newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS — The Denali Borough would double its portfolio of landholdings under a plan being considered by the state.

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources would transfer nearly 25,000 acres of state-owned land to the borough under the proposal. The department is accepting public comments on the plan through the end of July.

The borough is eligible for the land, which is scattered in chunks along the eastern half of the borough, for free. It qualifies through an entitlement program open to boroughs and municipalities across Alaska.

The Denali Borough formed in 1990 and became immediately eligible for approximately 49,000 acres of property. Denali Borough Mayor Dave Talerico said the Borough Assembly and, during its existence, its Planning Commission followed a “tedious” process as they researched available land, discussed options, collected public comments and selected the best sites.

“We really tried to get as much as we could, spread out” across populated areas along the Parks Highway, he said Thursday.

A map of the proposed land transfer shows the tracts eyed by Denali officials are located largely along the eastern boundary of Denali National Park and Preserve. Much of the land sits just west of Healy. Another stretch is located at the Jack Coghill Bridge to the Interior, sitting between the park’s northeast corner and the city of Anderson.

Talerico said the borough and its residents have yet to determine exactly what to do with the various tracts. He said it will likely sell much of it to private buyers, a move that would require another round of public processes. It also could use some of the land for public parks or facilities and lease more to businesses, he said.

“I think it’s probably (going to be) a mix of making some of it available for private purpose and having some available for commercial lease,” he said.

The state uses its land-transfer program — called the Municipal Entitlement Program — to help local governments expand their tax base, sell land and help public officials create parks and other facilities.

The state said the transfer would require some changes to its 23-year-old Tanana Basin Area Plan, a plan that tells the state how to manage land in one of the largest river drainages in Interior Alaska. The Department of Natural Resources has posted maps and information about the proposed transfer online at www.dnr.state.ak.us/mlw/muni/index.htm.