Peek at the Past

Here’s what made the news in the Nov. 26, 1999, edition of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman:

Wasilla finances get rosy review

An auditor recently scrutinized Wasilla’s finance and gave the city a glowing review at the latest city council meeting.

“The city of Wasilla was probably the healthiest city I’ve worked with so far this year … except maybe the city of Valdez,” said John Bost, an audit partner from the Anchorage accounting firm of Mikunda, Cottrell & Co. Bost and Mayor Sarah Palin said the city owes some of its success to its strong financial department.

Troopers join seat belt operation

Alaska State Troopers joined the national campaign “Operation ABC Mobilization” and will look for and ticket any drivers with unbuckled children in their vehicles. Tickets will be $50, plus a $10 service charge per child. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for U.S. children between the ages of 5 and 14. Nearly six in 10 child fatalities involve children who were not properly restrained. Troopers also will target adults who don’t buckle up this holiday weekend. Law enforcement will issue a $15 fine plus a $10 service charge for every unbelted adult in a vehicle.

City council considers BMX park at Iditapark

At the prompting of some concerned local youths, Wasilla City Council recently agreed to look into building a BMX park at Iditapark. BMX bicycle enthusiast Matthew Grimm and James Kemp presented council members with a carefully constructed model of the proposed BMX park. The request for the park stems from the recent construction of the skate park at Iditapark and objections to bicycling on commercial properties, said Grimm.

“We were under the impression that we’d be able to use the skate park, but we were very disappointed when we saw the sign saying ‘No Bikes Allowed.’ We’d just like a place to ride,” he said.

Mayor Sarah Palin expressed interest in the project, commending the young men for their presentation and for being willing to work on the project. She also commented that since the project would be using labor from BMX riders, the outlook was favorable.

It cost what?

According to advertisements, in 1999 you could:

• Purchase a three-bedroom, 1.5-bath home on one acre for $118,000.

• Fly round-trip to Seattle for $218.

• Buy a state-of-the-art Nokia flip-phone for $307.