Palmer gets input on capital projects wish list

By ANDREW WELLNER

Frontiersman.com

PALMER — As is the case most years, the city of Palmer Capital Projects Fair showcased both the usual favorites and some interesting newcomers.

In the former category were projects the city has been eyeing for awhile. There was $975,000 to buy more of the old Matanuska Maid property, and $1.8 million to restore the railroad tracks into downtown. There was $200,000 to upgrade the heating and ventilation at city hall, and $400,000 to connect trails so Palmer-ites could walk to the Alaska State Fair.

In the latter category were a couple of bright young stars that seemed to garner a lot of favor from the attendees, at least judging by the tally of little yellow stickers folks had placed on each project’s placard to signify a vote in favor.

Incoming city manager Joe Hannan — he starts May 14 — also made one of his first public appearances at the meeting.

“It’s excellent for me to get a chance to be here,” he said. “These are the city’s projects both now and for the next couple of years.”

One of those was a sidewalk from the Cedar Hills subdivision. The subdivision is just north of downtown along the Glenn Highway. It’s so close that kids who live there could easily walk to Palmer and enjoy things like the library and the skate park. Problem is, there isn’t really a safe route to get there.

As of the first hour of the fair, 28 people had already put stickers on that placard. The city estimates it can compete the project done for $450,000.

Another popular newcomer is Grow Palmer. If you’re already familiar with the group it’s probably for the flowerbeds downtown that it has transformed into vegetable gardens open for anyone to pick and partake.

The group is now seeking $29,720 in seed money — by far the cheapest project presented at the fair — to build an “edible park.” Essentially it would be a 5,000-square-foot community garden for anyone to use.

Also on the city’s wish list:

• $2 million to extend water lines down the soon-to-be-constructed Bogard Road Extension;

• $1.16 million to pave a portion of Cobb Street north of Cottonwood Avenue;

• $90,000 to add a storage area for tables and chairs onto the Palmer Depot; and

• $90,000 to erect a number of directional signs in Palmer.

There were also a handful of projects that had already won funding. Plans to upgrade Wilson Park, for instance, had benefited from a grant that will be used this summer to build a pump track for bicycles. The city would like $100,000 more to add play areas and a basketball half court.

A $150,000 project to upgrade the city’s public works storage building won funding in this year’s state budget, though the governor hasn’t signed it into law yet and could veto it.

Likewise the lab replacement at the city’s wastewater plant had gotten partial funding, also pending the governor’s OK.

The state’s budget also has $450,000 to repair the city’s downtown police station that also houses the Alaska State Troopers.

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

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