The Grazing Patch

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Tell us what you think about Spinach Creek and Moose Mountain community issues --- send an e-mail to message@spinachmoose.net. I hope that this page will encourage communication in our community. Poor language and unsuitable topics will be edited at the discretion of the web manager. I will not include your e-mail address as a link unless you specifically give me permission to put it on the site. We hope to hear from you soon! Here's what your neighbors have to say.


Community Message Board

2/2/10for Eric Troyer Hello all, I am working on the March edition of the Interior Trails Quarterly. Please send me any news items, stories, or even just story ideas about trails in the Interior. I am also interested in links to information on the Internet about interior Alaska trails and trail users. Please send all items of interest to me (fbxtrails at gmail.com) by Wednesday, February 24. Try to keep stories limited to 250 words. All submissions may be edited for clarity and brevity (but I strive to be kind).

Don't think that what happens in your area is not interesting to other trail advocates in the Interior. Your projects and ideas may give ideas and inspiration to others. Sharing information is vital to a healthy trails community. Thanks!
6/19/09Franziska Hallo Neighbors! The Uncommon Ground Neighborhood Initiative is offering all neighbors free fill for the next approximately 3-5 weeks. The fill is from the new road Photon Drive- approximately 1M up on Spinach Creek. If you haul it yourself- we will load you up with our Backhoe and it is totally free. If you want it delivered-with our 6-7 cu yard dumptruck (you can look at it- it is parked at the entrance of the road) we charge $50/h and estimate to be able to make ~2 runs/h depending on how far you live away from the site. If you are interested, please contact our field coordinator Caleb at 750-3515 or our cellphone 687-6776 and let us know how much fill you are looking for and we will coordinate the delivery dates with you. Here is a helpful online calculator to find out how much cu yard fill you need for your project: http:/ef/www.soilbuildingsystems.com/CubicYard.php Please pass this e-mail on to all neighbors or others who are willing to haul dirt themselves-- however we would prefer to help our neighbors out first! Enjoy the lovely summer, Franziska
6/8/09Resident Heads Up All: Bear sighting (possible grizzly) June 8, 2009 on Moose Mt Road near ski rental building.
10/6/08Jen Athey Hi Theresa, I didn't go to the potluck last night, but in the past there have been about 25 people there. Welcome to the neighborhood!
10/5/08Theresa We're new in the neighborhood and just wanted to find out what the response was to the potluck this evening (10/5).
8/9/07 Roger Evans My big black gordon setter is lost out there today. Last seen at base lodge at 3 p.m. If anyone sees him, my phone is 322-9780. Thank you.
5/7/07 Webmaster Thank you to whoever updated the community website sign on the signboard by the mailboxes and created the "business card" holder with cards showing the website address. Your efforts are appreciated!
1/26/06 Clint Meyer As road service Chair, I am ordering another clusterbox of mailboxes. However, it won't be until late spring before I can commit to installing them and even then I will need help (any volunteers?). Our other commissioner, Mario Gho, is taking orders now. Go to the Community Players tab on this (wonderful) website to get his information if you are interested in purchasing a locking mailbox (it's a one time purchase).
10/2/05 Peige hi there. we recently moved in the area. yesterday (oct.1) my dogs ran off and only one came home. if you have seen or have my dogs, please let me know. thanks for any information you have. Peige 455-4980
9/14/05 Roger Evans This weekend the Moose Mountain Rental shop was broken into. Two new furnaces that were to replace the drip stoves were stolen, the door to the rental shop broken, and the orange atco with private skis and boards broken into. Please be aware of suspicious activity, and if you have information that might help catch the perps, please email or call 455-8362. Thanks, Roger
8/18/05 Ed Herrgard I am writting this in referrence to still another meeting rescheduling. I am afraid to say Saturday at 10a.m. is not a free time in my personal life. I am not like some that do not have to answer to Employer's or have a Monday thru Friday job. Untill I see you, have a great and safe fall.
Ed Herrgard
P.S. The board looks great!
Thanks
8/18/05 Jen Athey Thank you to the folks who put the bulletin board back up and installed the posts.
8/7/05 Roger Evans I just got a letter from "Your GMC Road Commissioners" that said the Moose Creek Crossing is "dangerous and unsustainable" but when I look at the minutes on this web site, I see no such language. As for dangerous, when you come down off the hill in icy conditions, you have to make sure you can stop before you start to turn, because every now and then someone turns, then tries to brake and of course the turn is over and you go straight, maybe over the edge. Ironically, that fill got so steep and narrow when the Borough engineer mandated a 4% maximum grade for 100'.

