OPINION: Remembering Anchorage, looking ahead

Predictably, there will be a contingent railing against the proposed 3% municipal sales tax that could help improve life in Anchorage. I’d wager most of them weren’t here when, in many ways, our city was a nicer place to live.

We had high-end stores like Nerlands furniture and the Ethan Allen Gallery; clothing stores such as The Hub, The Hat Box, Seidenberg and Kays; a top-of-the-line audio/video store named Shimeks; and Nordstrom, a classy department store.

Anchorage once had two newspapers, each with differing political views. Even Eagle River had its own newspaper. We had two drive-in movie theaters and were proud of an historical treasure: the Fourth Avenue Theatre. Our AM radio stations weren’t dominated by right-wing talk shows.

All schools seemed to be adequately funded. At least we didn’t experience intense bickering and debate every year about education budgets and announcements of school closures.

It was quite some time ago, but academically, Alaska schools were once rated among the highest in the nation. Anchorage School District teachers as well as state and municipal workers once had defined pension benefits.

Homeless people weren’t panhandling on street corners and camped in tents throughout the city. Permanent housing was affordable for a larger portion of the population.

We had much less violent crime. No one we knew was afraid to walk through any part of the city, day or night. Adequate staffing in our criminal justice system ensured that offenders were tried on a timely basis. Because of this, those who couldn’t make bail weren’t held interminably at pre-trial facilities. We didn’t have numerous offenders awaiting trial released with monitoring devices.

After snow storms, streets were plowed promptly. Granted, we had fewer motorists and not nearly as many streets. While municipal budgets were considerably smaller in the 1960s-’90s, I would venture that a larger percentage of those budgets was allocated for street maintenance than today.

While Anchorage has lost some of its folksy, endearing qualities, it has grown into a sophisticated, progressive city. Our hospitals and other medical facilities are of the highest standard. Modern engineering and street infrastructure have greatly enhanced traffic flow. All forms of communication are significantly improved. We have a Performing Arts Center that hosts a venerated symphony orchestra and has staged hit Broadway productions. Anchorage’s airport is one of the top air freight hubs in the world. Anchorage Port expansion projects, while sometimes problematic, have increased that facility’s ability to handle large volumes of food and other freight vital to Alaska. Because of our circumpolar location, our military bases have taken on a more strategic position in national security. Our two colleges, the University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University, are fully accredited.

In recent years trails, outdoor recreation facilities and other amenities have received much more attention through federal, state and private efforts. Now in development, Alaska’s 500-mile Alaska Long Trail connecting Seward to Fairbanks will be world class and draw adventurers from across our nation and the world.

Despite all of our city’s dramatic changes, some for the good and some for worse, one thing endures: Samaritanism. If you end up in the ditch on a snowy day or night, or your car simply needs a jump, someone will come along and help.

Admittedly, remembering what Anchorage once was isn’t nearly as important as envisioning what it could be. The Project Anchorage endeavor is a forward-looking initiative by Anchorage businesses and business leaders. As mentioned above, it includes a 3% sales tax that would include long-overdue property tax relief. It would also direct funds toward “quality of life” issues that have festered in our community for too long, such as homelessness and the lack of affordable housing.

In recent years Anchorage has lost some of its population. Because of Alaska’s declining revenues, pass-through revenue from the state has significantly declined. But Anchorage still has a lot going for it—most importantly, a new mayor, the Alaska Economic Development Corporation (ADEC) and other citizens who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work together for the betterment of the community.

And look around at the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other; our clean air and water; our abundant natural resources and wildlife that frequently visit our streets and yards. I’m certainly no sage, but I am certain there will come a day when more people will want to live here.

For some It’s difficult to be optimistic about our country and its current direction. I don’t believe that’s the case with Anchorage. Because of its energetic, resourceful and independently-minded population, I believe this city will find ways to resurrect itself and move resolutely, with a swagger, into the future.

Anchorage has enjoyed a colorful past. But there is growing evidence that an even brighter future is on the horizon.

A lifetime Alaskan since 1946, Frank E. Baker is a freelance writer who lives in Eagle River.

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