Valley growth makes planning necessary

I moved to Anchorage in the late 1970s when I was stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base. I decided to stay in Alaska because, like many, I fell in love with its majesty and as my life changed, I couldn’t imagine raising my family anywhere else.

As Anchorage grew into the bustling, dare we say metropolis, my family and I sold our home of more than 20 years in East Anchorage and decided to live full-time at our lakeside property in Big Lake. Big Lake had always been our favorite recreation spot because if afforded a year-round opportunity to play: skiing, snowmachining, ice fishing, lake fishing, boating, inner tubing, Jetskis, water skis — you name it. Big Lake had something for everyone and today, still does.

While many enjoy the area it has a reputation for having two class groups: affluent and impoverished. Often, this results in Big Lake being the butt of many radio jokes, but for those who call the area “home” it is no longer a laughing matter.

Anchorage is busting at the seams and overflowing into Wasilla. Wasilla, once a very small community, is now becoming its own hub of economic growth and development. As Wasilla, Palmer and Houston continue to grow the need for organized city planning becomes prevalent.

Alaska has always been a Last Frontier and growth was a byproduct of necessity rather than forethought of our future Alaska. The greater Mat-Su Borough is working diligently planning road systems and infrastructure that “makes sense” but they need help from the outskirt communities as well.

There is an active, determined group of community leaders in Big Lake who are working diligently to improve our community by:

• Economic growth and job opportunities through business development;

• Youth community centers and job training for young adults;

• Organized development to preserve the Spirit of Big Lake while protecting homeowners.

• Increased law enforcement presence to eradicate the extremely high theft rate of targeted second homes.

Our Big Lake vision is to preserver the area for families to recreate year round. We want to develop a “hometown” feeling with a city center for our visitors borough; chamber offices and emergency responder teams. We want parks that would allow the local kids in the area a chance to recreate without destruction to local businesses like what Wonderland Park was able to accomplish. We want to bring quarterly festivals to the area to afford an opportunity for those non-residents to enjoy the area. We want zoning laws that help provide funding and protect property owners from diminishing home values.

As Alaskans, there is a natural distaste for government regulation however, the growth of our state at large calls for certain levels of involvement to protect and provide for the citizens. Becoming a second-class city would allow for input and development from the people who live there. Conversely, today should a resident of Big Lake want to have their voice heard they have to travel to downtown Palmer after work to attend an assembly meeting. Such a distance is not always feasible given the extreme weather conditions as well as employment schedule of our residents which results in their voices not being heard: taxation without proper representation is what Big Lake residents face should they not be permitted to become a second class city.

If Big Lake is not allowed to incorporate, it will be swallowed whole by the expanding cities of Wasilla and Houston. It is time for residents to take action. It is time that the essence of Big Lake is preserved and cultivated for generations to come.

Floyd Shilanski is a longtime Big Lake resident.