A $2.39 million tent structure bought in former Mayor Dave Bronson’s early days as Anchorage’s mayor as a quick-fix shelter but was never used will finally have a purpose.
Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance on Tuesday announced a solution for the “inherited problem”: The city-owned Port of Alaska will buy the structure and use it as warm storage for sand, maintenance equipment and offices during upgrades over the next decade. The sale proceeds will be used to address homelessness for this upcoming winter.
“We are happy to see an inherited problem turn into a triple win for the community,” she said in a prepared statement. “Turning an expensive logistical issue into an elegant solution which serves multiple community users and accomplishes the original goal of addressing homelessness is a perfect example of the power of approaching government as a team.”
The tent structure was at the heart of the conservative former mayor’s approach to homelessness. Bronson never saw the tent deployed—or even shipped to Alaska—as he battled with the Anchorage Assembly over costs and logistics that quickly ballooned beyond what had been pitched as a simple and cost-effective shelter. For example, the initial proposal by the Bronson administration lacked furniture and bathrooms.