UPDATE 05/03/2026
The Fairbanks Borough Assembly will taking public comments on the borough budget this coming Thursday. This is a good time to speak up for trails and greenspace.
The budget is Ordinance No. 2026-20. You can attend the meeting and testify or contact Assembly members through email or phone. See the meeting agenda HERE. Find out more about the budget process HERE.
Testify at the meeting
You can speak at the meeting. You have to wait until the ordinance has its public hearing, which depends on where it is in the agenda. You can speak in person or by telephone. You have three minutes. People who sign up to testify are allowed to testify first. For more information on testifying see HERE.
Call or email the Assembly
To contact the full Assembly you may either send an email to the Assembly at Assembly@fnsb.gov, or use the Contact Form HERE.
You can also call or email individual Assembly members. Find their contact information HERE.
The budget proposed by Fairbanks Borough Mayor Grier Hopkins does pretty well regarding the Parks and Recreation Department budget (see post below). Even if you agree, now is a good to time remind the Assembly that you care about trails and greenspace. If we don’t speak up, the assumption might be that we don’t care. Either let the Assembly know how the mayor’s budget can be improved, or let them know you support it as is.
Below are the comments I sent to the Assembly:
Esteemed Assembly Members,
I urge you to support the mayor’s budget regarding the Parks and Recreation Department. While I would like to see more in the proposed budget, such as a dedicated trails crew or more programming to get people to use non-motorized transportation, I understand that finances are tight.
Overall, I feel the borough does a good job in taking care of our parks and helping people to get outdoors and stay active. The Park-a-Year and Trail-A-Year programs are great ways to make steady progress on improving our outdoor activity infrastructure while not asking too much of borough taxpayers. The P&R staff run many good programs that keep people active, such as the twice-yearly Trails Challenge. And borough personnel have done a good job identifying funding sources from outside the borough to improve our parks, trails, and greenspaces. Those funding sources are a great way to improve our infrastructure without asking too much of local taxpayers.
So, while I do feel we can do even more to encourage people to get outdoors, stay active, and use non-motorized transportation more, in these uncertain financial times, I am happy to see the Parks and Recreation budget hold steady.
Thank you for your service,
Eric Troyer
ORIGINAL POST 04/09/2026
Fairbanks Borough Mayor Grier Hopkins has released his proposed budget for the next year: Fiscal Year 2026-27. Trail and parks do OK in it.
No significant budget changes have been requested for the Parks and Recreation budget. The Trails Coordinator position is funded as are trails-based borough parks.
It would be nice to have a small trails crew that could focus on trail projects both in and out of borough parks, but budgets are tight and education is dominating the budget discussion. And the borough has committed elsewhere to trails and parks, such as in the Capital Improvement Program with on-going projects such as the Trail-a-Year and Park-a-Year programs. And when outside funding sources are identified, usually with a small match funding requirement, the borough pursues good projects. An example is the Chena Lake Recreation Area Bicycle & Pedestrian Access Project, which is due to be constructed this summer. This is a joint project with the Alaska Department of Transportation and FAST Planning. So, we are slowly making progress.
The budget does show increased visitor number at parks with a significant trail component, such as Chena Lake, Tanana Lakes and Birch Hill rec areas. (The budget doesn’t mention Isberg Recreation Area or Skyline Ridge Park. I don’t think attendance numbers are kept on those parks.)
The public will have a chance to comment on the budget when it comes before the Borough Assembly in early May. You can comment now, too, though at this point in the budget process comments to the Assembly will have the most impact.
To find out more about the budget, see the this PAGE, which includes how to leave a comment, a link to the budget, and a link to a budget video series. In the budget, the Parks and Rec section starts on page 539.
What do others think? How do you rate this budget for trails?
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