Fire, Flood, Sewer and Water Services Discussed at Talkeetna Council Meeting

At Monday’s Talkeetna Community Council, Inc. board meeting, multiple service areas were discussed, including fire, flood service, and sewer and water.

Eric Denkewalter, acting chief for the Talkeetna Fire Department, says that he would like to see the fire service area board re-established.  The three-member board has been inactive, and Denkewalter says re-establishing it would ease the administrative burden, such as creating budgets, on the department.  Members of the board must reside within the fire service area, and Denkewalter says he would like the Talkeetna and Sunshine Community Councils to help in seeking out interested individuals.

The possible expansion of the Talkeetna Flood Service Area was also discussed.  Borough Assembly Member Vern Halter, whose district includes Talkeetna, says that a resolution to place the expansion on the October borough election ballot was introduced last month, and will be voted on by the assembly at the first August meeting.  If the assembly approves, the measure would then go to the voters who live inside the current flood service area as well as the proposed expansion, which includes East Talkeetna and the River Subdivision.  An advisory vote on beginning the expansion process, held by the Talkeetna Community Council last October, passed comfortably.

Also at Monday’s meeting, council chair Whitney Wolff read correspondence from Mat-Su Borough Public Works Director Terry Dolan regarding the Talkeetna Sewer and Water system.  According to Dolan’s email, work is underway to correct issues identified in last year’s study of the system.  In addition, Dolan says sludge buildup was discovered in the lagoon, and work is underway to remove it.  The borough is also planning to re-vegetate the area with plants designed to help treat sewage before it is released from the lagoon.  Talkeetna’s sewer and water system has been cited in the past for high levels of fecal coliform, and Dolan says that there are plans to prevent the issue from re-occurring.