Valley officials happy with state capital budget

Michael Rovito/Frontiersman

Assistant Mat-Su Borough Manager Marian Romano said this year's round of vetoes by Gov. Sarah Palin in the state's capital budget was “not as painful as last year's” for the Mat-Su Valley. Still, there are some projects in the Valley vetoed out of money for upgrades or expansion.

Among those are boiler upgrades for Big Lake Elementary School, new EMS equipment for the Big Lake/Meadow Lakes EMS, Nancy Lake Peninsula Road rehabilitation and land acquisition for the Sutton Library, to name a few.

The losses will impact each organization differently, but overall, Romano said, the borough is pleased with what was left in the budget.

“We're very pleased for the things we have,” Romano said Wednesday. “There's a lot of important stuff in here.”

One particular appropriation the borough is excited about comes in the form of more than $17 million for a Port MacKenzie Rail Extension.

Romano said development like that helps the borough economically, as well as starting a process that can reduce private property tax rates when development increases. The idea, she said, is to shift the burden to a more 50/50 level, helping to alleviate some private property tax.

Perhaps the largest veto on the list cuts $25,000,000 for a Matanuska Electric Association transmission line to the yet-to-be-built Point MacKenzie prison.

A spokeswoman for MEA was not available for comment.

For Palmer Republican Rep. Carl Gatto, losing a million dollars from the Valley Community for Recycling Solutions appropriation is a big hit.

“I think that has such a long term benefit,” Gatto said of the center, which received $1 million out of an asked for $2 million. “It lost it last year and got half this year.”

But half is better than nothing, according to the recycling center's executive director, Mollie Boyer.

“We are really happy that our governor and our state have come through and given us a million dollars,” Boyer said.

Calling the Valley recycling initiative a model for the state, Boyer said the appropriation, along with a $2.5 million commitment from the borough and money from fundraising efforts, will go directly to a new building located at the borough's Central Landfill. Looking to build before the cost of steel and fuel rise higher, Boyer said now is the time to apply the state's money and begin construction as soon as possible.

“We've worked hard, laid a lot of plans and we're going to continue on,” Boyer said.

Looking at another veto, Gatto said he is also disappointed the Palmer High School Field Turf Project did not receive all of a $1.5 million appropriation. The turf field, Gatto said, is something long overdue in the Valley. Gatto said with turf, Valley athletes could begin their season earlier and not be so weather dependent.

Where the borough did fair well, according to Gatto, is with money for road projects.

“We got lots of money for Trunk Road,” Gatto said of just one of the many road projects that will receive state funds.

Romano stressed that some money vetoed from the budget does not pertain to borough government, such as the recycling center, for instance.

In Willow, the Willow Area Community Organization lost out on $13,775 for emergency supply storage. Another line item veto saw the Valley Performing Arts losing $30,000 for a facility expansion.

Even with the vetoes, a document from the state's Legislative Finance Division, shows the majority of fiscal requests granted by Palin.

The PDF document showing requests for money and vetoes can be found at http://ww1.matsugov.us/images/stories/news/approved%20capital%20budgetwvetoesr.pdf