Kiwanis annual bas
ketball tournament at
school gym, starts 7:30
pan.
VOL. 4. NUMBER 25
Mulley Mkontiergmnn
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PALMER, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 1951
n pages
14 TODAY
PRICE 10c
INCORPORATION ELECTION APRIL 10
M.E.A. To Build $100,000 Quarters!
construction to Start
Within Few Months
The building construction boom
that is expected here in Palmer
with the coming of spring will
include a new building for the
n Matanuska Electric Association
'to be erected at an approximate
cost of $100,000, Mrs. Ruth Pier
son, M.E.A. manager, announced
here this week. Mrs. Pierson,
who recently returned to the Val
ley from a Rural Electrification
Administration meeting for new
managers held at Washington,
D. C., said that M.E.A. is going
ahead with plans for a building
this year. The go ahead signal on
the building was given Mrs. Pier
son at Washington when the REA
agreed to allow funds for the
building here.
Pre-plans for the building were
drawn by the REA Building and
Structures Division. Bids for the
new building will be called for
upon completion of the plans to
be drawn here by a local en
gineer, Mrs. Pierson said.
The new M.E.A. building, to be
located at Fairview avenue and
Airport way, will be erected on
* M.E.A. grounds that will run from
street to street and will cover an
area of approximately 140 feet by
322 feet. The building will be 40
feet by 40 feet with a full base
ment and a 70 feet by 40 feet
warehouse and garage in conjunc
tion.
The annual meeting of the
M.E.A. was also announced by
Mrs. Pierson. It has been set for
April 14 at. the high school audi
torium. All M.E.A. members are
eligible to attend and are urged
to do so, the manager said.
All Sports Enthusiasts
Invited to Attend Ski
Meet Set for Wednesday i
Valley residents interested in ,
skiing, winter sports and all year- '
round outdoor activities are re- .
minded to attend the Matanuska
Valley Ski Club meeting to be
•'held Wednesday, March 7, Russ
and “Rusty” Dow said.this week
Mr. and Mrs. Dow will be in
charge of the meeting which is to ]
be the second, of the newly
formed group. The organizational ]
meeting was held February 1*8 at
Little Susitna lodge with approxi
mately 20 in attendance.. 1
At the Wednesday meeting to '<■
be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Co-Op i
:clubroom, there will be an elec- <
tion of officers. There will be a £
junior membership included in '
the club, Mr. and Mrs. Dow also i
said. Other plans are to become i
affiliated with the Northwest Ski I
1 Association and also a member t
of the national ski club. All per- c
sons interested are extended a «
cordial invitation to be in attend- 1
ance at the Wednesday meeting, i
JOHN WEISENBERGER
BUYS ARCTIC METAL
WORKS THIS WEEK
John Weisenberger, owner o;
Palmer Sheet Metal and Heating
announced this week that he ha:
expanded his operation here wit!
the purchase of the Arctic Meta
Works. Mr. Weisenberger tool
over the Arctic Metal Works or
Monday of this week and wil
carry on all of his operations a
that shop, he said.
Mr. Weisenberger establishec
the first sheet metal works in th<
Valley when he started the Pal
mer Sheet Metal and Heatini
company here in January, 1950
The Arctic Metal Works was es
tablishjed hjere several month*
later in the early summer of 1950
Mr. Weisenberg announced thai
anything pertaining to sheel
metal fabrication, heating or aii
conditioning problems can now
be taken care of at his shop.
The Weisenbergers have resid
ed here for several years. Mrs
Weisenberger is a daughter oi
one of the original Colony fam
ilies. He was stationed at Ft.
Richardson during the war and
came back to the Valley after
discharge to set up his sheet
metal business and make his
home here.
SCHOOL BOARD TO
MEET MARCH 7
A regular meeting of the Pal
mer school board will be held
March 7 at the school, it was an
lounced this week. The date for
:he election of new school board
members will probably be an
rounced at that time. Three
members of the board whose two
/ear terms will expire are Mrs.
Claire Johnson, James Hurley
md Harold L. Thuma.
Other business to come before
he board will be action on
eachers’ contracts.
NEWSWEEK PUBLISHES
ARTICLE WRITTEN BY
>ALMER PRINCIPAL
An article by William W. El
iott, principal of Palmer element
iry school, appeared in Newsweek
n this week’s issue. Mr. Elliott’s
:omments on the controversial
ubject of “School Children and
?V” heads the magazine’s articles
mder “Letters” on page two. It
s entitled “The Palmer Methods.”
Jr. Elliott, who came here to join
he faculty from his home state
f New Jersey, has written sev
ral articles that have been pub
ished by leading magazines. This
s his first year in Alaska.
Corporation Formed
To Develop Valley
: The formation of a new cor
i poration in the Valley was an
. nounced here this week. The
new organization is to be known
1 as the Valley Development Cor
l poration. Its stockholders are
■ comprised of business men here
( including John L. Sullivan, Nevin
. Bo ward, Jack Maze and Ray
James. The spokesman for the
: group announced that the pur
pose in forming the organization
[ was to develop various businesses
, and localities in the Valley.
LONG-AWAITED
MAGAZINE ALASKA
GOING TO PRESS
After a long-delayed agreement
and “meeting of minds" between
the Matanuska Press and Albert
Taylor, editor of “The Magazine
Alaska," the publication is actual
ly being prepared for publication
and should be ready for printing
within the next few weeks.
