Mat-Su Valley Expansion Projects Show Valley is 'Open for Business': New builds, remodels, infrastructure modernizations help meet growing demand.

• Author: Anderson, Tom
• Position: Building Alaska

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough is the second most populated region in Alaska with 104,365 residents based on July 2016 US Census data. The same data numbers indicate a sizable population growth of more than 17 percent between 2010 and 2016. There's no slowing in sight for 2018 as new homes and commercial projects abound with expansion both in the Borough's three cities of Palmer, Wasilla, and Houston and in outlying unincorporated communities that comprise the Borough's 25,258 square miles of land.

John Moosey, Mat-Su Borough manager, is eager to see new and continuing projects successfully completed in 2018. Under his watch since May 2011, a variety of commercial and residential projects have been built to accommodate the area's growing population.

"Mat-Su Borough's capital projects will be slightly over $51 million-worth of planned or ongoing construction projects for 2018/2019," says Moosey. He adds that the three largest projects are Fire Station 7-3 ($10.2 million), Fire Station 6-2 ($12.5 million), and swimming pool upgrades ($12.83 million). "The break out totals $44.6 million in vertical construction and $6.55 million in horizontal construction," he says.

When complete, Fire Station 7-3 will be a 39,000-square-foot facility in the West Lakes Fire Service Area. The project replaces the existing station and adds space for both administration and fleet maintenance. The new station will also feature 24/7 staff which means area residents can expect to see faster response times.

The Fire Station 6-3 Central design plan calls for a 38,000-square-foot facility at the intersection of Knik Goose Bay Road and Vine Road. The new station replaces the old station in the same location. That station will be converted into the Mat-Su Training Center. Moosey says the 6-3 projects are comprehensive, including building a 200,000 gallon water storage tank, burn tower, residential quarters, training areas, apparatus bays, warehouse, and administrative space. Design of the 6-2 Fire Station was at 35 percent in late October, and in November the project advertised for a construction manager/general contractor to participate in completing the design and construction, which is anticipated to begin in spring 2018 and will take approximately one year to complete.

The Palmer High School and Wasilla High School swimming pool improvements, slated for 2018, will offer educational and recreational benefits to students and their families. Palmer will receive upgraded...