Debate over utility rights to new hospital continues

WASILLA -- The city of Wasilla has a lot to offer its surrounding area, should it be awarded the contract to provide water and sewer service to the planned Mat-Su Valley Medical Center.

The land slated to be used for the new center sits equidistant from both Palmer and Wasilla, near the intersection of the Parks and Glenn highways. This positioning makes the issue of water and sewer provision to the facility a hot topic; both Palmer and Wasilla stand to benefit significantly from extending their utility lines to the area.

"We can offer an expanded customer base and service to the Parks Highway corridor," said Archie Giddings, city of Wasilla Public Works director. The provision of these utilities is Wasilla's primary advantage in the ongoing battle to obtain the contract.

Giddings noted that homes and businesses along the Parks are currently being serviced by independent wells and septic systems, and a public water and sewer utility in the area would be most welcome. Another benefit would be the placement of fire hydrants and other firefighting supports along the route to offer emergency services to residents.

Though Wasilla's sewer system is currently operating at three-quarters of its capacity, Giddings believes that the city has ample facilities to handle an expansion. "Our systems currently have enough capacity to provide service to both the Parks and the new facility," Giddings said.

A report issued by MWH America states that the main production well for Wasilla is currently operating at less than 50 percent of capacity, and the recent addition of two new production wells has increased source water capacity by 35 percent.

The Wasilla plan calls for a permit from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for crossing Wasilla Creek. The ADF&G will make certain that the water and sewer pipe would not disturb the creek's environment. However, Giddings doesn't expect any trouble in this respect.

"With the technique we're using, there should be very little damage to the area," said Giddings, describing the city's plan to bore beneath the creek bed in order to lay pipe. "If they let the highway cross the creek, we should have no problems with the pipe."

"It's not an easy decision to make," Giddings admitted. "Either city's utilities could handle the job easily."

Giddings denies that the upcoming decision could be seen as an inroads for either the city of Palmer or Wasilla to annex the hospital property and thus greatly expand its own borders. However, should both Palmer and Wasilla continue to grow at the current rate, annexation may become an issue. And, should the land in question be someday claimed by both cities, it doesn't take a leap of the imagination to determine that whichever city is providing utilities to the hospital would have the upper hand.

However, Giddings does believe that, in certain situations, the utility contract could be used as a bargaining chip for city expansion. "What the utility contract would do would give either city a foothold, an advantage in a land deal," Giddings said.

The contract is also being offered at a comparatively small price to the cities, since $5 million in appropriations have been made available to help defray the costs of the extension. This money would cover roughly 75 percent of construction costs. This provision makes the utility deal all the more lucrative for both cities.

The contract decision is slated to be made by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska in early April. Though Tom Klinkler, Wasilla's city attorney, notes that the decision will be subject to appeal, Giddings believes that the March hearing will probably be the final word on the matter.

"We don't want this decision to slow down construction of the new hospital," he said.