Menard sends list of wants to governor

MAT-SU — As the holiday season has municipalities anxiously awaiting what the governor’s draft budget will bring, one Valley politician has already turned in her wish list.

State Sen. Linda Menard said she was the first legislator to discuss with Gov. Sean Parnell what her priority projects are before his draft budget is released on Dec. 15. In a letter sent to the governor, Menard listed seven projects for which she said state funding this year is critical.

The first and largest chunk the senator is asking for is $35 million for road work. Menard’s letter indicates the money would go toward a number of projects including:

• The connection and extension of Jenson Road and Soapstone Road as a northern route between the Glenn Highway and Palmer-Fishhook Road.

• The extension of Dogwood Road in Palmer.

• The extension of Seward Meridian Parkway south past the Parks Highway to Fairview Loop.

• Upgrades to Vine Road between Knik-Goose Bay Road the Parks Highway.

• Upgrades to Seldon Road as well as its extension past Church Road to Beverly Lakes Road.

• Upgrades to Hermon Road to create another connection between the Parks and Palmer-Wasilla highways.

The road money from the state would match money put up by the borough. In 2008, voters approved $15 million in road bonds contingent on getting another $35 million from the state.

The 2009 state budget ignored this request, leaving the road bonds stranded.

In her letter, Menard says not only are the arterial roads in the Valley lacking, but three of the top four most dangerous roads in Alaska are in the Mat-Su.

“These projects will provide significant relief thereby improving travel times and traffic from existing neighborhoods. Besides promoting efficient transportation, the projects will divert ‘cut-through’ traffic from existing neighborhoods,” Menard says, “The projects will also enhance long-term community and economic development.”

In addition to the road work, Menard is asking for $25 million for two landings for the ferry that will run between Anchorage and Point MacKenzie. The ferry will spur industrial and commercial development and relieve stress from the Glenn Highway, the letter says.

The completion of the Palmer Senior Center is a “shovel-ready” project, Menard says. An expanded facility will allow seniors an alternative option to moving into nursing homes, and the land is already under the center’s ownership, the letter says.

Palmer Senior Center office manager Rachel Greenberg said the project already has $5.2 million in funding secured against the estimated $11 million project. Greenberg is hopeful the center will receive another $2.8 million from the state this year after receiving nothing from the 2009 budget.

“That would bring us to $8.2 million. We are hoping that would allow us to leverage more money from other sources to finish the project,” Greenberg said.

In Wasilla, Menard’s letter asks for funding for four projects. First, the city’s wastewater treatment plant has secured $1 million in federal dollars for upgrades, such as installing a cover over the lagoons to prevent freezing. However, this grant requires $2 million in matching funding from the state.

The senator is asking for $1 million for Lake Lucille water quality improvements. The money would be split between replacing a wooden dam with a concrete structure and dredging operations to restore groundwater flow.

Wasilla is looking to construct a stoplight at the intersection of Knik-Goose Bay Road and Fern Street. Another $500,000 would get the project out to bid in the spring, Menard says.

Finally, she says, the current route to the Wasilla Airport is three miles longer than it needs to be. Funding has already been secured to build a new approach outside of the airport boundaries, but $3 million is needed to finish the road, the letter says.

Menard’s aide, Michael Rovito, said Gov. Parnell asked the legislators to make him aware of the needs in each district, as the local representatives know best where the money should go. The governor has returned a noncommittal letter thanking Menard for her recommendations, Rovito said.

“We don’t know either way what’s going into his budget, and neither will anyone else until after the 15th,” Rovito said.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.