Peek at the Past

Here’s what made the news 22 years ago, from the April 20, 1990, edition of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman:

Valley to get wetlands present on Earth Day

The Valley may not be the scene of huge parades or demonstrations this Sunday — the 20th anniversary of Earth Day — but several activities are scheduled next week to make people more aware of environmental issues. The Nature Conservancy of Alaska has announced it will officially transfer 562 acres of what it terms “ecologically significant wetlands” to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for future inclusion in the Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge. The land in question includes the mouth of Cottonwood Creek and part of the shoreline of Knik Arm. In November 1989, the group purchased the wetlands from Washington state resident Mounir M’Karzel. The state used Duck Stamp money for the purchase.

Army Corps approves airport permit

After eight years of waiting, the city of Wasilla is finally getting a new airport. Plans for the new facility include aircraft tie-down areas, runway lighting and approach lights, and a 3,700-foot runway “about half again as long as what we have now,” said deputy city administrator Bob Harris. The existing Wasilla airport is hemmed in by homes, businesses and city streets. The city got the idea to move the airport in the early 1980s, but the new site selection process took years, Harris said.

State told borough to close landfill

Borough officials were prepared to offer an Anchorage contractor a cut-rate deal last winter to use the Butte landfill for tons of demolition debris, even though the landfill was supposed to have closed 17 months earlier. About the same time those negotiations failed, state environmental officials were preparing a caustic letter to the borough, notifying it that additional use of the landfill could present a health hazard to nearby Butte Elementary School. A certified letter from the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Wasilla office to Borough Manager Don Moore reminded Moore that the Butte landfill permit required final closure of the site in July 1988. The DEC is concerned that inadequate groundcover at the site will allow water to percolate through the landfill and into groundwater.

It cost what?

According to advertisements, in 1990 you could:

• See “Glory” at Mat-Su Cinema for $3.

• Rent a two-bedroom apartment, all utilities included, in Knik for $450 a month.

• Purchase a four-bedroom, 2.5-bath home in Wasilla for $115,000.