B. G. FELKNER RETURNS
AFTER BUSINESS TRIP
Byron G. Felkner, head of the
Eklutna project here, returned to
the Valley last Saturday after an
absence of several weeks. He at
tended a meeting of construction
engineers held by the chief en
gineer of the Bureau of Recla
mation at the main offices in
Denver, Colo. Mr. Felkner re
turned to Alaska driving a new
car here over the Alaska high
way.
QUESTIONNAIRE DEADLINE
IS SET FOR MARCH 5
All farmers who make appli
cation for pure seed through the
Alaska Certified Seed Growers
Association program are request
ed to return their questionnaires
not later than March 5, Parker
Lester, agricultural agent, an
nounced here this week. The
questionnaires are to be sent to
the office at College, Alaska, Mr.
Lester said.
EKLUTNA PROJECT
CONSTRUCTION BIDS
TO BE AWARDED HERE
Sealed bids called for by the
Eklutna Project on the erection
of a warehouse and the construc
tion of 12 permanent houses and
two 10-car garages were publicly
opened at the Palmer office this
week, according to Byron G.
Felkner, head of Eklutna project.
Following the opening of the bids
here they were sent on to the
main office of the Bureau of Rec
lamation at Denver for final
award, Mr. Felkner said.
The apparent low bidders were
Sandvik & Roark and the Ray
James Construction Company,
bidding jointly on the warehouse
and Morrison Knudsen and Peter
Kewit Sons bidding jointly on
the housing project. The final
awards will be made within the
next 30 days with construction
to start immediately thereafter.
Notification of the awards will be
given from the Palmer office, Mr.
Byron explained.
The construction, which is to
take place at the site of the Eklut
na project will include the ware
house, 55 feet by 142 feet, which
will house a 15-ton traveling
crane, the 12 permanent houses
and two garages, streets and
water and sewage systems.
Bids opened on Tuesday includ
ed three submitted on the ware
house and were as follows: Sand
vik & Roark and James Con
struction Company, $65,394.80;
Munter Construction Company of
Seattle and Anchorage, $87,700;
Denali Construction Company of
Anchorage, $98,989.
On Thursday morning the two
bids submitted for the housing '
project were opened, which were 1
Morrison-Knudsen, Peter Kewit :
Sons’ joint bid of $482,377; Denali ]
Construction Company, $487,371. ■
OTHER BIDS CALLED
Sealed bids for furnishing labor, <
materials and performing all work
for the erection of a laboratory .
building at Eklutna government j
(Continued on Back Page)
'Alaska/ America's Wonderland' to Be !
Sponsored Here by Library Association j
Alaska, Americas Wonder
land,” said to be one of the finest
films on Alaska, will be present
ed at the Valley theatre Tuesday,
March 6, under the auspices of
the Palmer Library Association.
Two showings-, of the film are to
be given at 7:15 p.m. and 9:15
p.m. Proceeds from the film will
go toward paying outstanding
bills for the construction of the
new library building, recently
completed here.
The full length color produc- *
tion depicts an even dozen of ^
some of the most interesting
phases of Alaskan life. Filmed £
by Howard “Robbie” Robinson, t
Mr. Robinson, also acts as nar- «
rator. 3
Tickets for the production will 1
be on sale at the box office only. r.
Prices, plus tax, are $1 for adults t
and 50c for grade school children. 1
Election Judges to
Name Place, Hours
To Cast Ballots
One of the most important and
controversial issues that the Val
ley has been called upon to de
cide will come before the people
at an election to be held April 10
on the? incorporation of Palmer
as a city of the first class. The
order setting the date of election
as April 10 was signed by Judge
George W. Folta of the Third Dis
trict Court yesterday afternoon.
The petition for the election was
granted by Judge Folta last week
after a hearing which came be
fore the judge on February 16.
Election judges appointed by
the court order are Mrs. Wil
liam Curtis, Mrs. Emil Larsh
and Arthur L. Madison. The
place of election and hours dur
ing which the polls will be open
will be announced later by the
election judges.
Maps showing the proposed
boundaries for the new municipal
area will be posted at public
places in Palmer some time next
week, members of the incorpora
tion steering committee an
nounced today. The Matanuska
Valley Farmers Cooperating As
sociation, which the Co-Op re
quested Judge Folta to exclude,
will be within the proposed boun
daries. Judge Folta ruled at the
hearing that the Co-Op property,
estimated at 10.6 acres, “is more
in the nature of a business en
terprise than of a community’’
and should be included as a part
of the municipal area.
Residents eligible to cast their
vote in the forthcoming election
are defined in Section 2373 of the
‘Compiled Laws of Alaska” as
follows: “Every person 21 years
of age who is a citizen of the
United States and who has resid
ed continuously one year next
areceding the election in the ter
■itory of Alaska and six months
areceding the election within the
imits of the proposed corpora
;ion, shall be qualified to vote at
>aid or any subsequent municipal
Sections.”
L.IBRARY ASSOCIATION
OFFICERS RE-ELECTED
Officers of the Palmer Library
Association who have served for
he past year were re-elected at
in annual meeting of the Asso
ciation held February 19 at the
ibrary. They are Mrs. Ethel F.
Graves, president; Mrs. George
Jeiwitz, vice president; Mrs. Fos
er Sims, treasurer, and Mrs. Don
ngalls, secretary.
Hugh A. Johnson was elected
is a three-year trustee. Retiring
rustee is Harold L. Thuma. Oth
r trustees who are serving two
rear terms are Miss Louise Kel
ogg and the Rev. Victor Alfsen.
’he officers and trustees comprise
he Palmer Library Association
ioard.