ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP
MEETING VALLEY
FAIR ASS’N. NOV. 13
The frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLE'
TRY A FRONTIERSMAN
CLASSIFIED AD for that item
you may have for sale, rent
or lease.
VOLUME 10, NUMBER 3
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1956
PRICE TEN CENYS
MEA WITHDRAWS MEMBERSHIP IH CAPA
SCHOOL GYM WILL
PROVIDE COMFORT,
SAFETY, AND SPACE
Extension work on the Central
School gymnasium is in the fin
ishing stages and carpentry
work is expected to be done
within another two weeks, ac
cording to Chet Sandvik, job su
pervisor.
In addition to the gym being
enlarged, bigger and better facil
ities in the shower rooms, a larg
er stage, and more seating room,
the new work will provide a large
band room and a storage room
directly behind the stage.
School Board member, Ed
Smith, this week pointed out
that the extension will now prO*
vide adequate shower and locker
room for the youths using the
gymnasium for basketball and
PE. The playing floor in the gym
has been extended 10 feet, with
an additional 10 feet extending
back from the basket to the stage.
With this improvement basket
ball players will no longer run
the risk of injuring themselves in
a collision with the stage.
The stage, now 19 feet deep j
will be fitted with flood lights
across the front edge. These will j
be operated from a modern West-1
inghouse panel board, permitting J
the operator to dim or raise the j
lights at will—no more hit or
miss on the switches each time.
Located on both ends of the stage
will be wash rooms for men and
women, with a connecting stair
way that leads to the large show- i
er and locker rooms located be* j
neath the stage area. The locker i
rooms will measure about 28 ft. j
by 30 ft. Fire exits have been so
located that they may be used
by either persons in the shower i
and locker room sections or from ;
above in the stage or gym sec- I
_(Continued on page 8)_J
To Buide Nation’s Destiny Another Term
DR. ALLAN MICK NAMED DIRECTOR
AGRICULTURE EXPERIMENT STATION
Dr. Allan H. Mick of Palmer
lias been named director of the
Alaska Agricultural Experiment
Station to succeed Don L. Irwin,
Dr. Ernest N. Patty, University
of Alaska president, said today.
“This appointment,’’ said Dr.
Patty, “has the unqualified sup
port of the U. S. Department of
Agriculture. We see it as another
step towards improving liaison
with the Department of Agricul
ture and of perfecting the uni
versity’s land-grant college func
tions. This move will once again
unify under one head the univer
sity’s research and extension
work. Dr. Mick will continue as
director of Extension, an ap
pointment made in 1952.”
Dr. Mick came to Alaska in
1948, one of six scientists first
employed by Irwin, then, under
taking an expansion of agricul
tural research in the territory.
Dr. Mick received his B.S. and
^W^WWNA<WS<VVWWWWV^(WVWV
Ph. D. degrees from Michigan
State University, where he was
an associate professor of soil
science. While at MSU he per
fected an electrical method for
measuring soil moisture now
used throughout the world. His
research publications number
over 50, a majority of them deal
ing with problems of growing
food in the sub-Arctic. He is also
the author of a 400-page volume
of military history.
Dr. Mick participated in the
incorporation of Palmer as a city
in 1950 and served on its first
council. He is currently presi
dent of the Valley Hospital As
sociation, which operates the
Valley Presbyterian Hospital.
His wife, Lucille Kennedy Mick,
also served on Palmer’s council
and is now executive-secretary
of the League of Alaska Cities.
She was formerly editor of The
Frontiersman.
SUTTON FALL FESTIVAL
Saturday, November 10, 7 p.m.
Palmer Moose Hall
5 SPECIAL GAME BOOTHS FOR CHILDREN
Also: BAZAAR ITEMS — BAKE SALE — TOYS
• ALASKA'S FAVORITE GAME
O REFRESHMENTS
FREE ADMISSION
OFFICES CLOSING
FOR VETERANS DAY
> In observance of Veterans \
!; Day which falls on Sunday,
November 11, a number of >
business and government of- b
<; fices will be closed all day
Monday, November 12. Those !;
I who have announced they will!;
be closed include the Matan- /
uska Valley Bank, Alaska De-!;
partment of Agriculture, Pal- i;
mer City Hall, Extension Ser- i;
vice office, Alaska Agriculture !;
Experiment Station, Soil Con
servation Service office, the j
garage, warehouse and trading ;
post departments in the j;
M.V.F.C.A., as well as the Co
Op general office. Also, the'
U. S. Post office, U. S. Com- j:
missioner’s office, and U. S. ;ij
Geological Survey office. This ;
holiday will not apply in the
school system—there will be;’
school all day at the three
schools. ;
DR. SIMS ATTENDING
MEETING IN TUSCON
1-1?* 4U • ...
