PUBLIC MEETING FOR
TELEPHONE DIoCUSSION
Grange Hall — March 5
the Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
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VOLUME 6. NUMBER 23
PALMER, ALASKA, THURSDAY, FEB. 26- 1953
PRICE TEN CENTS
PALMER
--
GROUP PROPOSES
STREET LIGHTS IN
NO, PALMER AREA
Palmer may have street lights.
The former North Palmer Wat
er Association, now known as
the Palmer Improvement Associa
tion, has approximately $1500
thev have indicated they wish
to invest in street lighting in the
North Palmer section.
A committee of three, repre
senting the association, the city,
and the Matanuska Electric As
sociation have been appointed to
work on the project. Representing
« the association is Ralph Moore,
the city, A1 V. Hagen and ME A
representative is Cy Brewer.
Two tentative plans are being
discussed, the committee* report
ed. Plan A would call for 15 mer
cury vapor lights in North Pal
mer Plan B would include light
in° Valiev and Colony streets
from Kirk’s Sales & Service as
far south as Moose Hall, calling
for 18 lights.
The project is still in the plan
ning stage, it was announced but
tentative plans would call for
poles to be set 300 feet apart, on
one side of the street. Future ad
ditional lighting could be placed
at 300 foot intervals on the op
posite side and provide the rec
ommended 150 foot space between
poles in the business section.
The Dodge Electric Company
has been installing this type light |
for several businesses the past (
few months. The Co-Op area now
has four; Koslosky’s and A1 Hag- j
t en have one each and three
others have indicated to Dodge
they will install lights. The latter
five would mean only 13 more
would be necessary if the inter
ested parties decided to use Plan
H
Proposed plans would ask the
city to underwrite the balance of
the costs. In either plan, the city
rould be asked to pay for the
cost of operating the lights and
MEA would be asked to install
the noles and service them.
When plans are completed, and
approved by all parties, Palmer
will probably be well on the way
to a projected street lighting pro
gram. Suppliers have indicated
that these lights can be delivered
within ninety days after order.
CITY COUNCIL OKS
NEW ORDINANCES
Members of the city council
► and the mayor have a full calen
* dar ahead of them, following the
regular meeting February 24.
Special meetings have been set
for: March 2 when they will meet
with business men to discuss the
license ordinance; March 5 mem
* bers have been invited to attend
the public meeting for telephone
discussion; March 9 they will
meet with representatives of the
Matanuska Electric Association
to discuss mutual problems and
March 10 their first regular meet
ng in March.
Representing Palmer B. P. O.
Elks lodge No. 1842 were Matt
Onkka and Clair Stock who asked
clarification on a license charge
and exemption from sales tax.
The matter was turned over to
committee by Mayor Alfred Ha
gan for further study.
The water committee, headed
by Don McKechnie recommend
ed the acceptance of a provition
Continued on page 8
ARCHITECT’S DRAWING OF NEW VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL
^ *4 .
'ft 1'
i
Edwin B. Crittenden, architect
»1«>^V^/\^VVVVVVVVVSAA/VVVV,yVVVVV^
HEINTZLEMAN
GOVERNOR
Alaskan legislators and; I
Governor Ernest Gruening;
re unanimous in their praise '
of Secretary of Interior Me-!
Kay’s choice of Regional For-1
ester B. Frank Heintzleman;
for governor of Alaska and;
Juneau’s Mayor Waino Hend-;
rickson for secretary.
Secretary McKay made his !
choice February 24 and has 1
sent the names to President!
Eisenhower for approval. !
Alaska Potato Day
Well Attended; New
Developments Shown
The first, of what may become
an annual, All Alaska Potato
Day was held in Palmer on Feb
ruary 19 with growers and pros
pective produce growers attend
ing from the Valley, Anchorage,
Fairbanks, Kenai and other
points.
The potato day event gave,
farmers the opportunity to keep
abreast of new developments in
producton and marketing of this
vital crop.
