Recycling center worthy recipient of capital funds

It hurts to get cut.

Being on the wrong side of the veto cutting board is painful, as local governments and several area organizations experienced last month when Gov. Sarah Palin took out her Gin-su knife and trimmed what she apparently considered as nonvital, or untimely, allocation requests in the state’s 2009 Capital Budget.

While we aren’t privy to details on funding issues around the state, it seems fairly clear from the budget cuts the governor was emphasizing funding for projects that do the most public good and would not be easily replaced by local fund-raising or other sources of funding.

A replacement chair lift for Hilltop Ski Area in Anchorage at $400,000? Not a funding priority; no funds allocated. Fire alarm system repair at Valdez High School at $15,000? Other funding options; no funds allocated. New fire truck for Kake at $400,000? Consider in future budget; no funds allocated. Blade sharpener for the Zamboni for Homer Hockey Association at $15,000? Not a funding priority; no funds allocated. And so it went around the state.

A lot of important projects were funded; some weren’t.

It isn’t surprising state capital funds won’t be forthcoming for Palmer High’s bleachers, EMS upgrades at Big Lake/Meadow Lakes, or a new shooting range in the Mat-Su Borough, or a host of other local requests deemed to be less-than-critical for 2009 or candidates for other funding sources.

But some of the incisions were particularly painful.

While representatives of Valley Community for Recycling Solutions are putting a positive spin on getting half of the money yet needed to build a recycling center here, the governor’s action reducing the funding request is a setback.

The $2 million request will yield $1 million in state capital funding, which will be added to $2.5 million committed by the borough toward a recycling facility adjacent to the borough’s central landfill.

No matter how you look at it, it still leaves VCRS a million dollars from putting in an important facility.

As VCRS folks have noted, every pound of recyclable kept out of the landfill benefits everyone in the borough, reducing the costs of operating the landfill and protecting our local environment.

With VCRS working diligently to raise private funds through its Ocean Campaign and Raise the Roof for Recycling fund-raiser, and the borough already on board, the project seemed to meet an apparent gubernatorial litmus test for showing initiative in aggressively securing other funding.

We hope that if VCRS is still short of necessary funds next year, the governor will ante up with the remainder.

As for the other unfunded requests, local groups will have to sharpen their pencils as they look at funding options, trimmer projects and streamlined funding requests. Even in this age of high oil revenues, it’s likely the governor will keep her budget knife honed.