Polaris in the spotlight

Congratulations to Bettisworth North, Fairbanks Neighborhood Housing Services, and Urban Coalition for stepping forward and helping develop this historical site that is rich in cultural significance and economic importance. At 123 Lacey, the site is at the core of the Fairbanks urban landscape which is the 'golden heart' of Alaska. It's the perfect place for good things to grow and ARK is ready to get to work. While it's factual, this was the only qualified response to the RFP the city received, it's not the only response they got. I submitted copies of the Polaris Tower RFP response prior to the deadline. Last summer the paper published on the front page, ARKs proposal for the Polaris Tower, a 10-story mixed used development that is netzero grows food for the restaurant on the top floor, and achieves affordable housing as a function of affordable energy, largely from geothermal. A building that could be built from hemp grown in the Interior. It was followed up with an article by former Fairbanks city council member Mark Hewitt who offered substantial funding for downtown development but whose goals of mainstreaming a regenerative economy are at odds with the mandates in place to seek economic revival by pursuing natural gas. After nearly a decade of being shut out of his private Polaris Working group meetings, ARK managed to bring Garry Gilliam to the city with the Bridge Ecovillage model in earnest with the hope of uniting the council to bring these opportunities to the forefront of national collaboration. Teamwork that would have tied Fairbanks to other forward-thinking cities like Harrisburg, PA. Sadly we were summarily dismissed by the then Mayor because the 'fonts' on the different documents from different people didn't match. Seen as a four letter word, 'font' was a gesture to Mr. Gilliam that the City of Fairbanks wasn't interested in his proven solution or in Mr. Hewitt's seven generation funding solution to invest in building a brighter future for the urban core. While they have secured a number of properties in the Lower 48, and Dr. Hewitt continues to facilitate projects around the world; there are no longer any plans to bring the Bridge Ecovillage or microcity investments to Fairbanks, Anchorage, or modeled in any village as an investment in solidarity, sovereignty, and self-reliance. In the interim, I did my best to pull together a team of high caliber professionals and to redo the numbers to make them work as they once had for the ecovillage model to provide both impact and return. I invested far too much of this summer into recruiting a new developer who could take the reins and help us qualify for this race. I even reached out to the community directly with a Greenbay Commons stock scenario, but in the end I failed. The RFP was due on the same week as my 51st birthday and the Polaris Tower is my gift to the community that I love. It's a viable model not only for Lacey Street but any number of vacant or under-utilized properties throughout the borough. I knew I couldn't win the race but I did finish, apparently in second place. I knew it would be understandably rejected by purchasing so I emailed it directly to the council as an information only response, withholding sensitive team and financial data until such time as an agreement was reached. Now that the RFP process is passed and the city has a developer and architect at the ready, perhaps there is space on the table to consider the tower construct and the potential for how this one building out of this one block can be the catalyst that revitalizes the city, state and sets the stage for affordable energy, food, transportation, housing, and so much more. The RFP did give the city leverage in the negotiations to explore options after the fact and this letter is to ask yourself if this is an option the city should be exploring? I have, many times, taken the seat and used my three minutes over the last 16 years since this love affair began to advocate for hope. A big thanks to Dr. Jeanne Olsen, who also testified last year in support of the project. Now it's your turn! Your time to tell the powers that be what you want to see in the future skyline of Fairbanks. Robert Shields is an ecological industrialist and futurist living in Fairbanks. 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