Palmer seeks direction for rest of 2008

PALMER — Palmer City Council is holding a special council meeting tonight to discuss and review its goals and objectives for the rest of the year. The meeting will begin at 6 at Palmer City Hall in City Council Chambers.

With nearly a quarter of the year complete, it’s time for the city to reassess what it had planned to accomplish in 2008 and adjust those goals, if necessary, Mayor John Combs said.

“We’re looking for some clarification and some other ideas on how to best use our funds,” Combs said.

Combs said there are numerous goals and objectives he and the council hope to address tonight, but the mayor outlined some specific projects he believes are more important for Palmer. Those include transportation, recreation and land issues within the city.

When it comes to transportation, Combs said one of the main concerns for the city is pedestrian traffic. With a rail line that runs through the heart of Palmer, some residents face an inconvenient and sometimes dangerous stroll into town. The mayor said many seniors and wheelchair-bound residents experience problems trying to walk or roll over the tracks, especially at the Fireweed Avenue crossing. The problem is a gap between the pavement and rail can capture a wheel and people can become stuck in the crossing.

“I don’t want anybody from the east side of town to not be able to get across the tracks,” he said.

Combs said he has researched options for making the crossing more pedestrian friendly. Overall, he hopes the city can come up with a solution that helps all residents access downtown without problems.

Along with making railroad crossings more pedestrian friendly, Combs said sidewalk improvements are also a priority. For the most part, Palmer’s sidewalks need to be upgraded to become or stay Americans With Disabilities Act compliant.

For recreation, beginning construction on the Palmer Skateboard Park is high on Combs’ list of priorities. With limited activities available for youth in the city, creating more and better recreational opportunities in Palmer is important, he said.

There has been a lot of work completed in the planning process of the skate park project, and Combs said the community has stepped up to provide some much needed support. With that in mind, he expects construction on the skate park to start smoothly. The park will be located on a 45,000-square-foot parcel at the west corner of Arctic Avenue and South Valley Way in Palmer. The Alaska Railroad Corp. is leasing the land to the city for $200 a year. Overall, the project will cost an estimated $397,000.

“We should be able to meet our goal on that and turn dirt this May,” he said.

In addition to transportation and recreation, Combs believes land acquisition should be high on the city’s list for the remainder of 2008. In general, annexation will provide room for Palmer to grow and prosper. In addition to annexation, Combs said acquiring the old Matanuska Maid property should be one of the city’s top priorities to develop a useful space that maintains the area’s historic value.

“Ideally, I’d like to get my arms around the entire Mat Maid property,” he said. “There are tons of things we could do with it, but we want to make sure we have a plan so it’s not just bulldozed down.”

Tony Pippel, a Palmer city councilman, said one issue stands out for him.

“I would think the largest one would be economic growth and development,” Pippel said.

Promoting and establishing new business in Palmer is an important part of the city’s future, Pippel said. In addition to economic growth, transportation and library issues could also be addressed at tonight’s meeting.

Although it’s important to discuss and establish council goals, Pippel said he hopes something fresh and organized comes out of tonight’s meeting. In the past, Pippel said similar meetings have lacked focus. Some council members present specific projects they hope to accomplish, others talk of long-term goals while some talk about ways to make government more efficient.

“I hope to get a little more consensus on the council as to where we ought to go and what we should be doing,” he said.

Pippel said the council can brainstorm, suggest and even help implement objectives, but it takes more than elected officials to know what the city needs.

“I would like the public to show up to tell us what their goals and objectives are for Palmer,” he said. “That’s who we’re doing this for. We’re not operating the city to my standards. We’re operating to the public’s standards.”

Palmer City Hall is located at 231 West Evergreen Ave. For more information visit www.cityofpalmer.org or call 761-1301.