Strip joints, fishing licenses take center stage at town hall meeting

DAWN De BUSK/Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA-Strip clubs, fishing licenses and school-construction funding were just a few of the subjects that emerged Monday during a town meeting convened by state Rep. Vic Kohring at Wasilla City Hall.

Kohring, R-District 14, broke away from work in the state's capital and spent a few days in Wasilla, returning to Juneau about midweek.

One of the issues worrying two Big Lake residents who attended the town meeting was the opening of more strip clubs in that town.

Showgirls - a club that has been operating for more than a year and a half - exists within walking distance of Club XStatic, an entertainment center for youths aged 14 to 18 years old.

"You can have everything in the world, but you're not free if you can't live securely . . . if you can't keep your children from crime and moral filth," said Big Lake resident Marvin Clark. "We have three strip bars moving out to Big Lake. There are no laws prohibiting children from going in and watching if alcohol isn't served."

"It also attracts 18-year-old girls with no job skills into a strip environment, which is just an umbilical cord to prostitution," Clark added.

Showgirls is located within the borough and is subject to borough ordinances. The borough has an ordinance against the sale of alcohol and nudity. Because alcohol is not served, the business can hire people under the legal drinking age of 21 years.

Ethan Hansen, a pastor and youth leader at Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake, also asked Kohring to discourage more strip clubs from moving into Big Lake.

He said some community members want to counteract the negative effects of the existence of a strip club in Big Lake with youth activities they believe are more wholesome.

Kohring suggested that Clark and Hansen contact Mat-Su Borough Assembly Member Jody Simpson, not only to see what ordinances are on the books, but what can be passed.

"My colleague, Lesil McGuire, was going to draft some sort of legislation to address strip clubs. . . to raise the age (of potential employees at strip clubs). I'll talk to her again," Kohring said.

Simpson, in a telephone interview Tuesday, said part of the problem is that there are no ordinances outlawing strip clubs.

"You might not want it near your home, but it's a business," Simpson said.

She said Assembly Member Betty Vehrs has been working for about a year on writing a cabaret ordinance for the Valley.

"My next step is to contact Jody Simpson and the other people Vic suggested," Hansen said. "But right now we're just trying to raise awareness."

Besides educating the public about problems stemming from having a strip club in their community, Hansen says it's important to focus on the positive things happening for youth in Big Lake, like the construction of a new gymnasium.

"But when people drive into Big Lake and see the Showgirls signs: That's a big negative," he said.

Another topic discussed at Kohring's meeting was licenses for fishing and hunting.

Wasilla resident R.K. Butts asked Kohring if he favored or opposed raising the cost of those licenses to raise more revenue.

"We shouldn't raise fees on fishing licenses," Kohring said. "We need to tighten our belts. The state should spend less instead of raising user fees and raising taxes."

Late last year, Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials announced their plans to ask the Legislature during this session to support an increase in license fees for fishing, hunting and trapping - for Alaskans and nonresidents, alike.

Resident hunting fees would double, costing $50; and the price of a sport-fishing license would be raised by $5, to a total of $20. Trapping licenses for residents would be raised from $15 to $30. The price for tourists and other nonresidents to hunt, fish and trap in Alaska would rise as well.

The money generated - estimated to be $5.3 million by the Fish and Game - from increased fishing fees would help fund the improvement of old sport-fish hatcheries in Anchorage and the construction of a Fairbanks hatchery.

A bill to raise fishing, hunting and trapping fees has not yet been created; however, Fish and Game still plans to bring its idea before the Legislature during this session. If such a proposal were passed by Alaskan lawmakers, the fee increases would not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2006.

Discussion at the meeting also focused on PERS/TERS - a pair of state-run retirement funds for teachers and government employees.

Palmer resident Jean Woods expressed concern about the PERS/TERS retirement fund. She suggested that the state place money directly into each district's education retirement funds, rather than giving funding to the districts and then requiring it to return a portion to that retirement fund.

"It would be more efficient than double-handing the money," Woods said. "At one time it was very well-funded because everyone was working and paying into it, and not very many people were drawing out. So, the previous administration lowered contributions and now the fund is short."

"We have an outstanding obligation of $5 million to that retirement fund," Kohring said. "We're all going poor to pay out a very generous, outrageous retirement package for a few people. Politicians are being manipulated by lobbyists."

Construction of new schools in the growing Mat-Su was another topic raised at the gathering Kohring hosted.

Mat-Su Borough School Board member Sarah Welton asked for Kohring's support in helping the borough get partially remimbursed for the cost of building three elementary schools and one high school - probably between Wasilla and Houston.

"The time to build these school's now," Welton said. "If we have better-educated students, we'll have a better-educated work force. We can't afford to have our students educated in substandard conditions.

Kohring suggested that the state might be more amenable to reimbursing the borough for the cost of school construction if the borough asked for a 30-percent reimbursement instead of the 40 percent that has been requested.

During Monday's meeting, a favorite topic of Alaskans - moving the capital out of Juneau - entered the discussion.

"I don't know if we'll ever have the capital out of Juneau. But can't we get the licensing department where we can get to them?" said John Maketa, a general contractor from Wasilla. "I'm speaking of occupational licensing. We need a satellite office."

Maketa told a story of how he applied for a license months before his expired, but received a notice close to that expiration deadline that he failed to mark a box necessary for the application to be completed.

He called the licensing office in Juneau, with concerns about having to lay off employees if his application wasn't processed soon.

"Her response was: 'You're in the same boat as 4,000 other people,'" Maketa said.

Kohring agreed with the need for a branch office "where the people really are."

Audience members suggested using e-mail to fill out such paperwork, saying that method has been expedient. Also, while waiting for an occupational license a person can continue working, by simply photocopying their licensing application and presenting it to the necessary authorities.

One of the last people to speak at the meeting thanked the state representative for his work in Juneau and for holding these public forums.

"Where's the aspirin?" Kohring said. "My head is beginning to swell."