After five years, Mat-Su gets its $188,000 judgment against property owner over junk and trash

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly worked through an agenda of business matters at its Aug. 1 meeting, accepting and approving various grants and approving a list of road improvement projects for $75 million in bonds to be put before voters at the next municipal election.

However, this would be contingent on 50 percent in matching funds being found so that the cost the borough would be about $38 million.

One other item of interest was the acceptance of a $188,866 judgement against a property owner who had defied efforts made to clear junk and litter.

Proceedings had started against the owner, who was not identifed in the meeting in 2018. Penalties and court orders were ignored then and also after a second round of orders in 2020.

The owner finally acknowledged the orders in 2022 when the borough moved to confiscate and sell the property. The is authority to seize assets to cover court judgements in cases like this, the assembly was told.

It was almost at the courthouse steps, when the property would be auctioned, that the owner appeared, agreed to a limited cleanup and then sold the property to a new owner who did do the cleanup.

The $188,000 will be held in a special account to help pay for the cleanup of derelict properties, a proposal which the assembly agreed to.

In other actions, the assembly formally accepted a $311,052 grant from the state Department of Heath and Social Services to be allocated to Mat-Su nonprofits providing health and social services.

In another action, $839,075 was reallocated from the Government Hill parking lot project to the planned Gateway Visitor Center, to be used to match state and federal grants. The visitor center will be a focus of growth Mat-Su’s visitor industry.

The proposed road bond issue and projects to be put before voters prompted the most discussion during the meeting. A list of nine road projects totalling $64 million in estimated costs had been vetted by the borough public works department from a longer list of 45 projects and presented earlier to the assembly.

Final decisions by the assembly were to be made Aug. 1.

The projects included:

• $2.17 million for phase two of the Edgerton Parks Road to Trails Drive road upgrade and pathway’

• $5.89 million for an extension of Hammer Road South;

• $2.56 million for school site traffic and safety improvements at Pioneer Peak Elementary;

• $5.22 million, Green Forest Drive reconstruction;

• $6.14 million, Museum Drive extension; • $11 million, Burma Road reconstruction, phase one

• $18.38 million, school site traffic and safety improvements, Shaw Elementary;

• $5.5 million, King Arthur Drive phase one, Parks Highway to No Name Hill Drive;

• $5.2 million Yoder Road reconstruction

Assembly member Mokie Tew proposed two changes to the list, which were accepted. They include $1.95 million to Jollly Creek drainage improvement for abatement of seasonal flooding, and $2.7 million for a West Lakes Blvd. and Big Lake Trail separated crossing, to reduce safety hazards when snow machines cross the road.

Assembly member Stephanie Nowers proposed two additions, both accepted. One was to add $548,000 to make improvements at Tait Drive (Bogard to Sheldon), and $493,000 for improvements on Earl Drive and Eek Street (Bogard Road to Finger Lake Elementary), and $647,000 for improvements at Gershmel Loop (Fireweed Road).

The amendments would increase the total cost of the bonds to $74 million. However, there was considerable discussion of the need to spend $11 million on the Burma Road reconstruction. This was originally put forth as a way to improve a connection between the Parks Highway and the borough’s Port MacKenzie on upper Cook Inlet.

Questions were raised on whether it is needed, at least at the scale proposed, now that the borough is proposing to convert the unfinished railroad extension embankments to a road, which would also provide access from Houston, on the Parks to the port.

Of that happens, the Burma Road could be improved for local residential access rather than as a major connection. Money ust still be found for the rail-to-road conversion, so there are uncertainties.

The language of the bond proposal was amended to give the borough more flexibility on the Burma Road improvements but a proposal to reduce the amount to $5 million was turned down.

The biggest change by the assembly, however, was to require a 50 percent match from a non-borough source, such as the state or federal governments, for the entire bond package.

That will reduce the cost of the package put before voters to about $38 million, which might help get approval, but it could also delay some of the projects if the 50 percent match is not attained.