I agree that the fill should be widened on the north side, even by twice as much, so that the road is wider from the creek to the mountain. That would also mandate a longer culvert. As for the low point in the crossing, it was designed to allow flood water to cross with minimal damage and not take out the culvert, and it has succeeded, especially a few years ago when there was a lot of overflow ice and a fast breakup and the Steese Highway was washed out in a half dozen places and there were washouts and flooding everywhere, but Moose Mountain residents did not lose access, although they had to drive through 6" of flowing water. Dangerous and unsustainable? Pshaw.

Culvert replacement and road widening would cost thousands, but not hundreds of thousands, and it could be done with rock from the mountainside within the right of way. At the Jan meeting, I offered to remove the silt wall that makes the sight distance poor just before the crossing, but Clint said we'd have to replace it with rock for the road. Why would we do that? We have a mountain of rock. But, it's your road now (and MM pays taxes too), so you can do what you like, as a group. I just object to the "dangerous and unsustainable" language in the last newsletter. Someone is putting words in your mouths. Perhaps it's the same armchair engineer who brings out the graders in bone dry weather so you can choke on the dust. Maybe we could stick to the facts in the future. In my opinion, the money could be far better spent on high quality surfacing on the steep mountain roads.

On the lighter side, we appreciate all the summer foot and bicycle traffic, it's nice to see the ski area land put to good use, and get the measure of security that brings. You are all welcome to use the ski runs for your non motorized recreation. If you see any suspicious activity, we of course would appreciate a call. My home # is 455 8362. Have a great fall. Roger
1/19/05 Jen Athey In the beginning of January, someone ran into the community bulletin board and the row of mailboxes (pictures). The community board will be reinstalled as soon as the ground thaws. Clint will address the damage and ideas to prevent future problems at the GMC Road Service meeting on 1/27/05.
9/30/04 Clint Meyer In reference to Patricia's comments: We built a community bulletin board a year ago. It is located at the intersection of Moose Mtn. road and Spinach Creek road. If you take the time to stop and read it, there is a very large sign posted on it with our community website address. In addition, there is Always a flyer posted there notifying all interested of an upcoming road service meeting, and the location is always the same, and has been now for over a year. If you are interested in making changes, please feel free to become a road commissioner. We always have room!! And we always have applications on hand at the meetings. Best, Clint Meyer, Chair
9/28/04 Patricia Rivera I have found it more difficult than many searches to find the service area web page and information concerning the Spinach Creek and Moose Mountain service areas. Searches for Moose mountain service area get me to the Moose Mountain ski area web site. I had to run a search that included all the words: 'spinach creek service area + moose mountain fairbanks'. Also, it certainly doesn't help to have Moose spelled mousse.

Moose Creek is a very obscure point of reference for the Spinach Creek Moose Mtn Area. Moose Creek does run through this area and while topographically correct, it is not how it is most recognized. Further, it is absolutely confusing to have the name of the service district be the Goldstream Moose Creek Service Area. Yes Goldstream is the general area but most people recognize Goldstream as all that land southeast of Goldstream Rd up to the Turtle Club (or on the right driving from Ann's Greenhouse) that includes much of the land across from Ivory Jacks. The location of the Spinach Creek/Moose Mountain Area is separated from Goldstream by Murphy Dome AND the name Moose Creek is recognized as the neighborhood just before Eielson.

If you want participation from service area members the reference points have to be obvious and communications have to be clear and complete(The sign for the meeting that is Sept 30th doesn't even include the building name. What good is that?). The upshot is that the name Goldstream Moose Creek Area is a very confusing name for the Spinach Creek Moose Mtn Area. This is particularly clear when you realize that most people when searching for the information on our service area or this particular web site will start with the phrase: 'Spinach Creek Moose Mountain Area' and don't know anything about the little creek that passes under the bridge.
Sincerely,
Patricia Rivera
9/10/04 Clint Meyer Service area folks: Please be patient with the washboard condition of the Moose Mtn road. We just had it graded in August and cannot afford to grade it again until the first freeze up, it's just too expensive and we need to still have money for snowplowing/gravelling/emergencies. So, pray for cold weather!! Thanks.
4/29/04 Deborah Koons I picked up a number of bright yellow bags for Clean Up Day on Sat. May 8 and will hang them on both community boards for area residents to pick up and use. Please feel free to use them to 'beautify' our neighborhood. If you want more Clean Up bags, stop by 565 University Ave (United Way of the Tanana Valley building) between 8-5pm. They have plenty to go around! Also, here's a great website to find out more info about Clean Up Day. Go to: www.fairbankschamber.org.
3/27/04 Jen Athey Thank you for bringing the mass e-mail issue up. From now on, I'll use the BCC function in MS Outlook (and other e-mail programs) when I'm sending e-mail to the community, so that everyone's e-mail addresses will be hidden. I'd like to keep and share with neighbors an up-to-date e-mail list for the dissemination of time-sensitive information. However, I want to give people the option to be removed from the e-mail list if they do not want to receive that kind of information. At the moment I don't have a plan for how to do this effectively or efficiently, and I welcome your suggestions. Thanks, Jen
3/27/04 Lanien and Wayne Livingston Hello. I am concerned about the use of our names & email addresses. Recently I received several email messages from individuals in our area concerning the removal of hard pack snow & someone interested in purchasing unused building materials.

