This Week in Fairbanks: April 14, 2023
A quieter week
Happy Friday, everyone!
The unending snow and cold earlier this week had me pretty miserable.
It looks like we might finally have some warmer weather on the horizon. It’s a beautiful day, currently over 60 degrees on the deck (!), which will hopefully kick off a nice (if not quite springy) weekend. Fingers crossed! It’s felt like a long winter.
A little quieter in the Fairbanks area than last week, but still a good deal going on. Something you’d like included, or that I’ve otherwise missed? Please let me know via a comment or email reply.
2023 Trail Running Film Festival on Sunday
Don't miss the first Trail Running Film Festival in Fairbanks this year! It will be held at Birch Hill Ski Center this Sunday, April 16, evening starting at 6pm. Tickets are $16 for adults and $12 for students and military. You can purchase tickets ahead of time at this link, or at the door.
The Monroe High School cross country team will be selling refreshments as a team fundraiser, so please bring cash.
As Vice President of Running Club North, very proud of Erica for bringing this event to Fairbanks.
Troopers Rescue Moose
A moose fell through the ice in Fairbanks on Easter, and a group of troopers and residents managed to free and pull it to shore. The moose turned out okay, and eventually wandered off.
A happy ending with a good reminder to be wary of the seasonal melt.
Plus, look at his little face!
Polaris Building Begins Demolition
Residents gathered on Wednesday, April 12 to celebrate the history of the iconic Fairbanks Polaris building, and to take turns swinging hammers and champaign bottles. The annex should be demolished by early May, with demolition of the rest of the building planned to begin this fall.
Constructed in downtown Fairbanks, the Polaris Hotel was initially built as an apartment complex in 1952, with an additional annex added in 1973. Subsequently repurposed as a hotel, it continued to operate until it was forced to close.
The hotel had been abandoned and remained in disrepair until it was eventually foreclosed upon due to unpaid taxes, and is now under the ownership of the City of Fairbanks.
Last March, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted $10 million in federal funds for the demolition of the Polaris Building, in response to a spending request by Senator Lisa Murkowski. The EPA deemed the building to be both a seismic and human health risk, and streamlined the city's demolition plan in November.
The building will be stripped of hazardous materials as part of the demolition process. The non-hazardous materials will be transported to the Fairbanks North Star Borough landfill.
The community will be able to offer input with what to do with the space in the near future: ideas I’ve heard include a building a low barrier shelter, parking spots, a park, and more.
3 Old Guys Arrive in Fairbanks
On Wednesday, Rob Hallstrom (65) from Park Rapids, Minnesota, Rex Hibbert (70) from Soda Springs, Idaho, and Paul Dick (72) from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, known as the "3 Old Guys”, successfully concluded their over 5,000-mile-long snowmachine journey from Grand Rapids to Fairbanks, Alaska.
Amassing tens of thousands of followers on social media, the (self-titled) 3 Old Guys documented their month-long journey with daily updates and other factoids about their experience, the places they visited, and people they met. Their journey ended at Pikes Landing, where community members welcomed them with drinks and a lot of cheer.
It was fun to follow along in real time!
Borough Assembly Talks Budget
The Borough Assembly has begun to the process of gathering community and department input on the annual budget, which will affect capital improvement project possibilities, the taxable mill rate, the local contribution for school funding, and much more. The proposed budget is available here, and I offered up a quick summary of my early thoughts last week.
More thoughts coming soon!
Cold Climate Housing Research Center Springtime Events
The Cold Climate Housing Research Center has a great slate of springtime classes happening over the next few weeks. Topics include home efficiency, weatherization, and heat pumps: as a somewhat-new homeowner, I’m particularly interested in the heat pump discussion. They can heat through the winter and cool in the summer, and new federal tax incentives help make them even more appealing.
You can learn more and sign up for the classes here.
5th Annual Young Professional Council Professional Development Half-Day Summit is Next Week
Try saying that 5 times fast!
Attendees will hear about the importance of setting boundaries, goal setting, personal branding, team building, conflict management, and leadership. They will also receive multiple opportunities to network with other young professionals from the area.
The Young Professionals Council (YPC) aims to establish a professional network that empowers young leaders in the Interior through community involvement, professional development, and networking. They hold monthly membership meetings, networking events, and a yearly professional development summit.
The summit is Friday morning from 8:30am to 1pm at the Fairbanks Pipeline Training Center. More information and a link to register (by Monday, April 17) can be found here.
I was signed up and hoping to go, but unfortunately had a work event pop up. Next year!
Enjoy the sunshine and have a great weekend!
Thanks, as always, for reading. I appreciate you.