The Anchorage Assembly is set to consider a $75,000 spending proposal at its Tuesday meeting that would fund weekend shuttle service to grocery stores for residents of the Fairview neighborhood. The proposed spending is a surprise “laid on the table” agenda item placed at the last minute in order to prevent public participation.
Proposed by Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, the spending aims to address the community impact of the recent closure of the Carrs grocery store on Gambell Street, which shut its doors on May 10.
The store, for 50 years a neighborhood grocery and pharmacy for Fairview residents, has long been a hang out for inebriates, thieves, and vagrants. It closed due to financial losses from chronic shoplifting and due to broader public safety issues for both employees and shoppers in the area. Rather than addressing lawlessness, LaFrance and the liberal Assembly are providing shuttle services.
The mayor’s proposal would provide free rides to grocery stores located approximately two miles away in Midtown Anchorage, including Fred Meyer and Carrs at the intersection of New Seward Highway and West Northern Lights Boulevard. The service would run on Saturdays and Sundays through October 27, when Anchorage’s transportation department is expected to implement adjustments to broader transit services.
The weekend shuttle program would be operated by NeighborWorks Alaska, a local nonprofit organization. If approved, the temporary service would serve as a stopgap solution, but could continue indefinitely.
The Assembly is expected to vote on the measure during its June 24 regular meeting that begins at 5 pm at the Loussac Library ground floor meeting room. The spending is a “laid on the table” item, which is supposed to be reserved for emergencies but is used by the Assembly when it does not want to give the public advance warning about an action. The public can watch the meeting at this link.
Instead of a Band Aid, how about offering Red Apple $75,000 if they open a store in the area…….
Red Apple doesn’t want to go into a area with a high crime rate. Red Apple would lose more than 75,000 dollars in losses alone in the first year of operations through theft unless the bleeding heart City assembly would criminized shoplifting and a year in jail at hard labor this problem is not going away
“Red Apple doesn’t want to go into a area with a high crime rate.” You haven’t been to Mountain View in the past, oh, 40 or 50 years? You haven’t read the torrent of stories about the so-called SLAZ, which was only a half-mile away? SMH
Typical underhanded last minute item added to agenda for vote with NO public input for free shuttle rides. Neighborhood Works has merged with ANCHORAGE NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES, (ANHS) INC. and Neighborhood Works is no longer a viable corporate entity as of 8/30/2023 Merger (AK Corporation Database).
Guess who is the president of ANHS Inc. per the Alaska Corporation Database?
-Deborah Bonito (President)
-Stephanie Kesler
-Sue Wolfe
-Kathleen Plunkett
-Tasha Hotch.
Deborah B. is married to Mark Begich, who also benefits from the Assembly contract awards. Not what you know, but who you know that gets you the $$$ in the Anchorage Municipality. Or so it seems looking from the outside.
Well isn’t that special. We were not offered that service when Carrs shut down at Northway Mall. I smell picking pockets again to fill other pockets. What a bunch of idiots. You know it will pass.
The financial profligacy and radical leftist insanity on the Anchorage Ass-embly is constant.
Why do you equate moderate Democrats as “radical leftists who are insane” and expect to be taken seriously, yet yell if someone refers to a Republican as an “insane Christian white nationalist”? The people commenting on this page are unbelievably cruel towards those who aren’t white & upper class.
Once again.
On the last Muni election ballot, there were bond initiatives for Police and Firefighting equipment. Which means the Assembly thinks the Muni should incur debt to provide the services the taxpayers are paying for.
But, they have $75K for taxis?
Of course they do – its just a crass looting of the city treasury to line the pockets of their parasite NGOs. How else are these theater kid-ults going to get paid? Filling potholes? Building roads? Good lord, no. That might actually benefit taxpaying Anchorage drivers. Instead, they are just going to snarl traffic by reducing speed limits all over town, using the ‘safety’ of their non-working, inebriated clients as an excuse.
Why not give the Store the $75,000 so the residents don’t have to be transported else where????
Maybe the church that proclaims “in our back yard” could supply shuttle services as well. Bronson has gotta be laughing his a// off. This mayor, and assembly liberals, are stupid. Oh, my mistake. Guess the ones who built big bank accounts growing homelessness and crime were smart. They got rich.
“In Our Backyard”, is really pukeworthy.
Liberal Lutherans are absolutely brainwashed.
Yep. Neighborhood works is just corrupt and genocidal i nature, they want money.They truly are not the best of people to give seventy five grand to. It comes from the taxpayers and it looks like it’s giving to poverty written people.But it’s not it’s given to Neighborhoodworks.
It’s just another funnel into the pockets of franchise services.
Pay their bills. I take a bus
So – instead of solving the problem that caused a business to close, just transfer it to another business? And use tax money to do it? Do you think Carrs & Fred Meyer think it is a good idea?
There should be a protest when the meeting happens…
Okay, I am confused does nobody in that part of town own cars?
You know a conveyance you drive to Costco or Fred Meyer/Carr’s for groceries and such?
It sounds more like a cool $75000 of taxpayer funds (to run a mini van for 4 months or about 16 weekends or just over $4500/weekend) into the pockets of an organization that deals with housing.
I never understood the “food desert” concept, as it assumes that people are stupid and can’t figure out how to get food without the government’s help. Considering these days you can get deliveries from almost ANY store/restaurant and we have Uber and other ride shares, this is just another waste of money and a solution to a assembly self-inflicted problem. I am really tired of being fleeced.
Who pays for it? Property owner’s taxes. This $75k will undoubtedly become one more ever increasing cost put on the shoulders of the property tax payers. Shame on Lafrance and company, shame on the socialist/communist ideaology behind thinking tax payers should be burdened with other’s issues. Shameful shameful shameful.
I recently moved to Anchorage and live in Fairview. I went to that Carrs once. The employees and security guard all looked and acted like they were drug users. Everyone in the Carrs was begging. The line took forever because no one had money to pay for anything. These people closed the Carrs by being degenerates. They can walk. It’s not far to Northern lights. Our Mayor should be focusing on buying tickets for people back to the 48 or returning them to the villages that made them our problem.
Wow! I lived in that neighborhood as a non vehicle owning person & walked weekly to that Carrs for both groceries & pharmacy services for 11 years. I never once noticed an employee or security guard acting like a “drug user” (Not sure how you define that”). I paid for my groceries with money every single time & never saw anyone who didn’t pay. (Ok I did see them stop shoplifters a few times & I am aware it was a huge issue but it’s a huge issue in every single grocery store in Anchorage) The manager there greeted me by name when she saw me & the pharmacists there got to know their customers. They had employees who had worked there for many years and who also got to know their customers. I’m really shocked that a person would have such an extremely negative experience with every single aspect when they patronize a business only once. I remember getting hit up for money by a “beggar” exactly twice in the 11 years I was a customer there. You are exaggerating to an extreme & writing in a very bigoted manner.
So, I will agree that a weekend shuttle doesn’t really seem necessary. I use the People Mover city transit service & since I’m a senior I could also use AnchorRides if I really needed to. However, I’m able to walk ok. There are people who don’t own vehicles who may have difficulty walking unaided & with carrying groceries, who can’t afford Uber or store delivery. Taxes are also used to assist middle & upper income people.
From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs. Such good marxists.
So they’re giving free rides to the drunks, druggies and criminals to a ” nicer” part of town. Look for more tents to pop up along the Seward Hwy.
If the homelessness and crime issues were addressed the store that’s been there for over 50 years would still be in business, the local residents wouldn’t be inconvenienced and the taxpayers wouldn’t be stuck with a $75,000.00 money pit!