when fully realizing the extent of alcohol and drug abuse and its impact, the low achievement scores in our schools, the small number of youth taking advantage of postsecondary education, and the extremely high suicide rate. We were all forced to look within ourselves and ask why we are allowing this to happen and then, most importantly, what can we do to affect positive change. On a very positive note, I would like to thank the North Slope people for the wonderful gift that was presented to our borough on their behalf by Jake Adams, President and CEO of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. It is a collection of twelve framed and matted posters depicting Inupiat Illitqusiat values, along with beautiful complementary photographs. I will list those values here, as I believe they must be emphasized and nurtured if we are to overcome the difficulties experienced by so many of our people and felt by all of us. They are Sharing, Cooperation, Humility, Compassion, Knowledge of Language, Family and Kinships, Hunting Traditions, Avoidance of Conflict, Respect for Nature, Humor, Spirituality, and Love and respect for our Elders and one another. Taikuu people of the North Slope for the thoughtful and wonderful gift! All twelve will be proudly displayed in our Assembly Chambers. Finally, I would like to thank all of the sponsors that made donations to the Summit. While there were far too many to list here, each will receive a token of our appreciation. We wouldn't have had this opportunity without your support.