Peek at the Past: As it appeared in the Dec. 1, 1983 Frontiersman

Double-shifting

on the way?

Mat-Su Borough School District administrators are requesting parents to meet with them to discuss double-shifting at two schools next year to relieve overcrowding.

Administrators are considering offering staggered class schedules next fall at Iditarod Elementary School and Wasilla Junior High School, both of which presently have far more students than they were designed for.

Residents want wetlands development stopped

The Palmer Hay Flats Area is under siege by developers and at least one group of Valley people say it's time to draw the line on further encroachment of the wildlife-rich wetlands.

Mike Bronson of Colonial Park said the most pressing issue at hand is the Saxon Land Investment application to fill about three acres of wetlands on a 10-acre tract for commercial development. The move is seen by the committee as the first step in the devastation of wildlife habitat in the flats. Saxon has a conceptual drawing that envisions as many as 1,500 homes being built on the northern border of the Palmer Hay Flats.

Funding problems keep rink project

on ice

The Mat-Su Borough Assembly is again making an attempt to have ice available in the Wasilla indoor ice rink.

Last fall the assembly invited bids for refrigeration facilities for making ice, for pavement around the rink itself and for storage. Only one bidder responded and the bid came in nearly $130,000 over budget.

"This is the bottom of the line rink compared to others in the area. We're really extending ourselves to get refrigerated ice in there," said Mat-Su Borough Manager Gary Thornlow.

In 1983, a log home in willow, with water and electricity, could be rented for $500 a month. A three-bedroom house with a two-story garage was $85,000 and a three-bedroom "Cape Cod" home with a garage was $105,000, sitting one acre.