New leader takes over 'grass-roots' organization

MAT-SU -- After five years at the helm of one of the Valley's most-discussed local, grassroots-level nonprofit organizations, Michelle Church is stepping down as the executive director of Friends of Mat-Su.

Kathy Wells, a founding member of the organization and former board member, has agreed to take on the job -- a move Wells and Church agreed would allow the group to expand into new areas.

Friends of Mat-Su started in 1998, largely because a group of neighbors, upset at the implications of a race track moving into their area, decided to organize and fight to limit the effects the change would have in their neighborhood. Before long, they realized their battle was larger than they thought.

"We realized it was a bigger problem because an area that would let that happen wasn't thinking very progressively," Church said.

FOMS started out of Church's home, with just a few members, intent on giving property owners some protection from unexpected nuisances that could crop up next to them.

"We started out saying 'Grassroots? We're still the seed in the bag,'" Wells joked.

The group incorporated as a nonprofit in 1998, with goals to educate and keep the public informed about land-use issues in their area. In the ensuing years, membership grew to about 300, where it has remained relatively steady -- although hot-button issues tend to cause a boost in membership.

"We're going to see a lot of people who let their memberships lapse come back now," Wells said, indicating the recent fracas over coal-bed methane drilling.

Wells said she hopes to take FOMS in a few new directions, and broadening their base of members is one of the first areas she hopes to concentrate on.

"I want to see the organization go on; to continue building its sustainability," Wells said.

She'll serve primarily as a contact person to let people know what's going on and how they can get involved. When members call with a question about a proposed 160-foot tower planned for the core area, for example, Church said it's important they get a response quickly about how they can voice their opinion.

Wells said she'd like to see the focus of the process change slightly, and is looking for suggestions as to how it could work.

"There needs to be some sort of avenue where we can contact people and educate them in advance," Wells said. "So much is going on that we become an information vendor. It'd be nice to … be more proactive instead of reactive."

In the meantime, Church said she'll still be working with FOMS, although not as its executive director. The group recently received a $1,000 grant from the Alaska Conservation Voters to compile information related to coal-bed methane drilling, and Church will be working under that grant through December. She's also using the time to delve into private-sector business as well -- something she's had little time to do leading FOMS.

"I'm not going away -- I'm still helping," Church said. "It's been hard to let go, but it feels good. I'm not upset about stepping away, and I think it's going to be a real good thing for FOMS."

Although Church won't be at the helm, the core of the group's philosophy will remain the same.

"The whole focus of FOMS is not to say 'Don't do it,' but 'Let's think about it,'" Church said. With the proposed 160-foot tower, Wells said, FOMS is asking that cell-phone providers and other users come up with a plan of where they'd like to put towers in the future and make them as unobtrusive as possible. They're also asking that tower users co-locate, or share towers instead of building individual towers that may be unnecessary.

Wells is still adjusting her scheduled office hours, and said she plans to be in the group's Palmer office four days a week, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., although the hours are subject to change.

To visit FOMS online, go to www.foms.net.