T. J. Lockwood, of Lockwood
Grading Machines in Gering,
1 Nebraska, was present at the
gathering and demonstrated one
of his company’s machines. He
also showed several reels of film.1
Other equipment demonstrated
incuded the John Bean line of
farm machinery as well as mod
ern methods of packaging pota
toes which were displayed and
demonstrated.
At noon the many visitors
gathered at the school auditorium
where a Valley dinner was serv
ed. The demonstration was co
sponsored by the Alaska Depart
ment of Agriculture and tfye Ma
tanuska Valley Farmers Cooper
ating Association.
□
COMMUNITY CHEST MAKES
ANNUAL ORGANIZATION REPORTS
Three new members of the
Palmer Community Chest board
of directors were elected at the
annual meeting held February
24. They are: Richard Jones, Ed
Smith and Jasper Skok. They re
place out-going board members,
Emil Ganschow, Marvin Slaught
er and V. Louis Kellogg.
A balance of $35.83 remains in
the Community Chest treasury,
following dispersments to various
organizations, IVtyss Kellogg an
nounced.
Thomas Moyer, reported the
Valley Health Council, who re
ceives nearly all its local support
from the Chest, will need addi
tional funds for the coming year,
and although it has never been
the policy of the Health Council
to raise funds, permission was
granted to enable the council to
raise enough money to pay for
car maintenance for the public
health nurse. Major repairs will
be taken care of by the Alaska
Department of Health, Moyer
jointed out. The Health Council
went on record as favoring flor
ination of the city water system
when and if the plan proves
favorable.
In making the Health Council
report, Mr. Moyer pointed out
that less than 50% of the repre
sentatives in the Valley are at
1 tending meetings. It was suggest
ed by a council representative
that members who find they are
no longer able to attend the meet
ings ask to have someone else
appointed in their place.
Other organizations making re
ports included the Alaska Crip
pled Childrens Association,
through their sponsors the Chee
chako Homemakers Club, and the
Palmer Library report. New
members elected to the welfare
committe are Mrs. Richard Dem
ming, Mrs. Allan Mick and Mrs.
Mack Wodward.
Following the business meeting,
refreshments were served by
board members and a health ser
vice film, “So Much for So Little”
was shown.
Mrs. Ben Hudgins of the Wel
fare and Disaster group report
they have a loan fund of $500; a
disaster-emergency fund of $500
and a balance of $106 in the gen
eral dispersement fund. Women
of the Moose have offered their
services to assist the group in
sorting and repairing clothing.
Betty Mears and Minnie Clark
have offered storage space for
the cothing in the basement of
their store, Mrs. Hudgins an
nounced.
NEW VETERINARIAN LIVING
AT EXPERIMENT FARM
Dr. Richard Thomas, new Ter
ritorial Veterinarian and his fam
il have found temporary housing
at the Agriculture Experiment
Farm until other arrangements
are made, it was announced this
week.
Dr. Thomas plans to do some
experimental work in addition to
his regular veterinarian duties
throughout the valley.
PUBLIC MEETING TO
START AT 8 P.M., MARCH 5
Definite plans for the public
meeting to discuss the possi
bility of a rural telephone
system in the Valley have
been made. The meeting will
start at 8 p-m. in the Grange
Hall and the public is urged
to attend. The meeting is be
ing called by the telephone
committee of Northland Pion
eer Grange No. 1 Members of
the City Council, Mayor Al
fred Hagen and local organiza
tions have been invited to at
tend.
REMINDS
CAR OWNERS
Saturday, February 28 is
the final aide for those who
have not obtained 1953 license
plates for Alaskan vehicles,
Dorothy B. Saxton, U. S.
Commissioner reminded today.
Mrs. Saxton will be in her
office all day Saturday, she
said, to accommodate late
comers.
Four Games; Fun
And Feeds Sel For
Visiting Cordovans
Preparatons for the Cordova
Basketball teams who will arrive
in Palmer tomorrow for a two
game series, are nearly complete,
with fun and frolics scheduled to
welcome the visiting “Clam Dig
gers.”
