“A tower lit by a community” Crowdsourcing fundraiser underway to relight the Palmer Water Tower

It is impossible for people to pass through the Mat-Su Valley without taking at least a glimpse of the iconic Palmer Water tower. It is near the top of any Google search about Palmer and a must-see for tourists and visitors.

Six years ago, the owners of Bleeding Heart Brewery and Alaska Picker had the fun idea to put some lights on the tower and light them during Colony Christmas. It quickly became a staple of the town during the dark winter nights.

“People had asked in the past, but never been given permission. I was pretty fortunate because I would talk to Bill Ingaldson (owner of the tower) regularly and he knew who I was, so I called up Bill and said ‘we’d like to bring attention to downtown and we’d like to put lights on the water tower,’” says Kelly Turney, owner of Alaska Picker, of the efforts to get lights on the tower. “He said ‘go for it.’”

The first year, Turney, along with Bleeding Heart Brewery owners Stefan Marty and Zack Lanphier, climbed the tower with lights, zip ties, and extension cords, and along with an assist from the Palmer Fire Department, were able to install the lights.

“It’s become this visual spectacle and over the years, it’s always been an iconic scene as you drive into Palmer. Now in the wintertime, we’ve been able to see it at night which has been really cool,” said Marty of the scene the lights have brought to the tower.

But the lights were a patchwork of extension cords and store brand lights, which were no match for the fury Mother Nature unleashed. In one fell swoop, during the historic windstorm this past January, all the hard work to install and maintain the lights was knocked out. The storm destroyed the finial lights, and some of the lightbulbs were torn from the fittings.

But in the midst of the damage, an idea sprung up to have a more permanent set up for the lights.

“One day, I was unloading a crane and looking at the tower and thought we should do something permanent before Kelly leaves, and let’s get the community involved because things have been a little weird, and we should have something to rally around and remind people that not everything is political” Marty recalled.

The men wanted to get the community involved as a way to unite not just the town, but also the community that surrounds the tower-the people, the businesses, and even the visitors and guests and celebrate a shared goal.

A GoFundMe campaign was set up with a video that included a few other local businesses to get the fundraiser moving. The goal is $25,000, and as of June 5, it was near the halfway mark at $13,000.

As most people know, the recent economy and shipping delays has meant there will most likely be an adjustment to the cost to install the permanent lights.

“The goal of $25,000 had been based on previous quotes, and unfortunately they didn’t follow through, so now we’re hoping $25,000 covers the total cost,” says Marty.

While many have given directly to the GoFundMe, Marty says a number of local business have donated directly to Bleeding Heart Brewery, which in turn donates every penny to the fundraiser.

“Anywhere from a couple of bucks on the end of a drink up to $500 here at the shop.”

In addition to the local businesses stepping in to donate, some of the bigger companies in the Palmer area have reached out, including MTA and Fred Meyers. They are working with MEA to reach out for a more permanent electricity solution once lights are installed.

“They have all been super supportive.”

“It’s brought out the public community as well as the corporate community, and everybody seems to be on board with this one iconic opportunity,” adds Lanphier.

And that is something the men had been hoping for all along-to bring people together and become shareholders in the tower and be able to look at the tower with the new lights and know they were part of that.

“We didn’t bang on anyone’s door, but people and businesses are donating. Matanuska Pens is donating 10% of their Colony Days profits, and this year’s Billy Mitchell Memorial Run registration fees are 100% going to the lighting of the tower,” said Kelly, “they are coming to us. The community is now reaching out to us, and this spider web is going out, and that’s what we really wanted.”

Turney, Marty, and Lanphier are hoping the lights will be installed and ready for their debut at Colony Christmas, as they were the first time the lights turned on 6 years ago.

The guys are hoping to get lights that can be programmed remotely to control different zones and colors to reflect different events happening in the area, such as the team colors for Palmer High School football home games, Saint Patrick’s Day, or something special for New Year’s Eve.

They are also planning to get the finial wrapped as it is the beacon of the tower, lights around the rim at the top, lights along the “widow’s walk,” move the ladder and light it up, and have spotlights to light up “Palmer” on the tower.

“Hopefully this will be a project where we can add more lights in the future.”

Turney also explained that any extra funds raised and left after purchase and installation will be set aside for maintenance so as to avoid asking for more money later if the tower lights sustain damage the next time Mother Nature feels restless.

“It’s been organic, that people and businesses around the community have been thinking about this (tower),” notes Marty when speaking about their love of Palmer and leading the effort to replace the lights.

“That’s the beauty of it,” adds Lanphier, “in the end, it’s a tower lit by the community.”

For more information about the fundraiser, visit the Bleeding Heart Facebook page, the Light Up Palmer! GoFundMe website. For businesses that wish to donate as a business expense, contact the Palmer Chamber of Commerce.