Peek at the Past: A look back in Mat-Su's history

As it appeared in the

Aug. 9, 1973 Frontiersman

$12 million bond issue proposed for vote

The October Mat-Su Borough ballot is beginning to take on final form, probably headed by a $12 million high school bond proposal.

The Palmer high school proposal calls for a

900-student structure, with core facilities built for an eventual 1,200.

Included in the $5.7 million construction cost are 30 academic classrooms, with adjustable partitions, a vocational department, gym, cafeteria-commons and music room.

The swimming pool, if approved, would be built in connection with PHS for about $950,000, school superintendent Dr. Norm Rousey said.

In Wasilla, construction cost would be $4.6 million, with another $96,000 for site acquisition.

That would build the most expensive portion, core facilities to handle an eventual total of 1,200 students. In the proposed first phase, however, only 600 students would be accommodated.

Pipeline won't be all roses, chamber told

Nobody should look at impending Trans-Alaska pipeline construction with rose-colored glasses,

cautioned Dean Berg, media representative for Alyeska Pipeline, during a

question-and-answer session following his talk to the Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce yesterday.

Asked about a socioeconomic study done by Alyeska last year,

estimating a 40,000 increase in population at the peak of pipeline impact, Berg said results of the strudy have been distributed to state and local governments. They should now be

planning to lessen the strain of construction on schools, police, fire, social services, etc., he said.

However, he maintained, the pipeline won't cause a boom-bust situation because the state would have grown to the same extent without it by 1980 -- "the pipeline will just put us there three years faster."