The Cordova women’s team,
The Imperials, will meet with the
Palmer Rockets in preliminary
games February 27 and 28, fol
lowed by games between the
men’s Moose team and the Pal
mer Independents.
Between games, “The Matanus
ka Maid,” Valley famous cow,
i will introduce her little “addi
tion,” committeemen have an
nounced.
Following the games Friday
night, players and club members
will gather at the local Moose
Lodge where they will be wel
comed with a party and dance.
Saturday night Elks Lodge is
planning a welcome for the visit
ing Cordova folk when entertain
ment and a smorgasbord will be
featured. Both lodges have an
< nounced their regretfulness in
i not being able to extend an in
vitation to the general public.
! Spacing, facilities and other regu
lations pohibit them from doing
j so. However, the public is invited
j to attend the games and partici
1 pate in the fun at the gymnasium.
CONSTRUCTION WILL
START IN SPRING;
DRIVE TO CONTINUE
A long wished for modem hos
pital in Palmer appeared to be
a certainty following the open
ing of bids on February 20.
C. R. Foss, incorporated of An
chorage, submitted an over-all
low bid of $564,885 to build the
24-bed hospital, with construc
tion scheduled to start in March
and be completed within 460
days.
Following the bid openings Fri
day afternoon, the hospital board
of directors held a meeting that
night and gave their approval to
the acceptance of the bid.
The contract is subject to re***Qw
by the U. S. Public Health
vice and the Board of Na
Missions of the Presbytenj.
Church, participating agencies.
The bid represents the con
struction of the buiding only, and
although the board is reasonably
sure of a $669,000 over-all con
struction budget, the cost of land
clearing, surveying, administra
tive costs, landscaping and hos
pitp' quipment is not included
in the bid figure. These costs will
undoubtedly exceed the differ
lce between the bid figure and
the over-all budget figure board
members stated. Palmer’s drive
for funds will continue fund
drive officials stated this week,
to enable these necessary costs.
Projected plans also include re
modeling of the old hospital into
nurses’ quarters. -
Word was released this week
by the Hospital board that $232,
236.16 was raised in the “Pennies
for Palmer” campaign conduct
ed throughout the entire nation
by the Presbyterian Church.
Originally, the Presbyterian
Church had set as their goal for
the campaign $135,000. This ad
ditional amount of $97,000 al
lowed the board of directors of
the hospital to accept the base
bid of C. R. Foss, Incorporated
of $507,585 plus alternate num
ber five which includes the Pub
lic Health and Administration
wing, the solarium and three
extra beds. This brought the
total bid to $564,885.
Approximately one year ago
plans of Edwin B. Crittenden
were submitted for constructon
bids. The lowest bid was far be
yond the finances of the group
and plans went back to the draw
ing board for revamping.
The new hospital will contain
complete operating, delivery
room and emergency facilities.
It has been so designed that ad
ditional wings may be added in
the future.
Other bids, mechanical and
electrical were submitted by the
following firms: Ben E. Hudgins,
Palmer (electrical) $51,000; Ter
ritorial Mechanical, Anchorage
(mechanical) $190,388; Reber
Plumbing and Heating, Spenard,
(mechanical) $148,205; Allen
Electric, Anchorage (electrical),
$53,792; C. R. Lewis Company of
Anchorage, (mechanical), $141,
479.
Present at the opening in ad
dition to bidders were Edwin
Irittenden, architect, Rev. Rol
land Armstrong, Rev. Frank J.
Walkup, Rev. Brian Cleworth,
representatives of the Mission
Board, O. K. Kincaid, hospital
manager who opened the bids
and members of the Valley Hos
pital board of directors.
f
I
Welcome Cordova Dance
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27
MOOSE HALL
Basketball Games February 27 and 28 School Gym
CORDOVA VS. PALMER-MENS’ AND WOMENS’ TEAMS '