Businesses judged for their beauty

Sept. 17, 2006

By MARY AMES

Frontiersman

WASILLA - Four beauty contest judges wheeled around Wasilla in a stretch limo Friday afternoon, stepping out of the luxurious vehicle and into the windy weather to evaluate esthetic improvements at eight businesses.

The first annual Wasilla beautification competition, sponsored by radio station KMBQ Valley Radio, focused on spiffing up older buildings and enhancing the lines and landscaping of new ones. Station owner John Klapperich came up with the idea as a way to encourage people to visit, and shop locally.

Cheryl Metiva, executive director of the Wasilla Chamber of Commerce, her husband, Marty Metiva; Casey Reynolds, Wasilla's new economic development planner; and Debbie Rinckey, sales manager at KMBQ, compared photos of the eight businesses taken in May with what they saw in person on Friday.

Desmon Butts chauffeured the quartet between Alaska Cheesecake, USKH Engineering, Linda Brandon's State Farm office, Alaska Center for Dentistry, Comprehensive Dental, ITS Alaska Computer Services, the Kristen Cole Team RE/MAX office and Geneva Woods Pharmacy in one of his stretch limousines. Butts, who owns Alaskan Splendor Limousines said he bought the vehicle on eBay.

The businesses were competing for $2,400 worth of prizes that will be awarded to the top-three finishers. Rinckey said she expected to announce the winners on Tuesday.

The contest was a good way for Reynolds, who has been on the job less than two weeks, to get a sense of businesses in the Valley.

&#8220It was a good time with good people,” Reynolds said. &#8220There was a very new level of construction which is good and bad. You do like to have some older buildings in the downtown area, but there were no vacancies and nothing was decrepit.”

The criteria considered by judges included entrances and approaches, the building itself, general upkeep and maintenance, screening and overall appeal. Early on, the crew decided to ditch the idea of rating an employee area.

&#8220The first time is always the hardest,” Rinckey said. &#8220It's the steepest learning curve.”

While the judges chatted about features they especially liked, or some they thought were missing, they ranked each category at each place on a score of 1 to 10, and Rinckey calculated the totals.

The wet, cold summer took a toll on most landscaping, whether it was trees or potted plants. But every business, whether in new buildings or older ones, made an effort to look inviting.

&#8220There is a clean palette in new buildings,” Cheryl Metiva said. &#8220And I give credit for dealing with older buildings that have been there a long time.”

Another thing Reynolds noted was how clean the whole area was.

&#8220There are other cities about the same size in Alaska that aren't as clean,” he said.

Winners of this year's contest will receive goodie baskets worth $1,000 for first place, $800 for second place and $600 for third place.

Jacobson's Greenhouse and Nursery donated $600 in gift certificates aimed at helping businesses landscape.

First National Bank chipped in another $600 in the form of $50 bonds. KMBQ covered the remaining $1,200, purchasing restaurant certificates, flightseeing tours and glacier cruises.

Contact Mary Ames at 352-2284 or mary.ames@frontiersman.com.