Nugen’s Ranch opens new facility, marks 30 years of service

Anyone who needs an example of how people’s lives can be transformed need look no farther than the Nugen family.

For 30 years, Nugen’s Ranch has been a familiar fixture along the Palmer-Wasilla Highway near its intersection with Seward Meridian Parkway. The ramshackle appearance of the complex that has had numerous additions over the years belies the important and life-saving work happening inside.

The Valley’s only residential drug and alcohol addiction treatment facility, the ranch provides intense treatment anywhere from six months to two years. And more than just a place to sober up, the ranch teaches clients life and job skills that prepare them for bright futures of their choosing.

It’s a path the Nugens know all too well. Both founders Leonard and Henrietta Nugen are alcoholics who defeated their addictions. Their legacy includes not only overcoming their own demons, but dedicating their lives to helping others do the same. In 1981, they opened Nugen’s Ranch and in the ensuing three decades, 2,837 people have received treatment there. Since 1994, their daughter, Karen Nugen-Logan, has been the ranch’s executive director.

Of course, not every case is a success story. But Nugen’s Ranch itself is a shining example of success in the Valley. While Karen Nugen-Logan says she dreams of the day when a facility like hers is no longer needed, she also credits their longevity to support from the Valley’s nonprofit and business community.

We bring you this little history lesson to congratulate Nugen’s Ranch on the completion of its new facility at Point MacKenzie. It’s a move necessitated when the state decided to take some of the ranch’s land through eminent domain to widen the highway.

Prepared for one day having to move, the facility’s board of directors had the foresight to purchase some land and received very generous help from the community — including $2.8 million from the Mat-Su Health Foundation and $500,000 from the Rasmuson Foundation.

We admit, it will be a little unsettling to drive the P-W on the way to work and not see Nugen’s Ranch. But its story of service is one we won’t forget just because it is moving out of sight a few miles down the road.

We celebrated with the Nugen’s family Saturday at their grand opening event to introduce the public to the new facility. And although Leonard Nugen is now 87 and not involved in the day-to-day operations, it’s a fitting legacy, his daughter said.

“Dad is now getting up there and he’s just shocked,” Karen Nugen-Logan said. “He never believed it would turn out like this. He looks at the new facility and he’s proud of it. He’s like, ‘It’s your facility now, not ours,’ But I have to say that it’s always theirs.”

Congratulations to Nugen’s Ranch. We applaud your efforts and contributions to our Big Valley.