Borough and Upper Valley councils meet at roundtable

(aired 10/18) Almost 2 dozen people gathered at the Upper Susitna Senior Center Thursday. October 14th, for a question and answer session between Mat Su Borough officials and area community councils.

Representatives of the Talkeetna Community Council, Susitna Community Council, the Caswell Fire Service Area and Caswell Road Service area gathered to ask questions of the Mat Su Borough acting manager, Elizabeth Gray, and her staff.  The majority of questions came from the Talkeetna Council. Outgoing council chair Billy Fitzgerald fired off question after question that had been prepared from a previous work session.

With 11 items on their list, the Talkeetna Community Council took the majority of the time at the 2 ½ hour meeting.

Questions ranged from how to get projects on the CIP list to receiving information about code compliance violations to the possibility of getting a community potable water source.

The Susitna Community Council had a list of 7 or 8 items on their list from the wood fired boiler at the high school, to receiving support from the Borough with issues dealing with DOT and slated highway projects,  to getting started with the Special Use District process.

Resident Tami Hamler said the meeting was encouraging. Robert Coleman said the Borough representatives promised they’d get back to him with council requests.  He is interested in seeing the follow-through. Assemblyman Vern Halter organized the meeting and said it is possible it can become a quarterly event. He says subsequent meetings would most likely become shorter and quicker once initial questions are out of the way.

Absent from the meeting were representatives from Trapper Creek Community Council and Chase Community Council.

A follow up meeting is scheduled for January with all upper valley councils.