‘No' group vocal at meeting

Nov, 17 2006

michael rovito

Frontiersman

PALMER - Palmer residents will get another chance to voice opinions about a proposed prison in that area after the Mat-Su Borough scheduled a second meeting in response to the large turnout at Monday night's assembly.

An estimated 300 people showed up at the Palmer Depot Monday night for a public comment session designed to address the positive and negative aspects of building a prison in Palmer.

Resident Terry Caldwell, who was at the meeting, said the proceedings were unfair, because some individuals who signed up to give positive comments about the prison project were skipped over.

&#8220It was simply a ‘no' convention,” he said.

Officials from the borough also were unhappy with the meeting's structure. They said no one was passed up intentionally, and speakers were heard on a first-come first-served basis. Borough public affairs manager Patty Sullivan said the rules of the hearing were not enforced by RISE Alaska, the Anchorage management company that has been facilitating public meetings concerning the prison.

Near the beginning of the meeting, Palmer Fire Chief Dan Contini informed Sarah Barton, the senior vice president of RISE and that night's meeting facilitator, that there were too many people in the room, which violated the fire code.

Barton asked whether Contini was really the fire chief as the crowd called for Monday's meeting to be moved to a larger space.

Sullivan also said the borough did not agree with the group, No Palmer Prison, handing out flyers and stickers inside the Depot while the meeting was in progress.

The Palmer group started with an Internet presence, and raised more than $3,000 to create and distribute flyers.

If Bill Quantick, a member of the No Palmer Prison group, gets his way, the next meeting will have plenty more residents in attendance than the first.

Quantick said Monday's meeting showed officials what he called the general attitude of those in Palmer.

&#8220All you have to do is ask two questions, ‘Who wants the prison?' and ‘Who doesn't?'” he said.

That same question Monday inspired just a few hands to go up in support of the proposed prison, while hundreds of hands shot up to show their opposition.

&#8220We've got the momentum going,” Quantick said, &#8220and we're not going to stop.”

The second Palmer meeting is scheduled for Nov. 29 in Swanson Elementary School's

gymnasium.

Residents can attend an open house to view maps and other information from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., then move to a public hearing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Contact Michael Rovito at 352-2252 or michael.rovito@

frontiersman.com.