~ UilO V¥ tti\
for Tuscon, Arizona where he
will attend the American Legion
Area “E” child welfare confer
ence. Dr. Sims is national chair
man of Area “E” this year and
will preside. During his absence
his office will be open for col
lections and making appoint
ments. He expects to return
within two or three weeks.
Dr. Neil W. Hosley, University
of Alaska dean, has announced I
that the institution has added
chemical engineering to its curri
cula. Students who complete the
course requirements will receive
a Bachelor of Science degree. In
the past the university has offer
ed only three years of the stand
ard chemical engineering pro
gram.
\
Dwight D. Eisenhower was re
elected president of the United
States in the national election
held November 6. liis oppon
ent, Adlai Stevenson, was de
feated by what was termed a
“landslide”. Eisenhower’s vic
tory was the biggest Republi
can presidential victory in his
tory. Serving with Eisenhower
again for the next four years
will be Richard Nixon.
Ed Smith president of the Ma
lanuska Valley Chamber of Com
merce has named Stewart Dur
rant, .lames Hurley, Jan Koslos
fcy and Merritt Long to a Cham
ber committee which will meet
with a similar committee from
the Anchorage Chamber to study
power generation.
Palmer Suggestions
Adopted at League I
Meeting in Ketchikan
Among 39 items included in the
1957 Legislative Program adopt
ed at the League of Alaskan Cit
ies convention held in Ketchikan
last week were three that were
presented by Lucille Mick of the
Palmer group. They are items 21,
22, and 23 and are as follows:
21. VACANCY IN OFFICE OF
MAYOR Amend 16-1-59, ACLA !
1949 to authorize Council to
make appointment of qualified
person to fill vacancy in office
of Mayor; such person to serve
until next annual municipal elec
tion.
22. ELECTIVE MUNICIPAL
OFFICE — A bill authorizing
Council to prohibit any person ;
from simultaneously holding two
elective municipal offices.
23. ANNEXATION LAWS Re
vision of title 16-1-22, ACLA
1949, as amended, to clarify in
case no eligible signers and or
voters reside in area proposed
for annexation; establish proce
dure for handling annexation
(and incorporation and dissolu- j
tion) if District Courts power to
handle found be to be invalid.
In addition to the Legislative
items 16 resolutions were also
passed. Mayor Charles Wilson
of Palmer was chairman of th?
resolutions committee and a j
member of the nominating com
mittee. He presented the City of
Palmer report which was well ;
received by the many represen
tatives present at the convention, i
Mrs. Lucille Mick of Palmer!
was re-appointed League execu-1
tive secretary.
Twelve cities of Alaska are j
(Continued on page 8)
CITY OFFICIALS DISCUSS PAVING
WITH BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS MEN
City officials met Wednesday
morning in the office of Mayor
Charles W. Wilson to discuss
street paving with representa
tives of the Bureau of Public
Roads who were visiting in the
Palmer area.
The BPR officials reported
they are ready to go ahead in
the spring with paving of the
highway from the Glenn high
way to Wasilla road, and in addi
tion possibly extend that paving
down Central street as far as
Bert’s Drug store or Tost’s Ser
vice. They stated they will be
ready to begin the project as
soon as the streets thaw in the
spring. Money for the project has
been allocated and if not used
on this project this time the pro
ject will be postponed indefin
itely and might be lost.
City officials were hoping to
have their plans firmed up at
the time the BPR calls for pav
ing bids so that the City may
take advantage of the presence
of the contractor in the city to
do simultaneous paving.
The Buerau of Public Ro#is
asked how the City would handle
the paving project. Mayor WTilson
suggested that the City would
like to have the BPR act as en
gineers in the inspection work
and the City would then pay an
appropriate share for additional
paving and the full costs of curbs j
and gutters.
