Wasilla enjoys a sporting good year

Frontiersman reporter

The city of Wasilla built a sports complex, lost a Wasilla City Council member and gained a former Matansuka-Susitna Borough employee. Check out the highlights of 2003:

Sports arena

Construction on the $14.7-million sports complex off South Church Road began this late spring and is wrapping up in order to be ready for a grand opening for the Iditarod Restart in March. The 102,900-square-foot building has a 17,000-square-foot indoor ice arena, a 13,125-square-foot turf sports area, three meeting rooms, locker rooms, storage areas and an upstairs track. The city hopes to build a kitchen and three outdoor playing fields sometime in the future. The city first won the title to the 60 acres designated for the sports complex in March plus another 10 or so acres needed for the access road. The city lost, however, its claim to nearly 150 acres near South Church Road in August.

Bruce Urban, who previously worked for the borough, was hired in October as the city's cultural and recreational services manager, and will oversee the complex.

Lake Lucille boat launch

July brought complaints by dozens of residents around East Susitna Avenue: A makeshift Lake Lucille boat launch area on a city lot had brought in people, boats, cars and animals through the small city street during all hours of the day and night. Residents beseeched the council to either close down the lot or more closely regulate the lot as an actual city boat launch. After numerous meetings discussing the best way to handle the launch, the council voted unanimously in September to pass a $52,000 plan to improve, regulate and charge a parking/boat launching fee on the city property. The plan limits watercraft hours to 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily on both Wasilla Lake and Lake Lucille, bans on-street parking along East Susitna Avenue and installs a locking gate at the launch. A fee box will be installed and people will be charges $10 to launch their boats and park their vehicles on an adjacent lot. Local businesses that use the launch more regularly to test run boats will be asked to pay an annual fee of $250. The plan does not include any city staff posted at the launch, the fee will be collected on the honor system and people will be asked to display a pay stuff in their windshield similar to the ones used by the Alaska State Parks.

Houston takes over animal control

After balking at the borough's increase in animal control payment from $26,000 to $150,000 and then back down to $70,000 this May, the city of Wasilla entered into a contract in June with the city of Houston, making Houston Wasilla's animal control provider. Houston animal control is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and deals with the city's animal attacks, allegations of cruelty to animals and unrestrained and deal animals.

Budget

The city council unanimously passed Mayor Dianne Keller's $11.8 million city operating budget this June, with an amendment for a $7,500 increase to the mayor's salary. The budget went into effect in July, and brought no new taxes to the city.

City elections

Howard O'Neil was re-elected to the city council Seat A by 743 votes, while Diana Straub was elected to Seat B by 764 votes. Both terms are for three years. O'Neil was first elected to the council in October of 2000; Straub was appointed to the council in October 2002. An even 1,000 poll votes were counted in the 2003 city election, 23.3 percent of Wasilla voters. The council members took their Oath of Office during a regular council meeting in October.

Term limits

After first discussing the possibility of voting to repeal term limits at the council level, the council voted this December to send an ordinance repealing council term limits to the voters in October 2004. Keller acted to break a 3-3-tie vote among council members, uphold existing term limits and placing the matter on the October ballot. Council Members Noel Lowe, Diana Straub and Howard O'Neil voted in favor of immediate repeal and Council Members Ron Cox, Colleen Sullivan-Leonard and Rob Sande opposed.

Councilwoman resigns

Sullivan-Leonard resigned from her position on the city council in December in order to work as a committee aide to Valley representative Carl Gatto. Sullivan-Leonard was elected to council Seat F in October 2001, having formerly served as a planning commissioner for the Wasilla Planning Commission. The city has sent out a call for applicants for Seat F for the remainder of Sullivan-Leonard's three-year term ending in October 2004. To qualify, applicants are required to be at least a one-year resident of the city or of a territory annexed to the city, a qualified voter of the city and complete an Alaska Public Offices Commission Public Official Financial Disclosure Statement. Candidates will be interviewed during the council's regular meeting on Jan. 12.