Palmer now has more downtown parking and a new human resources director

Palmer has 50 new designated downtown public parking spaces which will ease difficulties for people looking for parking to shop or attend events, city manager Kolby Zerkel told the city council at its Aug. 26 meeting.

“The paint is freshly applied as of today,” Zerkel said.

It wasn’t so much a matter of developing new space for parking but more clearly marking what is available. City officials found, for example, that parking designated for disabled under the American Disabilities Act, or ADA, exceeded requirements, so some of this been shifted to general parking, she said.

“Our effort to improve parking downtown, while being mindful of taxpayer funds, is producing excellent results. The latest solution, which included organizing the Pavilion parking area, is now complete and has created 23 new designated public parking spaces. What’s great about this project is that this location was previously designated as public parking but it lacked marked stalls. By adding the paint striping, we now have clearly defined spaces for people and are already in use,” Zerkel said.

“As part of our work, we reviewed ADA parking counts and found that the downtown core had more ADA spaces than required. By aligning with ADA standards, we converted some surplus spaces to general parking while maintaining all required accessible spots. Importantly, these changes will not impact special events. This is a significant win for residents, businesses, and visitors,” she said.

“Lastly, you may have seen Palmer Fire and Rescue’s new Pink Engine, which was unveiled at the Alaska State Fair. This is the first and only pink fire engine in the Mat-Su Valley, making it a unique and meaningful addition to the department. We are especially grateful to our sponsor, who generously donated funds to have the truck wrapped in pink,” she said.

Aurora Integrated Oncology Foundation sponsored the work.

In another development, Palmer now has a new human resources director, Erica Barry, who started work on Wednesday, Aug. 27. Barry lives in Mat-Su and was previously with the Municipality of Anchorage.

This means the city’s leadership is now fully staffed, Zerkel said. Recruiting and filling vacant positions has been a priority for the city manager, who is new herself. “We’re now better able to serve the public,” she said.

Another change in city hall is for Benji Johnson officially taking the position as Palmer’s city clerk. Johnson was previously deputy clerk. The municipal clerk is the person who deals most frequently with the public in providing assistance with routine forms and notices, including information on elections.

In other matters, the council authorized the city manager to negotiate a new lease agreement at Palmer’s municipal airport with MatSu Valley Avionics LLC for Lease 27 at the airport. Lease assignments and amendments were also authorized for Lease 17 and Lease 23 at the airport.

Zerkel said the city is also working on new rules for electric bicycles.

“Based on public testimony, support from the Police Department and Council directives, we are working with the City Attorney to draft legislation related to electric bicycles. The intent is to provide clear guidance for the public and support enforcement efforts,” she said.

“While this type of legislation is common in other municipalities it will be new to Palmer and tailored to meet the needs of our community. Once complete, this proposal will be presented to city council for consideration,” Zerkel said.

In one other matter being watched closely, the city will extend the deadline for bids on construction of a new public library until later in the fall. The original plan was to have bids received in September.

This is being done to allow contractors more time to review the documents, and to secure a competitive bid. Contractors are very busy now with a number of new proposed projects and the earlier deadline would require estimates to be done that might have been less competitive.

People are nervous about inflation and particularly rising steel prices. The Palmer’s current budget for the new library is $15 million, but if costs come in higher additional funds will have to be raised. The previous Palmer library was damaged by a roof collapse due to a heavy snow load and had to be demolished.