Utility expansion on a tight schedule

PALMER -- The preliminary engineering for Palmer's planned water and sewer expansion to the new Mat-Su hospital is done, the funding is rolling in and the route is being finalized. Time is tight, however, and next summer should see a very busy construction process along the Glenn.

In a July 23 letter, Edward T. Davidson Jr., vice-president of design and construction for Triad Hospitals Inc., informed Palmer City Manager Tom Healy that the completion date for hospital construction would be Dec. 31, 2005, rather than spring 2006 as early estimates stated.

Therefore, Palmer has to have the line in service before Nov. 15, 2005, rather than May 2006. This means the project is on an even tighter schedule than first estimates indicated.

Scott Hattenburg with Hattenburg Dilley & Linnell, the firm handling the utility expansion, said he would need two construction crews working on the line simultaneously, purchase pipe in advance or pursue other measures to ensure that the line is installed in time.

Even so, Hattenburg believes that next summer will see some rapid work along the line.

The preferred route for the expansion follows the Glenn Highway southwest of Palmer past the Alaska State Fairgrounds and several residential areas before hitting the Kepler-Bradley area. The line is slated to branch north just past Kepler Lake and cross roughly a mile of undeveloped property before reaching the hospital.

This northern fork is necessary, Hattenburg said, because the area around the Glenn becomes hilly and difficult to negotiate toward its western end.

"There's a lot of undulating terrain down there," Hattenburg said. He noted that hills and valleys are very troublesome for sewer pipes, since solids tend to settle where the line dips and rises over a short distance.

This plan nixes the unpopular northern route for the utility lines, which would have cut through miles of wilderness containing many popular trails and recreation areas used by residents in the area. Hattenburg said the southern route had turned out to be slightly cheaper as well.

One of the primary concerns of residents across the entire Valley is that the new line not disrupt existing trails or recreation areas. However, Hattenburg said that running the line through the Kepler-Bradley area would enhance the opportunities offered by the park, not detract from them.

"It's not going to affect Kepler-Bradley at all," Hattenburg said. He noted that the new line would allow the recreation area to install restrooms with running water and flush toilets, which should be a welcome improvement for users of the popular site. In addition, the narrow access road the city will require for maintenance of the line is slated to be turned into a new Kepler-Bradley trail.

"DNR's been very supportive of what we're doing," Hattenburg said.

Hattenburg Dilley & Linnell has been working with Dennis Heikes, Mat-Su area superintendent for Alaska State Parks, and Hattenburg said the firm had reached a satisfactory agreement with him on their intentions in the Kepler-Bradley area.

In a July 23 letter to Palmer Public Works Superintendent Rick Koch, Heikes said the plan, which called for a lift station near the east end of Matanuska Lake, would need to employ such measures as burying the lift station to minimize impact on the nearby scenery and providing for revegetation of the area to be cut in order to place the pipe.

However, Heikes put in his support for the project as a whole. "I believe that the end result [will] be a 'win-win' situation for the city, the park and the public," his letter said.

Hattenburg also said he's working to put the finishing touches on a deal with the Alaska Railroad that would allow the city to acquire railroad land on a lease, allowing Palmer to place its lines in the AKRR right of way adjacent to the Glenn.

Money and sewer and water capacities don't seem to be an immediate problem. A U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities grant covers 75 percent of the line cost, and the lump sum granted by USDA can expand to fit this percentage.

Palmer has already received $2.4 million from USDA toward the project, which will probably cost somewhere between $8 and $9 million, with roughly $3.7 million more coming at the beginning of the next fiscal year in October, and a $2.3-million bond issue on the ballot in October as well.

A preliminary engineering report released Aug. 2 by Hattenburg Dilley & Linnell noted that Palmer has ample water and wastewater provision capacities to handle the expansion.

The new line is expected to generate 33,300 gallons per day of wastewater from the hospital alone, initially, with about 70,000 additional gallons per day contributed by commercial and residential developments that are expected to hook up to the line.

However, Palmer's wastewater treatment plants have a current capacity of about 1.1 million gallons per day.

Roughly 202,000 gallons of water will need to be transported to the hospital and other surrounding developments per day initially, and Palmer has the capacity for more than 3.17 million gallons per day with its existing pumps.

This water will be provided at a rate of 2,700-gallons-per-minute pressure, maintaining the 1,500-gallons-per minute regulation for fire control even during peak hours.

Hattenburg said the next step is to finish the project planning and prepare to put out bids for construction and materials in coming months.

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.