Coal debates fuels local community council

PALMER — Add to the list of things that could perhaps be considered fallout of the debate over coal mining a startlingly invigorated Buffalo/Soapstone Community Council.

“I’ve been community council president for 10 years and it’s always just been this sleepy community council, everybody got along,” said Jennifer Charvet.

She said that so far, 12 people have signed up to be nominated to run for one of five council seats. That’s a far cry from years past.

“In the past we had one or two people interested and we were begging people in the meeting to agree to do it.”

Begging for candidates is a phenomenon common in community councils, the meetings of which are, as a rule, sparsely attended. Buffalo/Soapstone usually held its meetings in a larger-than-average living room.

That was back when council meetings drew 25 people. A council meeting last week drew 133 people at the Palmer Train Depot. A meeting planned for early next month is booked at an even larger venue, the Colony High School theater, as 200 residents might attend.

So what does Buffalo/Soapstone have going that is sparking that kind of interest? In a word, coal.

“I think that’s a huge part of it that no one’s talking about. That’s not being discussed, but I think that’s underlying everything,” Charvet said.

What is being discussed is the Buffalo/Soapstone comprehensive plan — or what’s left of it.

Alys Culhane, a member of the council board, said the council had been hammering out the plan for years and holding meetings all along.

“The background history is, and this is what I think is happening, is that we attempted to put together a comprehensive plan and they are upset because they believe that there was not enough community input on this,” she said.

Charvet said she’d heard the same criticism, but she said the council put up fliers on community billboards, sent out emails and mailed out surveys. She said she can’t think of anything else that could have practically been done.

At last week’s meeting it was suggested members go door-to-door to inform neighbors of each meeting. Candidates for the council promised they would do just that, if seated.

Charvet said that for a council to do that is impractical and unsafe. Both Buffalo Mine and Soapstone roads are long and windy with no shoulders. Going door-to-door is also an unwanted intrusion on residents who value privacy.

“I personally don’t want them coming to my door,” Charvet said.

She said she was also criticized for advertising the meetings about the comprehensive plans as potlucks.

“We were trying to get people to come,” she said. “Cookies are a nice bonus.”

And it worked — the council doubled its membership.

The criticism was that it was misleading to call a council meeting a potluck, but Charvet said the fliers and ads explained what would be discussed.

At any rate, the comprehensive plan died at a well-attended and somewhat raucous meeting at the Mat-Su Borough Gym. Culhane said the rhetoric has risen to almost scary levels.

“I am slightly afraid for people’s safety at these meetings, although at the last one everyone was fine,” Culhane said.

So what is it about the comprehensive plan that has people so worked up?

To a degree, Charvet said, it could just be that people object to the idea of a comprehensive plan. They view it as government trying to place restrictions on them.

Charvet said she doesn’t see it that way, noting that a comprehensive plan is essentially a list of suggestions.

“A lot of it was to be a friendly neighbor, here’s some suggestions,” she said.

But on a community council level information often spreads by word of mouth. And in that environment there’s a lot of room for rumors.

Charvet said some of the most ridiculous things she’s heard from that rumor mill is that the plan limited the number of vehicles a person could have on his or her property, limited the number of dogs he could own or would force everyone to replace their woodstoves.

“I have heard so many rumors that are just absolutely hilarious, but just not in the plan,” she said.

People who believed those rumors were understandably upset, Charvet said.

But a third factor that might be influencing people to organize against the plan is coal.

Buffalo/Soapstone is the community closest to where Usibelli Coal Mine is exploring the idea of opening a mine.

Culhane said there was a piece of the plan that addressed coal mining.

“I think it focused on the misconception that it would be an economic benefit to the community and pointed out the health-related dangers and the devaluation of property,” she said.

Buffalo/Soapstone, like most Valley communities, is deeply split on the issue of mining. Some worry about the impacts. Others hunger for the jobs.

Charvet said the next step for the council is to get through its election next month. The council elects board members during live voting at a meeting. Members are also nominated at the meeting so no one is technically a candidate yet, but a number have expressed interest.

Charvet said she has collected 12 names to distribute to the community. Charvet and Culhane are both running again. The other 10 are: Kathleen Chambers, Jason Crum, Brian Endle, Janett Goss, April Lewis, Krista Maciolek, Julia Plotnik, Steve Renner, Rick Shields and Marni Weiland.

More could jump in between now and the meeting.

Charvet said she honestly has mixed feelings about whether she would like to see things calm down. On one hand, the attention has turned the council seat into a 20-hour per week job. On the other hand, widespread attention and participation is the kind of thing a council dreams of.

“I’ve been community council president for 10 years because no one else would do it,” she said.

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