Many hands make more agreeable work

Frontiersman editorial board

This issue of our paper includes several instances of unlikely groups making an effort to join together for the common good of the community.

Alaska Raceway Park, which has demonstrated a commitment to the community in the past, worked many hours with the Butte Community Council to find a solution to a problem, and both the racetrack and the community are going to benefit many times over from the result.

It wasn't a solution easily reached and yes, those early meetings were "vociferous," as Barbara Lackey put it, but both groups resolved to stay at the bargaining table until a consensus was reached. And in the end, not only did the community gain a greenbelt and the racetrack the right of ownership, but maybe a few bonds were created -- a few friendships, even.

And in Wasilla's Windbreak Cafe, pro-, anti-, and in-between-zoning factions met around a table recently and committed to finding a workable solution to an issue that has been dividing this Valley for years -- more and more prominently with every moving van that crosses the borough boundaries.

Yes, a few biting words may have been tossed about and a soapbox or two might have appeared from under the table, but in the end, a commitment to cooperate was reached.

There will likely be more heated discussion as the project moves forward, but if the participants make that effort to stick it out, to reach their goal, the whole borough may take part in the fruits of their labor -- a way of life, of planning and development that is tailor-made to fit the particular needs of a very unique place.

As the city of Wasilla embarks on an effort to establish a regional dispatch center in its public safety building, it could benefit by picking up a few tips from the two instances above. A regional dispatch center should be one that fits the needs of every group it wants to serve, and all those groups should have a hand in the planning process.

And in order to make it the most effective for the community, those involved have to set aside their philosophical, political and other differences and agree to work together. Any other approach simply won't be effective.

It's a solid idea, Wasilla, and maybe even a needed one, but without consensus, it may be a misuse of public money.