The SS Nenana, with summer visitors, is seen in Fairbanks in 2008. The historic steamship is housed at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks. (Photo provided by National Park Service)
In 1923, President Warren Harding visited the Interior town of Nenana to drive the golden spike that officially opened the Alaska Railroad to the public.
Since then, the railroad has had a major presence in Nenana, and now the town is planning to formally buy back some railroad-owned land that the city has used for years.
On May 15, the Alaska Legislature gave final approval to House Bill 395, which allows the railroad to sell about 188 acres to the city of Nenana for “the fair market value,” a phrase that the state Senate amended to the bill.
The House passed the bill 36-1 on April 29, and the Senate made its small amendment, then approved it by a 20-0 vote on May 14. The House confirmed its approval of the Senate changes on the last day of the legislative session.
The city has a current 55-year lease for the land, which is occupied by city buildings, and the city is seeking to buy the land outright.
The railroad has been state-owned since 1985, when Alaska bought it from the federal government, so legislative approval was needed to sell the land.
Nenana, southwest of Fairbanks, is at the junction of the Nenana and Tanana rivers, and the city plans to use the land for a major river port development that includes housing, industrial facilities, tourism and recreation areas.
HB 395 goes to Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who may veto it, sign it, or allow it to become law without his signature.
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