New elementary school site approved

PALMER -- Both the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board have approved a 40-acre borough-owned parcel of land to be the location of the new Wasilla elementary school. Located near Mile 5 of Wasilla Fishhook Road, the site was selected from four possible sites for the new school: The Wasilla Fishhook site and three sites along Church Road.

Borough Mayor Tim Anderson chose a site selection committee last February after the school board requested that a site be chosen for the new school. Voters approved a bond in October's election that included $12 million for the new school. The board and borough, with hopes for the bond's approval, began looking at the possible sites prior to the election to prepare for construction of the school in advance in order to alleviate overcrowding in other Wasilla elementary schools.

To choose a site, the site selection committee looked at both borough and Alaska Department of Education criteria for school sites, which included the following requirements:

The land must be compatible with the existing and future elementary school boundaries.

The land must be in a central location where

bus transportation routes and travel distances are reasonable.

The land size must be, at a minimum, 20 acres to accommodate the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District's 'prototype' facility.

The land must be in reasonable proximity to utilities and suitable soils for an onsite sewer system.

The cost of land acquisition must be economical.

The committee scored each of the sites based on these and other requirements. The Wasilla-Fishhook site scored the highest at 855; one of the Church Road sites scored below the minimum score of 685.

The committee unveiled its findings to the borough planning commission, which in turn brought forth a resolution at last week's assembly meeting in order to have the site approved or disapproved. The school board also voted on a resolution regarding the site last week; resolutions in favor of the new site both passed unanimously.