Borough seeks disaster funds

June 15, 2007

By John R. Moses

Frontiersman

TALKEETNA - The Mat-Su Borough is seeking a federal disaster declaration in a bid to get cash for a temporary Su Valley junior/senior high school campus before the start of the 2007—2008 school year. The campus would replace the complex that burned June 5.

Borough officials met Thursday with Department of Homeland Security representatives. Borough Manager John Duffy could sign a disaster declaration as soon as today. A summary of the damages will go to the federal government for review before it is sent to the governor.

&#8220We hope to be eligible for emergency funding,” Borough Emeergency Services Director Dennis Brodigan said. &#8220We have 62 days to come up with a new school for 185 students and 25 staff.”

School begins Aug. 20, and the only question about establishing a temporary campus is its location. One possibility is a relocation across the Parks Highway to the area's senior center near Mile 98.

That nonprofit corporation has enough land to accommodate portable buildings, but it could take as much as $2 million to prepare the site.

&#8220We don't have the money to cover all the expenses for recovering from this disaster, including the interim relocation of the students or a new school,” Brodigan says in a prepared release.

The high school was gutted the evening of June 5 after the roof caught fire and flames raged above the existing sprinkler system.

The State Fire Marshal's Office ended days of on-site investigation by declaring there is no way to pinpoint the blaze's origin.

"There are too many remaining 'likely' possibilities for fire investigators to determine the exact cause of the fire," its report says.

The Mat-Su Borough Assembly and School Board met this week. Central Mat-Su Fire Chief Michael Keenan told the group that firefighters dumped more than 500,000 gallons of water on the blaze as they fought to save the building.

Firefighters retreated after two backdraft explosions, Keenan said.

The blaze was the largest structure fire ever fought in the borough, occupying 70 firefighters who drove from as far away as Chugiak.

Community members in Talkeetna pitched in last weekend at the volunteer department's firehouse to clean equipment used to battle the fire.

The Assembly called an emergency meeting for 4 p.m. Tuesday at the assembly chambers.

Borough Mayor Curt Menard says in a press release that the process is moving as fast as possible.

&#8220At the emergency assembly meeting Tuesday we'll likely take action on portables and the interim location of the school,” Menard said.

Contact John R. Moses at 352-2270 or e-mail john.moses@ frontiersman.com.