Inside Alaska Business.

APD

An increase in sworn officers at the Anchorage Police Department (APD) has allowed the department to expand its presence in Eagle River by an additional officer. For more than thirty years, three officers have been assigned to Eagle River; for the first time, there will be four officers with the Patrol Division for each shift.

In addition, the Anchorage Assembly passed an ordinance authorizing APD to begin the full-time patrols of the Seward Highway to Mile 75, effective immediately. The Seward Highway to Ingram Creek is now permanently a part of APD's service area. muni.org

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

The Federal Highway Administration and Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities signed the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Cooper Landing Bypass on the Sterling Highway, which concludes an EIS process that has taken longer than any other in the history of the Federal Highway Administration.

This signing allows the State of Alaska to address the long-standing issues with the Sterling Highway between Milepost 45-60, which does not serve the volume of traffic, fails to meet modern highway design standards, and has safety concerns.

Challenges related to developing the project came from its proximity to the Kenai River and Lake, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Resurrection Pass National Recreation Trail, as well as steep terrain, nearby historic and cultural resource sites, and limited right-of-way. gov.alaska.gov

F-E CONTRACTING

F-E Contracting Inc. will be upgrading the Brett Memorial Ice Arena for $3 million in improvements. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly approved the contract in March.

A new ice rink slab, new direct CO2 ice making refrigeration system, and exhaust systems will be part of the renovations. The Brett Memorial will be closed for six months during construction, March 26 through Labor Day. The new system will give twenty years of service and lower energy costs. fe-contracting.com

ML&P

Municipal Light & Power's (ML&P) 2018 second quarter filing with the Regulatory Commission of Alaska decreased the Cost of Power Adjustment rate to $0.01024 per kWh, effective April 1,2018. With this filing, ML&P's COPA rate will be the lowest it has been since 2012.

ML&P's COPA rate has declined since 2017 due to fuel cost reductions associated with highly-efficient units at Plant 2A. This decrease has resulted in 28 percent savings, or $36.25, on the overall monthly bill for the average ML&P residential customer consuming 550 kWh per month.

Savings have also been achieved through ML&P's investment in the Beluga River gas field, which provides a secure, low-cost gas supply. The utility purchased a one-third share in the field in 1996, resulting in over $239 million in savings to ratepayers from 1996 to 2016. After the 2016 acquisition of a portion of ConocoPhillip's share, ML&P now owns 56.67 percent of the field.

ML&P's COPA rate of $0.01024 is currently the lowest in the Railbelt. The current COPA is $0.07077 kWh for Homer Electric, $0.11227 kWh for Golden Valley Electric, $0.07961 for Matanuska Electric, and $0.06776 kWh for Chugach. mlandp.com

GCI

GCI and...