Good things are happening

Simply Sleight/Kari Sleight

There are a lot of good things happening in the Mat-Su, and it's exciting to be a part of such a dynamic and growing community.

The city of Palmer hosted a grand-opening celebration yesterday for its new ice arena. The festivities took place at the new building, across from Palmer Junior Middle School, culminating with the championship game of the Region III High School tournament. This newest addition of ice to our community complements Wasilla's Brett Memorial Ice Arena and the remarkable Multi-Use Sports Complex in Wasilla.

The Government Finance Association of the United States and Canada recently awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award to the city of Wasilla.

The city's finance department has been recognized by the nonprofit association for four years in a row, and Ted Leonard and his staff deserve hearty congratulations for setting the standards of their department high and ensuring they consistently meet those standards.

Port MacKenzie welcomed the first ship to its deep-draft dock this past Tuesday. The Keoyang Majesty began on-loading Mat-Su wood chips and when that task is complete, will take those chips to a South Korean paper mill.

While there has been controversy through the years about the port - some question the need the facility- it is a positive step forward for the Mat-Su Borough, in opening possibilities for new business and industries and bringing more employment opportunities and economic growth.

The new Mat-Su Regional Medical Center becomes more of a reality with each passing day as walls are erected, beams carefully placed and floors assembled. The state-of-the-art hospital will continue to provide the quality health care we've been accustomed to, and expand the number of specialty practices to become a full-service health-care facility.

The Home Depot and Lowe's are the newest major retailers to call the Valley home, further reducing Valley residents' reliance on shopping trips to Anchorage.

We've been fortunate to have the services of Spenard Builders Supply for many years in Wasilla, and their recent opening of a Palmer store filled a void on that side of the Valley. Sears expanded from an appliance and tool store to a full-service location and Fred Meyer locations in Wasilla and Palmer were welcome additions to our community.

The number of quality dining and entertainment options in the Valley is also on the rise.

There are a number of open-mike nights hosted in Palmer and Wasilla to showcase talent from around the Valley and state and several local vocalists and musical groups have recently received national attention.

There has been so much growth and so many businesses have opened around the Mat-Su, that it's often difficult to know what services and goods are now available to us that we used to rely on Anchorage to provide.

State economist Neil Fried recently announced the population of the Mat-Su Borough has surpassed the 70,000 mark, with both Palmer and Wasilla showing double-digit growth in a four-year period.

The astounding growth we are experiencing will, undoubtedly, continue to attract additional businesses - major retailers and private entrepreneurs alike.

Not everyone is happy about the growth, but the fact remains that it's likely to continue regardless of any individual's personal feelings.

Personally, I think it's great.

So many communities are facing declining economies, with businesses closing their doors, factories laying off personnel, people losing their farms and homes, families having to uproot their lives and move to unfamiliar areas and start over. We should count our blessings.

The Mat-Su Borough and the cities have, for the most part, rolled out the welcome mat for new businesses looking to set up business in our community.

It's refreshing to see civic leaders work closely with the business community to encourage a healthy business climate.

The city of Wasilla's willingness to work with Lowe's on reducing the amount the company would have to pay for a new traffic signal and its cooperation with Home Depot in upgrading its water system to meet not only the store's needs, but the needs of a growing community, are two recent examples of a community that fosters strong economic growth.

Residents of Mat-Su would be hard-pressed to find a need that couldn't be filled by a local Valley business or provider.

Today's Business page debuts a new feature designed to help educate the community about the services and goods provided by Valley businesses and organizations in this ever-expanding market.

The "Meet Your Chamber Merchant" feature will publish every Sunday on the Business page and we hope you'll find it useful. Most importantly, I hope you'll join me in supporting Valley businesses and keeping the Valley's economy strong.

Kari Sleight is the Frontiersman publisher.