Lake Louise ambulance to get own building

LAKE LOUISE — Emergency responders here may get to have a more sheltered existence.

The state Department of Community and Economic Development has approved a grant request from the Mat-Su Borough that provides a maximum of $850,000 for a Lake Louise Emergency Response Facility. The Borough is considering an ordinance to accept and appropriate the funds, and a public hearing is scheduled for April 15.

“We are very excited about it,” said Beverly Matthews, president of Lake Louise Community Nonprofit Corp., about having a building to house the area’s emergency equipment.

Matthews, who also serves as an emergency trauma technician, said the community has been trying get a facility for several years. Last year, the Borough submitted a similar request, but it didn’t fit into the necessary guidelines. Originally proposed as a community center, the building would have needed a kitchen and other amenities to assist in hosting community activities.

As a emergency response facility, the building has a narrow, but extremely important, purpose, she said. Located off Mile 159.8 of the Glenn Highway, Lake Louise is miles away from hospitals and emergency service infrastructure. In the event of an emergency, patients are usually transported to the Valley or Anchorage. With that in mind, having a place to store emergency response gear is a high priority.

“We need it because we have an ambulance up here and we don’t have a place to store it,” Matthews said. “We are on the very outside edge of everything, so it is really important.”

Matthews said the ambulance, which was provided by the Mat-Su Borough, is stored at Wolverine Lodge. The problem is temperatures drop well below zero during the winter. Sometimes the vehicle is kept inside a garage, but that’s not always possible. To help combat the cold the vehicle is always plugged in.

Robert “Tree” Farmer, owner of Wolverine Lodge, said he has stored the ambulance since it was donated about two years ago. During the first winter he kept the vehicle inside his shop, but he had to shuffle it in and out when he needed the space.

In addition to shuffling the ambulance, Farmer said storing other emergency equipment has been difficult.

“I think right now we’re kind-of scattered with everything,” said Farmer, adding that some equipment is stored at his lodge and other gear at homes in the area.

With all the necessary equipment stored in one location, Farmer said it will ensure the ambulance is ready to go, fully equipped and could improve response times to emergencies in the Lake Louise area.

Pamela Graham, a Borough planner and grant writer, said she submitted the grant application last November and the notice of acceptance came through a couple of weeks ago. The building’s preliminary design calls about 2,000 square feet of space. The facility will include indoor and outdoor storage, heating stove, generator and 2,000-gallon water tank.

Although the building may seem small, its main purpose is simple, Graham said. “The facility is basically a warm storage facility.”

The planner said indoor space will be used for stowing the ambulance, emergency response gear and other temperature-sensitive equipment. Outdoor covered storage space will be used to house the community’s Sno-cat. Because Lake Louise is outside of the power grid, a generator will supply the power needed to operate the facility. The building will be heated by a Toyostove or something similar, Graham said.

Construction is expected to happen near the end of July or beginning of August, but Graham said the details still need some work. After the Borough holds a public hearing about the project and finalizes other required work, like an environmental assessment, the project will go through the bidding process.

Contact Chris Gillow at chris.gillow@frontiersman.com or 352-2284.