Palmer council gives church thumbs down

PALMER -- The Palmer City Council voted Tuesday to turn down a request made by St. John's Lutheran Church to vacate South Eklutna Street, a little-used thoroughfare near the Palmer baseball fields and Mat-Su Borough building.

Plans made by St. John's called for the city to abandon one block of South Eklutna, which would then be used to expand the church's facilities to include a new multi-use area and a bigger parking lot.

The council spent much of its April 27 meeting deliberating the matter, and, from the comments made by council members during the Tuesday meeting, South Eklutna has been on their minds ever since.

"I've struggled with this since the last meeting, and it's been a daily struggle," Palmer Mayor Jim Cooper said.

On the other hand, the two weeks spent pondering the matter didn't alter some council members' opinions significantly.

"I haven't changed my mind," said Council Member Tony Pippel, who said during the previous meeting he couldn't support the resolution. "There has to be a very unusual circumstance and a very compelling reason for the city to vacate a public right-of-way."

The council's decision was made more difficult by its desire to accommodate the citizens at the Lutheran church.

"The easy answer," said Council Member John Combs, "especially with the tremendous people at St. John's in mind, is to say yes."

However, Combs said his primary concern was the safety and well-being of the attendees of St. John's who would be crossing the street, and this well-being could be ensured by installing crosswalks or school crossing signs on South Eklutna. Council Member Steve Carrington agreed, saying he would like to help the people at the church, but had real concerns about vacating the street.

"When it comes to streets, we need to take a very long view of the needs of the city," Combs went on. "Right now there's a Fred Meyer where a Palmer church used to be."

Perhaps the most telling argument against the vacation, however, was that it would create a precedent that the council would be obligated to follow or at least consider in the future.

"This sets a precedent that'll be very hard to withstand in the future," Pippel said. "It's a precedent we only want to set in the most compelling or unusual circumstance."

Pippel said if Palmer grants this vacation, it will have to grant, or at least consider, every similar request made in the future.

However, the issue was by no means a one-sided argument, and some council members continued to support the church's plans. Council Member Brad Hanson said, "Last time, I supported [the resolution], and I still support it."

Hanson said the precedent argument could be interpreted as a statement of the necessity of evaluating each individual vacation request as it came along. Hanson added that South Eklutna was close to several areas that had little potential for future change, such as the Little League ball fields and the southerly flight corridor for the Palmer Municipal Airport.

When the time came to vote, however, the nays had it, with Cooper and Hanson in favor and all others opposed.

City Attorney Jack Snodgrass said the Palmer Planning Commission is currently working on a city code that would allow for reduced setbacks in cases such as St. John's, possibly allowing the church to expand without intruding on the street. Cooper said a new pedestrian ordinance currently being contemplated might also help boost safety on South Eklutna.

Dave Nufer, speaking for the church, said that, despite the decision, there were no sour grapes on his end of the line.

"Even though the vote did not come out in our favor, I don't feel as if we lost," he said. "I feel as if the process works."

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.