Landmark building planned

March 22, 2005

AMY MENEREY /Frontiersman reporter

SUTTON - The village of Chickaloon last week extended its hand to the community of Sutton, resulting in what will likely be the area's largest and most far-reaching project, one that scraps Sutton's plans to build a new library on its own.

The Sutton Community Council voted unanimously Tuesday to support the village of Chickaloon's plan to develop a multi-use facility that will include a library and health-care center on a 10-acre lot by Eska Creek, the current location of Chickaloon Gravel Pit.

Tentative plans for the structure include approximately 4,000 square feet for a library, 2,000 square feet for a kitchen, 4,000 square feet for a comprehensive health clinic, 2,000 square feet for meeting rooms and 4,000 square feet for a multi-use area.

Each area would extend like spokes on a wheel from a central two-story atrium of about 750 square feet, a room dedicated to focusing on the history of the Sutton/Chickaloon area.

Growing substantially each year, the needs of the Mat-Su Borough's residents - from health care to education and everything in between - have also grown.

To address this need in Chickaloon, the tribe's Health and Social Services Department has been working on a plan for the last few years to build a community health center that would serve both Native and non-Native residents of the area.

The village applied for and received a grant from Southcentral Foundation to purchase a 10-acre lot on the Glenn Highway. Before long, the plan grew to include a larger structure that would serve the community as a whole on levels beyond health care.

At Tuesday's Sutton Community Council meeting, village representatives asked if Sutton would like to join its efforts.

"People can't be well if the community is not well," said Ingrid Ling, Chickaloon director of Health and Social Services. "This is a good opportunity to collaborate, since the building will have lots of multi-use areas."

Although Chickaloon Village focuses primarily on helping Natives and continuing Native education, Ling said, the Sutton/Chickaloon area is a mixed community. By joining efforts, she told the council, they would not be competing for funds and would be able to better bring the community together.

"We want to give back to the community that raised us," Ling said, referring to her Sutton roots and Native heritage.

The Sutton Community Council had plans in progress to purchase property and build a new library with a focus on including more room for community meetings and events.

A library site selection committee had been formed and the committee chose a site next to the existing library for possible purchase. Early in Tuesday's meeting, the council discussed the borough's assessment of the 3.9-acre lot in question. Then focus shifted to Chickaloon's proposal.

Before making the proposal to the council, Ling said, she, Chickaloon Environmental Protection Program director Angela Wade and Sutton librarian Nancy Bertels met with borough community development director Ron Swanson Tuesday morning to find out if a joint project was feasible and address any possible problems in advance, since the library is owned by the borough and would be operated by the borough.

Ling said they learned other communities have similar situations, and they decided to move forward that evening by presenting the opportunity to SCC.

The council's decision to scrap its previous plans appeared to be made easily, after hearing the plans being made by Chickaloon Village.

"It's twice the facility and would pull the community together as a whole," one person said during discussion.

The SCC was looking at approximately seven years to completion of the original library proposal, and, with no money yet in the works for the actual building, much more leg work to do. The borough would have paid for the property.

With approximately three years to completion of the Chickaloon project, the property already purchased and some grants already in the works, it didn't take long for the council to vote unanimously to support Chickaloon's efforts and collaborate with them.

The council also voted to form a building committee to work with Chickaloon on the project.

"It's a beautiful project for integration," Wade said at the meeting. "It seems so productive and awesome."

Construction of the multi-use facility is expected to begin in 2006, Ling said. The building will be a "green" building, meaning it will be built with environmentally friendly materials, local products and use wind and solar energy.

The plan for a relocated Sutton library has not yet been approved by the borough Assembly.