The Bethel City Council will consider a range of items during its March 22 meeting.
ATVs
The council will consider anordinance to change the laws regarding all terrain vehicles, or ATVs, in Bethel. It would reduce the ATV speed limit to 15 miles per hour on all roadways. It would also ban ATVs from Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway and Akakeek Street. Akakeek Street goes through Bethel’s Housing Subdivision and connects Ridgecrest Drive to Ptarmigan Street.
It’s common to see ATVs driving on Bethel’s highway. However, it only became legal to do so on Jan. 1, 2022 when a new state law took effect. The law allows ATVs on state-owned roads with speed limits under 45 miles per hour. The state is leaving it up to local governments to restrict ATV use within city limits.
Bethel’s Public Safety and Transportation Commission unanimously recommended that the council table this proposal for one year to collect data on ATV traffic in town. If the council chooses not to table the item, then the commission recommends that the council allow ATVs on Akakeet Street to prevent diverting traffic to Ptarmigan Street and Ridgecrest Drive.
COVID-19
The council will consider extending its ordinance declaring COVID-19 an emergency. The ordinance has been in effect for nearly two years, since March 25, 2020, and is reconsidered every 60 days.
Marijuana Retail License Application
The council will consider the application for a marijuana retail license. The marijuana store, called Good Vibes, LLC, would be located on Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway, across the street from the Bethel Fire Department. It would be owned by Brian Glasheen and Alex Wasierski. Both men grew up in Bethel. Wasierski still lives in town; Glasheen lives in Anchorage.
In the meeting packet for the March 22 Bethel City Council meeting, city administration raised concerns with the application. The Bethel Fire Department is worried that traffic to the store could block firefighters and EMTs when responding to emergencies. The Bethel City Manager recommended that the store post road signage to address the traffic concern.
The meeting packet also states that Glasheen owes $2,236.12 in unpaid city utility bills. However, that information is incorrect.
Bethel Human Resources Director Anny Cochrane wrote in an email to KYUK on March 23 that Glasheen paid that utility bill three weeks before the meeting after receiving the invoice from the city.
“It appears that there was a delay in communication and the packet information was not up to date,” Cochrane wrote in an email to KYUK. “Once Brian Glasheen learned that an account was delinquent the account was made current and this occurred on February 28th. Unfortunately, this was not updated in the administrative review document prior to the publication of the packet. Good Vibes also obtained a city license, although not required as they were not in operation yet, and we appreciate their timely response to the concerns presented in the administrative review.”
Wasierski said that the utility bill was paid on March 1, 2022. Wasierski said that the bill is from a former tenant of Glasheen’s, and that Glasheen had not been receiving the bill invoices. Once Glasheen was notified by the city of the outstanding bill, Wasierski said Glasheen paid it within 12 hours.
Alcohol License Application
The council will also consider an application for an alcohol license that would allow a proposed pizza restaurant to serve beer and wine. The restaurant, called Uncommon Pizza, would be located next to the proposed marijuana store, Good Vibes. City administration did not list any concerns regarding the alcohol license application.
City Clerk Annual Evaluation
The council will hold the annual evaluation of Bethel City Clerk Lori Strickler. Evaluations are held in executive session, but employees can choose to hold theirs publicly. Strickler wrote in an email to KYUK that she has chosen a private evaluation.
Listen Live
The Bethel City Council meeting begins March 22 at 6:30 p.m. Tune in to the meeting live on KYUK 640 AM.
