By John R. Moses
EDITOR
SUNSHINE – Anita Ford doesn’t mind hauling
some water to her home in a subdivision near
Mile 3 of the Talkeetna Spur Road, even at age
73, but she does want a convenient place to buy
or gather some. That’s becoming more difficult
for some area residents to find. A petition drive
to force the Borough to allow residents to fill up
at local firehouses began last month.
Area businesses are shutting off the previously
free or low-cost taps due to various factors. The
able-bodied can drive 10 miles south to a spring,
climb down and fill up, or find a friend or family
member with a water supply.
“I can’t climb down the hillside to get it out of
the spring,” she said.
Ford said she understands local businesses don’t
have any obligation to provide the public with
home drinking water, but asked Borough
Assembly member Tom Kluberton and state Rep.
Mark Neuman (R-Big Lake) to look into opening
up some kind of water station where safe water
could be purchased.
With no electricity, Ford said she can’t get water
from the well on her land, either. She’s found a
temporary solution, but said, “What about all the
other people out there that don’t have wells?”
Ford, and many other homeowners, live outside
the reach of water pipes.
Neuman spoke with Borough managers about
the issue on April 7 and April 8. He criticized the
Borough for not providing a source of drinking
water and vowed to look into the feasibility of
improving access to a local spring.
Borough Manager John Duffy told Neuman that
during the summer people can get water from a
park faucet in Talkeetna, but Neuman said that
isn’t good enough.
“Some of the folks are older, finding water is
very difficult. What’s wrong with a little
community service?” Neuman said.
Jim Kellard, a board of supervisors member for
Talkeetna’s sewer and water district, said he has
heard of the problem before.
Kellard carries on a one-man crusade to get
every building in the Talkeetna district’s area
signed up for water service, but he can’t sign up
anyone in Sunshine. The system is “very local,”
covering only parts of Talkeetna.
Kellard said the idea of having some kind of
public access station has come up before, and
comes with its own set of problems. People
might overflow the water, leave the water
running or otherwise misuse the system unless
someone was paid to monitor the site.
“It gets to be a headache,” Kellard said of
providing water in that way.
Borough Assembly member Tom Kluberton,
who lives and runs a business in Sunshine, said
water there either comes from your well or an
outside source, and it isn’t likely that the Borough
can come up with another solution.
“Beverage service doesn’t come with your tax
bill,” Kluberton said.
“In our world that spring down there at Mile 89
has been the water source for many years,”
Kluberton said.
Kluberton said restaurants and other commercial
water providers must test the water they serve to
make sure it’s safe. He said the local Soil and
Water Conservation District tested the spring a
couple of years ago and found the water to be
excellent. He said that perhaps there could be a
way to improve access at the spring.
“That would be a good project, but it’s not a
trivial project in that it’s D.O.T. territory,”
Kluberton said.
The Alaska Department of Transportation and
Public Facilities would have to work with some
entity, and that means a potentially lengthy
bureaucratic process.
While he sympathizes with residents who don’t
have a well, Kluberton said the simple fact is that
there’s no public water system there and some
local businesses don’t want the hassle of selling
water.
Kluberton opposes opening fire halls to residents
due to the liability issues and the chance of
accidental damage to a fire house. “That’s a
pretty critical piece of infrastructure to turn
people loose in,” he said.
Kluberton said he has spoken with Duffy about
finding out whether grants from the Department
of Environmental Conservation and the blessing
of the Department of Transportation might spur
physical access improvements to that spring.
EDITOR
SUNSHINE – Anita Ford doesn’t mind hauling
some water to her home in a subdivision near
Mile 3 of the Talkeetna Spur Road, even at age
73, but she does want a convenient place to buy
or gather some. That’s becoming more difficult
for some area residents to find. A petition drive
to force the Borough to allow residents to fill up
at local firehouses began last month.
Area businesses are shutting off the previously
free or low-cost taps due to various factors. The
able-bodied can drive 10 miles south to a spring,
climb down and fill up, or find a friend or family
member with a water supply.
“I can’t climb down the hillside to get it out of
the spring,” she said.
Ford said she understands local businesses don’t
have any obligation to provide the public with
home drinking water, but asked Borough
Assembly member Tom Kluberton and state Rep.
Mark Neuman (R-Big Lake) to look into opening
up some kind of water station where safe water
could be purchased.
With no electricity, Ford said she can’t get water
from the well on her land, either. She’s found a
temporary solution, but said, “What about all the
other people out there that don’t have wells?”
Ford, and many other homeowners, live outside
the reach of water pipes.
Neuman spoke with Borough managers about
the issue on April 7 and April 8. He criticized the
Borough for not providing a source of drinking
water and vowed to look into the feasibility of
improving access to a local spring.
Borough Manager John Duffy told Neuman that
during the summer people can get water from a
park faucet in Talkeetna, but Neuman said that
isn’t good enough.
“Some of the folks are older, finding water is
very difficult. What’s wrong with a little
community service?” Neuman said.
Jim Kellard, a board of supervisors member for
Talkeetna’s sewer and water district, said he has
heard of the problem before.
Kellard carries on a one-man crusade to get
every building in the Talkeetna district’s area
signed up for water service, but he can’t sign up
anyone in Sunshine. The system is “very local,”
covering only parts of Talkeetna.
Kellard said the idea of having some kind of
public access station has come up before, and
comes with its own set of problems. People
might overflow the water, leave the water
running or otherwise misuse the system unless
someone was paid to monitor the site.
“It gets to be a headache,” Kellard said of
providing water in that way.
Borough Assembly member Tom Kluberton,
who lives and runs a business in Sunshine, said
water there either comes from your well or an
outside source, and it isn’t likely that the Borough
can come up with another solution.
“Beverage service doesn’t come with your tax
bill,” Kluberton said.
“In our world that spring down there at Mile 89
has been the water source for many years,”
Kluberton said.
Kluberton said restaurants and other commercial
water providers must test the water they serve to
make sure it’s safe. He said the local Soil and
Water Conservation District tested the spring a
couple of years ago and found the water to be
excellent. He said that perhaps there could be a
way to improve access at the spring.
“That would be a good project, but it’s not a
trivial project in that it’s D.O.T. territory,”
Kluberton said.
The Alaska Department of Transportation and
Public Facilities would have to work with some
entity, and that means a potentially lengthy
bureaucratic process.
While he sympathizes with residents who don’t
have a well, Kluberton said the simple fact is that
there’s no public water system there and some
local businesses don’t want the hassle of selling
water.
Kluberton opposes opening fire halls to residents
due to the liability issues and the chance of
accidental damage to a fire house. “That’s a
pretty critical piece of infrastructure to turn
people loose in,” he said.
Kluberton said he has spoken with Duffy about
finding out whether grants from the Department
of Environmental Conservation and the blessing
of the Department of Transportation might spur
physical access improvements to that spring.
This is one of the petitions that showed-up on local
message boards. There was no contact number listed.
message boards. There was no contact number listed.
Please support our advertisers
. . . And tell then you saw it in the
Petition drive seeks Borough support for
more access to water in Sunshine area
more access to water in Sunshine area
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