Mayor vetoes Jim Creek plan

PALMER — The Mat-Su Borough mayor has vetoed a plan for a borough-owned parcel of land in Jim Creek.

But, mayor Larry DeVilbiss said in an interview, he won’t oppose the plan if the assembly tweaks one part of it.

“It’s out of synch with the rest of the management area there,” he said.

Specifically, it’s out of synch with the state’s rules on nearby lands regarding the use of firearms, DeVilbiss said.

“That entire area is not for target practice, but it is open for hunting,” he said.

He said that if the borough’s plan isn’t changed, there would be problems with enforcement. Alaska State Troopers and officers patrolling the area would have to first make sure they knew exactly where they are standing before he can write a ticket because the property lines are not clearly marked.

The nonprofit Butte Area Residents Civic Organization said on Facebook that it opposed the changes.

“Too many people live adjacent and close to the Jim Creek Parcel on Sullivan and Caudill whose homes and lives will continue to be exposed rather than be protected as we had hoped,” the post said. “We have too many residents exposed already to the ongoing recreational shooting in the (state’s Knik River Public Use Area).”

DeVilbiss said that he has heard the opposition, but feels that it’s unrealistic to think that such a ban can be put in place and enforced.

The idea of what to do with the Jim Creek parcel has been a controversial one to say the least. The parcel includes the parking lot on Sullivan Road, one of the main gateways to the Knik River and the opportunities there for boating, horseback riding, hunting and all-terrain vehicle use.

The area was for years home to rampant gunfire and torched vehicles. The borough’s management plan — which will include what is essentially an ATV park with trails for all skill levels — is an attempt to put a lid on such lawlessness.

The state also has engaged in efforts to restore order, adopting a long set of rules and accompanying penalties for the Knik River Public Use Area. How successful those efforts have been depends on whom you ask.

The borough’s plans for the area met with opposition from residents who complain about bad behavior from ATV riders, from folks who want to use the area for non-motorized purposes who felt squeezed out and from citizens involved in the planning process who believed the borough assembly had hijacked the process in favor of ATV riders.

Meanwhile, ATV riders complain about being squeezed out of everywhere else and applauded the borough assembly’s efforts to give them a place legally.

Warren Keogh, who represents the area on the assembly, testified at the last assembly meeting that from his view, opinion the plan was more or less evenly split, but he said he believed the assembly deepened the divisions by showing favoritism to motorized users.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.