Borough extends facilities closures; trail parking free

PALMER — Mat-Su Borough Mayor Vern Halter provided a comprehensive update on the upcoming budget process by the Mat-Su Borough Assembly and the current available COVID-19 testing opportunities in the Valley. Halter announced that the borough’s public facilities will remain closed until May 15 but that parking fees for trailheads have been waived and libraries developed a safe protocol on Tuesday that is now in effect.

“Today’s theme is testing, testing, testing,” said Halter. “I would suggest by May 15 I would like to see every borough employee tested and by fall, this fall when school reopens I would suggest that every student be tested, every teacher be tested, parents be tested so we know exactly where this pandemic is and where it’s going.”

Borough Department of Emergency Services Manager Ken Barkley said that all borough departments are still functioning despite difficulties. Forestry crews are monitoring active hotspots and ash pits on snowmachine from the numerous wildfires that burned near Willow last summer. Barkley also shared information about the ninth Alaskan who died as a result of infection with coronavirus, a 33-year-old Wasilla woman who died on Sunday morning and was reported on Tuesday.

“That individual was not seen out here or tested out here to our knowledge, was not at Mat-Su Regional. She was in Anchorage but that is one fatality, her address is in the Mat-Su Borough and we have 15 positive cases for the Mat-Su Borough,” said Barkley.

Founder of Capstone clinic, Wade Erickson, updated testing numbers along with Barkley. Capstone has provided 1,091 telescreenings and 354 tests and taken 300 calls through their triage phone line. Of those 300, 200 were tested with 100 each going to the state and commercial labs. Barkley said that the Urgent Care on Lake Louise has provided 14 tests. Mat-Su Regional Medical Center CEO David Wallace provided an update that Erickson shared that MSRMC also received one of the Abbott rapid testing machines with 100 kits available. MSRMC has 1,400 PCR test kits currently available and have tested 281 Mat-Su residents with only one positive. Erickson shared that Capstone also has two Abbott machines and has used 23 of their 96 test kits for testing of first responders.

“We now have 160 viral reset media kits left out of our stock. We are still waiting for further resupply of those and we have a request in over the past week to the state. I was assured by [Department of Health and Social Services] commissioner Crum today that they would be coming and that we can liberalize our testing without fear of running out of kits,” said Erickson.

Erickson applauded Mat-Su residents who are wearing masks in public and shared fear of asymptomatic spread. Erickson also said that all outpatient testing in the Valley is drive-in testing. Prior to the broadening of criteria for someone to be tested last week, Erickson had shared his fear that supplies may run out with liberalization of testing criteria.

“As we liberalize the testing capabilities within the next couple of weeks, we will be able to start testing people who are asymptomatic in high risk situations for example, but at this time we are not testing anybody who is asymptomatic,” said Erickson.

Erickson noted that the state lab’s weekly capacity of 5,500 tests is not yet being met and shared that he was grateful to Mat-Su residents for their collective efforts. Erickson said that reducing the community’s overall viral load will result in greater immunity and prevent subsequent loss of life.

“I think we need to be ready to prepare ourselves for longer term changes in our daily lifestyles. This is stuff that you guys have all heard before but again, those little things,” said Erickson. “Those little things that we do as a community are making a difference and if we continue to do those even though we have a low viral load right now, we will be able to open up sooner than other locations.”

Halter and Deputy Mayor Dan Mayfield discussed the assembly’s budget work sessions last week where each department head presented their available budget. Both took time to voice their disapproval with Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of $100 million in School Bond Debt Reimbursement funds, $18 million of which was headed to the Mat-Su Valley. Mayfield also questioned Dunleavy’s plan to backfill school bond debt reimbursement funds with federal coronavirus relief monies.

“Honestly I hope the governor is successful in backfilling the school bond debt with COVID 19 money, but it does appear fairly dubious at this point. I personally believe that the legislature needs to get back to work on some veto overrides to restore this money and restore the confidence of the voters, that when they go to vote for a bond that all participants will honor their obligation to that bond,” said Mayfield. “As a member of the Mat-Su Assembly, it’s our job to do some forward thinking about how we’re going to to put people back to work and just last week we passed about $1.4 million in contracts that are designed to put people back to work as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

The news of cruise ships canceling Alaskan trips this summer was met with skeptic hope at last week’s press conference, and Halter stressed his concern over the Mat-Su economy without tourists. Halter said that 1.2 million annual Alaskan tourists will not visit the state this summer.

“That’s going to be a huge impact for Talkeetna, it’s going to be, there’s going to be a major impact in tourism in the Mat-Su Borough, no way of getting around it,” said Halter. “I’m totally confident people are going to come back to Alaska, it’s just a matter of when.”

Borough Manager of Recreation and Library Services Hugh Leslie announced the changes in borough facilities schedules. The Palmer and Wasilla pools, Brett Memorial Ice Arena, borough gym, playgrounds and Government Peak Recreation Area Chalet will remain closed to the public through May 15. Leslie did announce that construction is nearly complete on the Palmer pool upgrades that will be complete once facilities closures are lifted.

Any Mat-Su Borough resident with a library card can now return to checking out materials from local libraries with protocol developed on Tuesday. Patrons can request materials online at matsugov.us/msln and pick them up on tables outside the library buildings. Once returned, library materials will be quarantined for seven days before being disinfected by library staff. Internet capabilities have also been increased at library buildings so that residents can use the internet from their vehicles.

“I don’t want the decision to get out and exercise or fresh air hinge on a five dollar trail fee so we’ve suspended those fees until May 15,” said Leslie. “We are not going to close the trails down for the public. From our standpoint, we would rather repair some sections of the trail once conditions allow than preclude the public from physical activities. The downside is we are asking folks to avoid using the playground equipment at the borough parks simply because we cannot keep them in a sanitary condition.”

Leslie said that playground equipment is typically pressure washed at the beginning of the summer. Leslie said that trails will remain open and free to park for the public, but those who wish to continue to pay for parking may do so.

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