Road, utility upgrades top city CIP

WASILLA -- Church Road will get a stoplight, Iditapark will get heated restrooms and a covered bus stop, and the police department will get two new squad cars.

These are just a few of the nearly $11 million in capital improvement projects the city of Wasilla has planned for the upcoming year. The 2004 CIP budget passed unanimously and quietly through the Wasilla City Council this week, with no comment from either the public or the council members.

With more than $5 million in federal funds, $4 million from the state and the remaining $1 million or so coming from the city's general fund, Wasilla plans to complete a wide variety of road, utility and other improvements in the next year.

The plans are somewhat scaled-down from what was originally anticipated -- the city lost nearly $300,000 in state money when Gov. Frank Murkowski vetoed sections of the state budget. One of the most significant effects of these cuts is that a nearly $1 million public works maintenance building will be put on hold until next year. The city will retain $800,000 in federal grants with hopes of providing the required matching state money to make the project a reality next year.

Despite these types of cuts, city officials seemed pleased with the projects they were able to fund.

"It's still an ambitious budget -- more than $10 million," Finance Director Ted Leonard said. "It's pretty amazing what Public Works can do."

The capital projects include a $225,000 traffic light at the Parks Highway and Church Road to improve access for residential traffic and vehicles that will eventually be coming in and out of the city's new sports complex, currently under construction. In the same area, the city will pave the road to the sports complex -- South Mack Drive. The improvements will also include a bike path from the Parks Highway to the complex as well as a gravel road from South Mack Drive to the city's airport.

Another $1 million will fund a new "intermodal facility" near the sports complex. With a railroad passenger platform, parking area and possibly the relocation of the railroad depot to the site, the facility will be designed to provide a variety of transportation possibilities for people wanting to access the sports complex, airport and nearby transportation museum. Millions of other dollars will fund improvement of the city's water and septic systems.

About $2 million will go toward the multi-phase plan to upgrade the city's storm-water system, beginning with the areas near Tommy Moe Drive, Main Street, Nelson Avenue and Carter Park. A pump station will send the storm water to Iditapark for treatment and groundwater recharge.

Another nearly $560,000 will go toward ongoing efforts to build a multi-million-dollar water reservoir at the Bumpus well, which will provide a backup to the city's sole existing well. In addition, the reservoir will allow for additional water line extensions.

The city will also be replacing septic tanks throughout its sewer system, expanding the sewer treatment plant's capacity and extending water and sewer service to the sports complex as well as water service to the east side of town and along the upper Palmer-Wasilla Highway.

Iditapark will also benefit from the capital budget, with more than $100,000 going toward the construction of heated restrooms and a roofed, all-weather bus stop.

The police department has $60,000 earmarked for two new police cars to replace vehicles that have more than 100,000 miles or are becoming too expensive to maintain. Public works will also get a $100,000 vehicle fund.

Other capital money will go toward smaller projects such as expanding the city's Web site, doing some minor remodeling and asbestos removal in city office and continuing efforts to upgrade the city's information management system.