Grassroots meeting looks at challenges, options for Talkeetna

Last Saturday, more than twenty Talkeetnans met with a facilitator to discuss issues and solutions facing the area. Sheldon Air Service sponsored the meeting, which was held at the Talkeetna library. That sponsorship included bringing in Dennis McMillian, a consultant and former CEO of the Foraker Group.

Initially, the meeting was billed as an opportunity to discuss bus traffic and other related issues. As the date approached, however, the scope expanded to include sewer and water, emergency services, and the Mat-Su Borough’s bed tax.

Attendees were given a white paper, prepared by Holly Sheldon-Lee, which outlined some of the concerns and potential solutions. One of those potential solutions, the creation of a new borough, spurred a great deal of discussion early in the meeting. Some of the meeting’s attendees feel that the Upper Valley does not get the attention from the borough government in Palmer that it needs, and that a new borough, from the northern edge of Willow north to the boundary of the Denali Borough, would better provide for area residents.

Dennis McMillian and some meeting attendees suggested that the creation of a new borough could be explored, but that there might be intermediate steps to address concerns. McMillian suggests that issues such as bus traffic in and near downtown could be helped if local residents come up with a workable solution in concert with the tour companies that operate those buses.

The result of the meeting was a list of issues to be explored. According to Holly Sheldon-Lee the list includes bed tax, sewer and water, bus and RV traffic, emergency response, flood mitigation, and the option of a new borough. Some of the issues are already being addressed by existing entities. For example, the Talkeetna Chamber of Commerce is working on some traffic issues, and the Talkeetna Community Council is corresponding with the borough on sewer and water issues, since the sewer and water advisory board is currently defunct.

No follow-up meeting was scheduled, but it is likely that the issues raised at Saturday’s meeting will continue to be a topic of discussion for various community councils and other entities.