Borough to move into new digs now

PALMER — If all goes as planned, the Mat-Su Borough anticipates the expansion of the administration building will be complete next month.

“Construction progressed through 2012 into 2013 and is now nearing substantial completion. Assembly meetings are expected to resume in the new chambers Aug./Sep.,” according to an updated report borough spokeswoman Patty Sullivan emailed Friday.

Sullivan said that the exterior is being painted and she said she believed the expansion adds 18,000 square feet of new space.

“Our elevator was put on hold yesterday or two days ago because they were installing a good elevator that makes the whole facility handicap accessible for the first time ever,” Sullivan said.

Assemblyman Jim Colver, one of the main people pushing for the projects, said that the $7.2 million budget came from scraping together various reserve funds and accounts set aside to do work on the building.

“That got going too, because the clerk and the attorney were working in sweatshop garment factory conditions, really hot or really cold or really windy and stuff stacked to the sky in there,” he said. “I felt like it was really unproductive and horrible working conditions for our employees.”

Another problem — public meetings that draw a crowd usually wind up with audience members overflowing into the hall and up the stairs.

“It was pretty nuts trying to have a public meeting in there,” Colver said.

The borough knew for years it needed to expand — the money to do this project came together in 2009 and studies were ongoing before then.

Assembly members representing areas in Wasilla and points north argued for a satellite office rather than an expansion. A study ensued as the assembly reviewed potential sites or buildings to use. Eventually, it decided to expand.

“We found out that this was the way to go after having the architect take a look at our options,” Colver said.

The expansion includes new assembly chambers for meetings and new offices for administrators as well as assembly members and the mayor.

“It’s going to be all new good space, some good meeting room and administrative office space,” Colver said. “And then we’re going to go through and renovate the rest of the building.”

The building, after all, was built during the 1930s Colony era of Palmer’s history.

Also in the new space will be audio and video equipment to present and record the meetings. At Tuesday’s meeting, the assembly will vote on a contract for $355,000 to Pyramid Audio and Video Ltd. to set that system up.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.