I feel that these sort of messages/announcements are best left to the Grazing Patch message board. Specifically, I do not care to see everyone's names & email addresses that the messages are being sent to. I would recommend that if someone is going to send out a mass email message, at the very least, they should BCC the email names & addresses. Also, when individuals are replying to the sender, they should not "reply to all". They should only reply to the sender.

I guess that a short lesson in email etiquette is in order. I hope that I am not offending anyone by bringing this up. I am sure that everyone receives enough unsolicited email already. Thank you for your consideration of my concerns. Sincerely, Lanien & Wayne Livingston
1/12/04 Mario Gho Please let the neighborhood know that a house on Hardluck Drive was broken into this morning and several items stolen from it. The State Troopers indicated that another house on Coyote Trail was also broken into today. Please report any unusual traffic or movement you may have noted and let's practice neigborhood watch. Thanks, Mario Gho
12/30/03 Clint Meyer Happy New Year to all us Moose Mtn/Spinach Cr residents!!
12/5/03 Roger Evans Moose Mountain Ski Area was vandalized by a group of snowmachiners on Wed night, perhaps from the neighborhood, who put a lot of effort into tearing up our steepest runs and stripping them to the dirt. They seem to enter from the Meribel/Pipeline/Monteverde area, and they make a lot of tracks around the neighborhood as well. If anyone knows who they are, perhaps you could inform us. The troopers would like to have a word with them.
p.s. Do you know where your teens were riding on Wednesday night?
Thanks. Roger Evans, Moose Mountain, Inc.
11/12/03 Jamie Roush Thanks Clint, for the information about the plowing. The contractor did a nice job of plowing Meribel yesterday. I am concerned, however, that Moose Mt. Rd. between Spinach Creek and the MM & MM t-intersection can and should be plowed a little wider by the contractor. It's hard to pass oncoming traffic without getting pulled into the unplowed snow along the side of the road. When the ski area opens it will become a much bigger problem. Can the contractor come back and widen the plowed part of the road? A couple of feet would help a lot. Thanks, Jamie
11/10/03 Clint Meyer Joe, hey, that's why we have a couple of community bulletin boards around the neighborhood!! I noticed a sign there, at both the MM/Spinach Cr Rd bulletin board AND the Spinach Cr/Murphy Dome Rd bulletin board that is advertising snowplowing........CHECK IT OUT....then let us all know how it goes!!
11/10/03 Clint Meyer Jamie, First off, I MUST thank you for the use of the Community Center....it really is a great help to have a central, neutral-zone, to meet for our road service meetings. Next, it's funny you should comment about the triangle of snow at the intersection of MM and MM!! My wife and I were just talking about that tonight!! Roger Evans does that... I'm assuming the reason is to divert traffic to specific places (i.e. bus traffic and skiers to his lodge, residents uphill), but don't really know for sure why he puts that triangle there... Meanwhile, we've called for the contractor, King Bee, to plow ALL the roads, side roads and main road, of the snow. By the way, Roger Evans was the person that initially plowed the main MM road, either late last eve or sometime Monday, not the contractor. Again, thanks much for your concerns AND your help!!
11/10/03 Jamie Roush Thank you to road commissioners for having Moose Mtn. Rd. plowed as the snow begins to fall. I have two questions about the plowing:
1) Is the snow island/berm in the middle of the T-intersection at the bottom of the hill really necessary?
The berm in the intersection seems like an unncessary obstacle to me. Either people are going to get stuck in it, or it is going to cause trouble when people are turning left while trying not to hit it. I'd rather not have to worry about avoiding the pile of snow AND the oncoming traffic when I turn left after coming down the hill. I think it would be better if the space is left open so there is room to maneuver.
2) Will the side roads be plowed by our contractor now that we have the service area?
Thanks, Jamie
11/10/03 Sandy Besser I work for the Rural Services Division of the borough. I just popped in to look around and see what you guys had out here. I'm very impressed by the "community" in your community. It's nice to see folks getting involved and taking ownership of their neighborhoods. Great website, nice pictures, good information. Good luck. Sandy
11/8/03 Joe VanHoomissen We have a place on Keystone. Who in the area plows driveways? Ours is steep and a little scary. Thanks, Joe and Jane 479-6228
