The acting mayor of Anchorage says the city will not buy America’s Best Value Inn as part of an overall plan to address the need for additional shelter and housing caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson had already backed out of purchasing the Tudor Road Alaska Club building to provide services to vagrants and homeless in Anchorage.
But Quinn-Davidson did go ahead with the purchase of the Golden Lion Hotel on 36th and New Seward earlier this month, a purchase that came in at over $9 million.
The Golden Lion, Alaska Club, and America’s Best Value were part of a four-building purchase authorization by the Municipal Assembly to spread services and shelters throughout various districts in Anchorage, and take the burden off of the urban core, where most of the social problems related to homelessness and drug or alcohol addiction are centered.
But meanwhile, 120 homeless people are being housed at former Mayor Mark Begich’s Aviator Hotel on 4th Avenue in downtown Anchorage. Begich acquired the sprawling building earlier this year. Without customers, Begich cut a deal with the city to house homeless, at a rate not yet revealed by the municipality.
The highly controversial Ordinance 2020-66 authorized the purchase of specific buildings as part of former Mayor Ethan Berkowitz’ plan to expand the homeless industrial complex in Anchorage.
After he resigned in disgrace, Acting Mayor Quinn-Davidson inherited the project, which she had approved as part of the Anchorage Assembly, which directed some of the CARES Act funds from the federal government for the ambitious project.
The America’s Best Value Inn on Spenard Road backs up to a dormitory-style building that houses youth from villages who come into Anchorage for training. As it turns out, like the Tudor Road building, repairs would cost too much.
“Through the due diligence process, which the MOA uses before acquiring any property, significant costly repairs and mandatory upgrades were identified, including extensive upgrades to the elevators, stairwells, plumbing and electrical systems, and repairs to the exterior siding and roof. While some mandatory upgrades and repairs were anticipated, the costs of these upgrades and repairs were so high as to make acquisition no longer in the best interest of the municipality,” the acting mayor wrote.
“COVID-19 created an acute shortage of shelter space in Anchorage. The Municipality addressed the problem by standing up the mass shelter at the Sullivan Arena, however, that is not a permanent solution. The Sullivan Arena was not designed or intended to function as a shelter, and operating it as one costs almost $1 million per month. This cost is temporarily being reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Providing more housing options will return the Sullivan Arena to general community use, save the Municipality money, and help reduce homelessness in Anchorage, ensuring residents aren’t left out in the cold,” she wrote.
“The Anchorage Assembly previously directed the MOA to create additional shelter space, supportive housing, and support services outside of the downtown area; the MOA will continue vetting properties that meet that criteria,” she wrote.
Tents! Plant a new Tent City and encourage homeless people to do what Anchorage founders did in the early 1900s. Bring Sherif Joe Arpaio out of retirement to set it up.
Make ‘em beg to go to Seattle…
yes and please when he’s done there can he come to Juneau
Sadly it sounds like Anchorage is going to basically be creating “Projects” for the poor. It took this country decades to move away from this type of housing. We had them in our town back east but somehow they were able to help people with jobs and get into affordable single family, or duplex housing. They tore down those old buildings and the city has been a better place for all to live.
I smell a rat
That rat being a former 1 term Senator and mayor. I’m thinking that Mr. rent a car Halcro also has a hand in this. Birds of a feather flock together.
So glad we got downtown to house the bums.
Begich cut a deal with the city to house homeless, at a rate not yet revealed by the municipality.
Anchorage, what a mess. Even the pretend acting mayor knows they done messed up.
If the current, radically and authoritarian leftist, municipal ass-embly had even half as much concern for honest, decent, contributing, socially and economically involved citizens — many of whom are hurting and suffering as a direct result of the municipality’s heavy-handed and overreaching lockdowns and mandates — as they do for vagrants, substance abusers and bums, this city would be a far better, nicer, and saner place.
So why don’t we know what it’s costing us to house folks in the Aviator? So much BS.
Yes it sounds like conflict of interest or insider dealing. This is exactly why you cannot trust a politician. They lie and steal to make more money off the taxpayer. Why would anybody vote for that?.
Anchorage, Alaska……All American City…….
for the homeless. Come on over. We’ll leave the light on!
Even Motel 6 knows when to turn off the lights.
What do the homeless usually do for meals? Room service? Use their cellphones for pizza delivery? Maybe the Libtards on the Assembly will allow a few restaurants to cook up meals for the homeless. So nice to know that Libtards get their priorities straight.
But think……if you get enough homeless settled down and squared away in nice digs, Dr. Al Gross will be able to catch a few more harvested ballots in 2026.
Is this or was this not a conflict of interest by the ousted Mayor?
But meanwhile, 120 homeless people are being housed at former Mayor Mark Begich’s Aviator Hotel on 4th Avenue in downtown Anchorage. Begich acquired the sprawling building earlier this year. Without customers, Begich cut a deal with the city to house the homeless, at a rate not yet revealed by the municipality.