“Of course this whole thing
hinges on whether or not the
bond issue is passed”, he pointed
out. The Bureau is going ahead
with their part of the paving, the
Mayor said. “This is our chance
to get paving at a cheaper price
if done at the same time”, he ad
ded.
While in Juneau recently May-!
or Wilson spoke with BPR offi-j
cials in regards to the paving. I
He told officials that the bond
issue had failed to get the vot- j
ers approval.
“The City Council is willing
to set up the machinery for an
other bond issue election if that
is what the voters want”, he said
today. “If the failure of the pro
posal was because the City did
not give out sufficient informa
tion prior to the election, then
it certainly is right to give the
voters another chance. I person
ally feel that it is unwise at this
time to turn down the opportun
ity to get some of our streets
paved.”
An estimate on what the city’s
share would be for the highway
paving will be forwarded to the
city by BPR officials as soon as
possible. ' *
In future issues of The Fron
tiersman there will be articles
explaining in detail how much
the project will cost, initially and
over a period of years; where this
money is to come from; how
much it will cost each property
owner in each improvement dis- *
trict, over a period of years, and |
other pertinant information, j
These articles will be carried as
a public service of The Frontiers- j
man to help better inform the
public on the street paving pro
posal.
i
1
NOTICE
The M.E.A. Office will
be open November 12 ;
for bill payments.;
' ' i
Closed November 22 i
and 23
I
CANYON PROJECT
COSTS TOO HIGH
FOR M.E.A. FINANCES
During a special meeting of
Ihe MEA board of directors held
November 5, members present
voted unanimously to withdraw
the membership of MEA from
the Central Alaska Power Asso
ciation.
The special meeting had earl
ier been called to discuss items
to be presented at the NRECA
regional meeting which will be
held in the States this month.
Sometime between the last regu
lar meeting and the special meet
ing it was brought to the atten
tion of board members that
CAPA was applying to the Fed
eral Power Commission for a
preliminary permit for work at
Wood's Canyon which would
amount to an estimated $595,000.
Copies of the nature, amount
and estimate of cost of this work
was given to the directors. The
directors had not officially been
notified of this proposal.
The proposed work would be
done on the Copper River, about
85 miles from its mouth in the
region of Valdez, Chitina, and
Cordova. The project is to con
struct a dam which would raise
the present water surface from
an elevation of 410 feet to 950
feet, creating a reservoir 51 miles
long on the Copper river and 55
miles on the Chitina river and
would provide 18,500,000 acre
feet total storage capacity of
which 14 million acre-feet would
be active storage. The annual
amount of energy available in
90 percent of the years would be
around seven billion kilowatt
hours, it was stated,
One of the directors this week
said that MEA’S withdrawing was
caused by their unwillingness to
gamble with MEA funds on the
development of such a large and
distant project. “My personal
feeling”, he said, “is that in the
past such big projects have been
developed by the Bureau of Re
clamation who are better quali
fied to work on such a large
scale. They have the experience
and the advantage of being able
to go directly to Congress for
appropriations before advancing
such a project.”
President Phil O’Neill was
absent from the meeting and
Earl Combs, vice president, pre
sided. C. Ivan Branton acted as
secretary in the absence of James
Hurley who was ill.
The decision of the MEA board
of directors to withdraw MEA
from the membership of CAPA
will be sent directly to the Fed
eral Power Commission, R.E.A.,
C.A.P.A. and CAPA members.
The directors approved the
resolution calling for the with
(Continued on page 8)
See our lovely assortment of
• CHRISTMAS CORSAGES
AND FIGURINES
Telegraph Delivery Service
MAUD S FLOWER SHOP
Theatre Bldg. Phone 3601
BINGO
MOOSE LODGE
Starling Sat. Nov. 17
7:30 P.M.
Turkeys - Bacons
Hams and
Other Prizes
Dance Following
POT-LUCK nillNFR Si n A MfF OBSERVING VETERAN’S DAY
IsIHflljIt VV 1/nil vL AND AUXILIARY 38th BIRTHDAY
PLANNED
All Legionnaires, Auxiliary Members And Their Guests Invited
LEGION HALL, NOV. 10
7 P.M.