10/14/03 Jen Athey Greetings! I been thinking about adding other pages to the website such as Buy/Sell and a more comprehensive community calendar. If you have other suggestions, please send me a note. Also, I'd be happy to add events such as yard sales or yoga classes to the calendar. Please let me know how I can make this site more useful.
10/14/03 Clint Meyer Many THANKS to the person(s) who fixed the community signboard on Spinach Creek!! Whomever you are you did an EXCELLENT job straightening up the board and fixing it so it won't be leaning downhill anytime soon. It's GREAT to live in a neighborhood where folks are so willing to help out one another!! Thanks again, whomever you are.
9/29/03 Clint Meyer Just an updated note for all the Spinach Creek/Moose Mtn residents concerning road signs. We ordered replacement signs for the following roads: Moose Mountain Rd, Hard Luck Dr. and Keystone Rd. When they come in I'll put them up on the road posts so emergency vehicles as well as visitors will know what road is what!! By the way, just for folk's information, road commissioners do not get paid for doing work for their road service. It is all volunteer, therefore any help you all can contribute is greatly appreciated!! Many thanks.
9/26/03 Pete Simpson All the commissioners met with Trent Mackey FNSB engineer and talked about brushing and many road issues from maintenance to upgrades. I met with our contractor rep 'Dana' of "King Bee" and he stated, "I see why you are not satisfied with the brushing work." They are going to return to finish what they can mechanically and give us a bid estimate for what it would take to hand clear the trees and brush bigger than 4 inches in diameter. After that we can decide if the residents want to and will do the big stuff along their property. Our objective is to be able to have snow removal equipment be able to get all the snow off the road now and not leave a berm along the edge that traps water on the road prism. We will all stay tuned.
9/23/03 Clint Meyer Thanks Bob, for your positive comments!! All four road Commissioners are meeting with Rural Services Engineer, Trent Mackey, Wednesday, Sept. 23rd at 9 a.m. at the bottom of MM/Spinach Cr. Road to do a site inspection of all the roads that recently were brushed. We want the Borough Engineer to define a standard for us commissioners as there have been a number of 'unhappy' residents about the messy brushcutting, etc. Please phone/email one of your favorite Road Commissioners sometime later next week, after we get an official response from the Engineer and one of us will let you know what Mr. Mackey had to say. Our phone numbers and email addresses are under Community Players here on this website. When you phone one of us, ask about the road agenda, it's only tentative however. Thanks for the positive input Bob!!
9/15/03 Clint Meyer Coert, FEEL FREE to borrow that road drag anytime to help fill in the potholes at the bottom of MM rd!! Call your neighbor, Ed Herrigard, as he's the one that built it and he'd be more than willing to let you borrow it. Every time it rains, as you have noticed, we gain more potholes, that's because the road has very little topdressing on it. We've already graded it this summer. We also have limited funds. We have to have enough $$ for snowgrading in the event of a heavy snow year. So us residents need to help out each other. Borrow a truck and put in an hour or two to drag the road if you can, all will appreciate your efforts.
9/15/03 Bob Krize Thanks for the e-mail and this great web site. Good idea. We recently had brushing done on Keystone Road. I am just wondering if they plan on picking up all the brush or just leaving it lay. Also what is the schedule for the rest of the road work. Thanks again, keep up the great site. Bob Krize 3660 Keystone
9/12/03 Coert Olmsted Many thanks to Jen, Deb, Clint and the other volunteers who have been working on road projects. Are there any plans to grade, fill or otherwise fix the potholes in the first half mile of MM Rd? I remember in previous years that Clint would pull a drag behind his pickup which helped. Hand shovelling fill from a PU trk would also help fix some of the unavoidable ones. Sincerely, Coert
9/10/03 Deborah Koons I went to Arctic Signs and Graphics today, Wednesday, to find out about prices for our missing road signs, specifically: Moose Mtn. Rd, Hard Luck Rd., and Keystone Rd. Kimberly Mason said each sign costs about $42 each and they also have the necessary hardware for installation onto the posts or on top of other road signs (example: Moose Mtn sign on top of Spinach Rd sign) They have a 7-10 day turnaround. If I get the commissioners to purchase the road signs, anyone willing to install them? Let me know at Clint Meyer's email address: meyerclint@gmail.com
9/1/03 Jen Athey If anyone has any questions or comments about this site or information to add, please send me an e-mail
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