This is on the Agenda at next week’s MSB Parks and Recs Advisory Committee Meeting (to be held out in Willow – which seems like an odd place to hold this meeting considering the Jim Creek Master Plan is at issue!)
This is a follow-up to my UFVs and UFOs post about the new MSB Ordinance exempting drone racing from the permitting process when I noted that the ordinance seemed to benefit one group in particular – former Assembly member Stephen Colligan’s Drone Racing League. Mr. Colligan’s term ended just last fall.
So, now, the MSB has revealed the entire plan. The MSB wants to sign a “Management Agreement” with this group to allow them to develop 50 acres at Jim Creek – to include a runway, etc.
And this proposed development does NOT conform to the Jim Creek Master Plan.
Hmmmm….
Here is the complete meeting packet:
MSB Jim Creek Drone may-21st-prtab-meeting-packet
IMPORTANT NOTE: Drones are not just Mr. Colligan’s hobby (he is the founder and President of the Alaska Drone Racing League), they are his business.
Mr. Colligan owns 3GLP, Inc. (Website is 3GLP.net). 3GLP’s companies include E-Terra and Precision Flight Devices or PFD (www.PrecisionFlightDevices.com). PFD concentrates on “Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Sensors, and Aviation Consulting.” PFD offers all sorts of drone-related services including training.
So this begs the question – if and when the “Drone Racing League” signs a “management agreement” and gets permission to build more infrastructure on the 50 acre “drone park” at Jim Creek- does this mean that they will control all access to this area? Will their members be allowed to use the park for commercial or business purposes? In other words, suppose a Drone Racing League member has a separate private company and wants to demonstrate or test some equipment for sale and/or train a client?? Can they use the park for this purpose? Is this a fair and proper use of our public property?
Mr. Colligan’s profile from LinkedIn:
Precision Flight Devices (PFD) issued a press release in the fall of 2016 to discuss its training program:
More on Mr. Colligan’s Non Profit and For Profit entities:
There seems to be a lot of overlap between all of Mr. Colligan’s drone companies – the non profit entities and the for profit entities.
Mr. Colligan set up the AK Drone Racing League, a non profit. He also set up NRDDI – the “Northern Regions Research and Development Institute” – another non profit – which he has registered as a federal vendor and which has received at least a couple of fed. gov’t grants.
According to the Alaska Drone Racing League – AKDRL – their partners are NRDDI, the non-profit/gov’t vendor, and PFD, the for profit drone company.
Special Interest Groups:
Why is the MSB allowing the Drone Racing League to set up a park on MSB property? What about other non profits? Are we now going to allow any non profit to set up special infrastructure on MSB land and enter into “management agreements” to control certain areas?
