2003 set the tone for intense news years ahead

In this edition and Sunday's edition Frontiersman is looking back over the events and issues that shaped life in our community and in the state during 2003.

The past year was marked with big headlines across a wide spectrum of topics. We began the year not knowing whether or not the Valley would have a new, larger and better equipped hospital, and we finished the year with the deal between Valley Hospital Association and Triad Hospitals Inc. completed -- ensuring a dramatic change in health care options here in the future. Last year also began with most people indifferent to the term coal-bed methane, but that changed as subsurface mineral rights were leased in large numbers, opening the door to large-scale development on state and private land. CBM development soon became the biggest story in the Valley in 2003, and promises to remain so at least for the near future.

The changing of the guard in the Governor's mansion brought a very different philosophy to Juneau. Some of the changes Gov. Frank Murkowski made in 2003 were welcomed by voters, but others were greeted with intense objection and concern. The governor simply did what he said he would if the legislature failed to meet his budget requirements, but some people thought his cuts went too deep. With the 2004 budget now ready for review, things could get even more contentious in the coming year. One way or the other, our legislators will have to find ways to increase revenue -- there's little meat left to trim from the bones of state services.

Here in the Valley, the issue that underscores essentially every story continues to be growth. Every decision we make here either impacts, or is impacted by, the tremendous rate of growth in our community. The new hospital was a response to the stress of growth. Police, justice and emergency services departments are all spread thin, leading to serious concerns about responsiveness and the ability to adequately prosecute criminal cases. While road improvements are moving along at an impressive clip, it's clear that the volume of traffic is outpacing the constructions crews.

The past year was not an aberration, it was a preview of issues that will only become more critical as we continue to grow, and as the demographic make-up of our community changes with that growth. Opinions about zoning and planning, about law enforcement and about how to regulate a larger population in general are now critical issues that cannot be ignored. Each decision we made in 2003 will have long-reaching ramifications, and 2004 will be no different. These are exciting times to live in the Mat-Su, to be sure.