Frontiersman to break ground on press

MAT-SU -- It's a dream that's been several years in the making but, driven by growth in the Valley and an increasing demand for news coverage and advertising opportunities, this dream will become a reality next spring.

Frontiersman, a Mat-Su paper serving the Valley since 1947, is breaking ground Tuesday on a building site that will house the company's new press. The community is invited to take part in the official groundbreaking ceremony on July 13 at 11 a.m., at a site just to the east of the Frontiersman office building, which is located off the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, on E. Mayflower Court.

After seven years of planning, Frontiersman publisher Kari Sleight said she's pleased to see the newspaper expand in this direction, but credits the community for the expansion.

"The continued growth of the Valley and the spirit of support of their hometown newspaper has certainly helped make this a reality," Sleight said. "It's part of our plan to better serve the needs of our readers, advertisers and customers. And the changing deadlines will allow us to accommodate more current news in the pages of our newspapers."

The new facility, Sleight said, will be about 9,600 square feet and will house a nine-unit Goss community press. The facility is scheduled to be complete by the end of December, with the press installation taking place in January. Sleight said the press will be shipped up over land, and should be fully installed by mid-February.

The press configuration, Sleight said, will allow the newspaper to print with greater color capacity, and readers will see more color pages and larger sections as a result. Sleight said adding the press will allow Frontiersman to take on printing jobs, although that will likely happen a few months after the press is up and running.

"We will eventually add a community printing department," Sleight said. "But our primary concern is printing our own newspaper and related products."

A new production department will mean three to four additional full-time employees will be hired, Sleight said, plus a number of part-time employees.

The new facility, Sleight said, is being designed to allow visitors to easily watch the running press in action. The building, designed by Architects Alaska, will have large glass windows facing the press area, where people can watch the press from the parking lot. The windows will be tinted to allow viewing of the press, but limit the incoming UVA and UVB rays, to prevent escalating temperatures and sun damage to the press and its operators.

Sleight said Collins Construction was selected as the general contractor, and efforts are being made to ensure the press fits into the surrounding residential neighborhood and the community with little disruption.

Sleight discussed the development with members of the local homeowners' group, Colonial Park Owners Association, before the company purchased the land, and a vegetative buffer and dirt berm will be left to reduce noise generated by the press.

Trees on the lot that are cut down as part of the excavation process will be made available for free to the community, Sleight said. The trees, she said, must be picked up within a particular window of time, which Sleight said will be announced in the coming weeks.

Adding the press will bring to a close a long contractual agreement with two Anchorage printing companies. For more than 20 years, Frontiersman has been a customer of the Anchorage Daily News' commercial printing department, and has also relied on Anchorage Printing for many of its printing jobs. Sleight said printing locally, with Frontiersman's reliance on local suppliers when possible, will benefit the local economy.

"It'll pour more money back into the local economy instead of sending it to Anchorage through employees and supplies and services," Sleight said.

Contact Rindi White at rindi.white@frontiersman.com.