PALMER -- Port MacKenzie will be lighting up this summer. According to port director Marc VanDongen, two vital utilities should be in place within the next four months.
"Three-phase electrical power lines will be extended 10.5 miles down the Point MacKenzie Road to the dock by June," VanDongen said. "Design and marking of the right-of-way is already near completion. Clearing ... and installing the electrical lines will follow this. The first 8.5 miles will be routed above ground, and the last 3 miles will be buried in the Port District.
"Another utility that will be strung along with the electricity will be telephone lines," VanDongen said. "That's a big plus for the existing industry that is already at the port, and for future industries."
Two years ago the port found itself under the cloud of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's report that basically said the infrastructure was unstable. The report cited the potential for damage in the event of an earthquake. VanDongen says the borough is committed to making the port safe this year.
"We have continued to work with the Corps to make the necessary upgrades," he said. "The major emphasis at Port MacKenzie in 2002 will be to finish the final compaction and gravel cap on the dock, and continue infrastructure projects to improve the Port District. That should effectively make this port one of the safest in the state."
Several studies are also being conducted in 2002. They include a railroad corridor location study and a feasibility study and an environmental assessment for a deep-draft dock and ferry system.
Last May, Port MacKenzie opened for limited operations. A total of 4.4 million pounds of cargo were exported during the 2001 summer shipping season, including 40 homes. Alaska Manufacturing Contractors, the first tenant to operate at the port, received orders to build 49 homes in their first full year of operation. The construction of these homes generated $7 million to $8 million in gross revenues.
According to VanDongen, the home manufacturer is proof the port has potential.
"AMC's presence at the port has been a double blessing for us," he said. "Much of the revenues flowed primarily back into the Mat-Su Borough in the form of wages to employees and payments to subcontractors and material suppliers. These revenues provided more than a 100 percent return on the borough's investment in just the first year. In addition, AMC produced new jobs for approximately 45 employees."
Last year, Afognak Native Corp. purchased a 51 percent controlling interest in AMC. This year, AMC has plans to step up production of its homes for Native communities throughout Alaska.
The Mat-Su Borough is focusing on three main infrastructure improvements to make the Port District attractive to commercial development: utilities, a year-round ferry, and paving the last 14 miles of the Point MacKenzie Road.
"After electric and telephone are routed to the port, we hope to also extend a natural gas line about 15 miles down the Point MacKenzie Road," VanDongen said. "This will allow commercial companies and property owners along the route to tap into both electric and gas for their businesses and homes."
VanDongen says the ferry will also open up areas on the Point MacKenzie side of Cook Inlet for residential expansion and provide recreational opportunities for Anchorage residents without having to drive long distances. He said there are also a number of public safety advantages.
"The ferry could also be used in emergency rescue operations in case of a plane crash in Upper Cook Inlet," he said. "It will be ice-breaker capable, have bow and stern ramps, and will be equipped with life rafts, life jackets and radios."
To facilitate the ferry system, a memorandum of agreement between the Mat-Su and the Municipality of Anchorage is pending approval by both assemblies. If approved, it will outline the responsibilities of both parties in cooperatively proceeding with the feasibility study, environmental assessment, permitting, design, preliminary engineering and funding for the development of the ferry landings at the Ship Creek Small Boat Launch and Port MacKenzie.
If the memorandum does move forward, it has the potential to accommodate two of the needs of both governments. Anchorage needs land to continue growing, and Port MacKenzie has thousands of acres of both industrial and residential land ready for development, just 1 1/2 nautical miles away from the Port of Anchorage.
Chas St. George is a free-lance writer living in Palmer. He can be reached at stgeorge@mtaonline.net.