The fourth purchase was from Catholic Social services for a building on a piece of property the taxpayers already own. Any idea where that is in the process?
Excellent write up! I had no idea that the Aviator Hotel was owed by Begich
Pretty soon if Anchorage Democrats and Moderate Republicans don’t stop these people playing God for their lacking God, creating a benevolent government replacing God’s benevolence and compassion, they will do as Minneapolis, MN done open a city park for homeless tent living until the same democrats and Moderate Republicans are overwhelmed by the addiction, litter, and crime in their neighborhood park before city council forces the elect to kick the homeless out after letting them move onto the park.
The problem our generations created which includes the now gone WWII generation its too big for us solving that can only be solved by God if people like these democrats and moderates can humbly accept our weakness we don’t have answers solving every problem. Even if a country had a variety of good paying jobs available there will still be a problematic homeless population.
The homeless have always been around. There were homeless and Addicts in the 1800’s thru every decade. The problematic vagrants struggled with the same entitlement issues as today’s homeless. Back then though there were less people feeling sorry for one another’s misfortunes. Back then more people minded their own business and focused more on their life and their community business life. Because of the type of Christianity people adopted, they virtual signal Christian kindness because of having no relationship with God and they don’t even know what is written inside the Bible about helping the poor, the demonic possessed, and the generational cursed.
There is a scripture coming to mind from Mathew 7:3-5 talking about how is one can to correct another when they can’t see because of what is in their eye?
The Anchorage Assembly is dishing out Federal funds when they are clearly unable to legislate via clarity, truth and any form of public goodwill?
Despicable.
Wow, a sweet deal for Begich. He rents his hotel to the city and will be at 100% capacity 24/7. You could never get that in the private sector. I imagine the city will be on the hook for all the damages and theft that will occur. They will eventually need security and medical staff present also. I guess we can call this Democrat privilege.
We note, cynically, that Anchorage’s easily corruptible mail-in vote scheme means 120 homeless potential Democrat voters are housed at former Mayor Mark Begich’s Aviator Hotel on 4th Avenue in downtown Anchorage.
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This and other establishments have physical addresses, so it seems reasonable to expect city officials or contractors to fill them with bums,
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… and register the bums to vote, and help them vote at their new physical addresses, regardless of whether bums choose to stay at their new physical addresses.
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Think about this… Anchorage’s Assembly forced their easily corruptible mail-in ballot scheme on voters to make sure no bond, tax, or incumbent gets left behind.
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Now Anchorage’s Assembly has a 120-vote head start to assure their scheme stays in place forever.
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And this… stuffing downtown and mid-town Anchorage with enough bums (voters)
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means Anchorage’s Assembly can justify stuffing their ranks with more Assembly members
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… and assure they stay in place forever.
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Everybody, even Anchorage’s Fraudulent Hyphenated-Mayor, wins, yes?
Morrigam you you are right on Wouldn’t it be nice if they had our streets plowed and sanded. Wonder how much money the powerful have pocketed with their Antics.
They’re right back where they were, basically down the street. They need to be shipped to some remote area, NOT BEING IN ANY NATIVE LANDs.. AND WITH NO DRUGS OR ALCHOL ALLOWED to dry out and their survival will be their “salvation” By creating their own community and surviving WITHOUT DRUGS AND ALCOHOL and being productive, they might see their worthiness of living. I know people will scoff at this suggestion. But they are in the same surroundings which feeds their problems and habits.
Excellent and it would actually improve their life.
I am going out on a limb here, but I bet Begich is charging the city probably 25/30% more then the going rate plus any damages.
” The Municipality addressed the problem by standing up the mass shelter at the Sullivan Arena, however, that is not a permanent solution. The Sullivan Arena was not designed or intended to function as a shelter, and operating it as one costs almost $1 million per month.”
I am glad to see that the Acting Mayor recognizes that spending almost a million dollars a month on housing the homeless is a bad idea.
I am curious as to just how much she is willing to spend.
What about the money, it has already been laundered, I mean allocated, for the purchase of these properties.
I can’t say I’m sorry The Assembly is backing out of the purchase because of a list of “required” repairs. I hope The Assembly recognizes, through this, the crushing burdens often placed on people, families, and businesses by their requirements. These edicts bury dreams and stifle opportunity daily.
And where might the Native Corporations voices and monetary empathy be??
Can ya lend a hand?
So, let’s see if we have this correct.
Acting mayor decides the hotel in her district is not good enough, but decides to purchase on in another district? What are the odds????
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This is my surprised face.
The homeless in SoCal are using “adverse possession” as a legal tool to gain entry into unused or temporarily abandoned houses. Then, they take them over and sometimes win. The legal remedy to this theft is to post “no trespassing” signs around your home. Or, just hire a house sitter if you leave town, and arm them with an AR15. A reliable remedy.
Buy it put the mayor an city council inside an lock em up
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