Next stop for bus service: Hatcher Pass

PALMER — After overcoming a small detour in the form of a mayoral veto, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly moved ahead with its plans to begin bus service for skiers headed to its new Nordic ski trails in Hatcher Pass this winter.

“MASCOT will provide a fixed transit service to the Government Peak Ski Recreation areas, from the cities of Palmer and Wasilla, on weekends (Friday through Sunday) from Nov. 1 through April 30, during the times that Nordic ski trails are open for use,” according to an ordinance the assembly passed last month.

The ordinance provides $180,000 of borough tax money for the service. Mayor Larry DeVilbiss had vetoed the measure, but the assembly overrode that veto of the measure on Aug. 7. He said he vetoed the ordinance because it didn’t go through a competitive bidding process.

“I felt that we were not doing our fiduciary duty if we weren’t doing it competitively. We’re just putting an amount of money out there for a very unspecified service,” DeVilbiss said. “I would rather be dealing with this with an RFP where we would know exactly what we were providing.”

Borough staff pointed out that in 2010 when the agreement to go with MASCOT for the service came to be, it was the only transportation provider capable of running the route.

Since then, a bus service started in the Sutton/Chickaloon area and Valley Mover began shuttling commuters into Anchorage.

“I would sure like the opportunity to have bid on that thing,” said Moki Tew, owner of Valley Mover.

Tew said that he could have created a system that connected Anchorage to the Hatcher Pass ski area, a capacity MASCOT lacks.

As for why the borough feels a need to spend $180,000 on the project, the borough is actually required to at least attempt to provide bus service to the pass as part of an agreement with the Federal Transit Administration over funding to build the road to the Nordic ski area.

“The agreement was we would try at least for the first year to provide public transportation up there and see how it went,” said borough transportation planner Brad Sworts. “They’re paying for the road, they’re paying for the transit facility up at the site. They feel it’s our obligation to at least attempt to provide some service to it.”

Assemblyman Darcie Salmon said using the request for proposals process now to gather would mean delays.

“We’re ready to go right now,” he said. “We can get people up there on the slope and get them skiing.”

Eventually, only Steve Colligan voted to uphold DeVilbiss’ veto.

On a request from assemblyman Jim Colver, borough staff agreed to provide a schedule for the bus route to the assembly before it is implemented or finalized.

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