Contributed by Mike Dryden, Wasilla City Council Member
Wasilla City Council Meetings
2/26/2018, 3/12/2018 – 6PM
Wasilla City Council
Wasilla City Hall
290 E Herning Ave. Wasilla
FREE Event
The days are getting longer, and soon the weather will become more hospitable. Some of the highlights on the Council’s agenda for the coming 30 days are routine housekeeping items like funds transfers and an amendment to the 2018 budget to re-establish a WPD K-9 program.
Numerous youth and not-so-young activities are scheduled at our wonderful city library. Gather at the library for special events like Toddler Story Time, Preschool Story Time, Baby Lap Time, Homework Help, Science Saturday, Tech Thursday and Lego Day. The library will celebrate the Chinese New Year on Friday, February 16th at 2 PM. More details are online and at the library’s reception area. The staff at the library have something going on for the kids every week, so please visit the city’s newest attraction.
The Curtis Menard Memorial Sports Complex has its popular indoor walking program again. The fees are posted on our city's website. Get fit and outlive your detractors. You owe it to yourself. Some of the special events happening at the Menard Sports Complex are Sweetheart Skating, Kids' Dance Party, Boon Town Roller Derby, the return of Tuesday Night Fights, Spring Ice Skating and an indoor intro to football camp. Many special events are on the agenda at the center, so check it out. Go to your Facebook and send the Menard a friend request to stay abreast of all upcoming events.
I have been threatened with a trip to the woodshed if I don’t mention the Museum’s activities. An Introduction to Dog Mushing 101 began Friday February 2nd and runs for six weeks. This class is open to those newly arrived residents who haven’t fully filled out their Mat-Su Valley Cheechako card. If you didn’t understand the last sentence, then attendance is compulsory.
Regular council meetings are scheduled for February 26th and March 12th at 6 PM, or 1800 hours for you military types. Regular agenda items include reports from all department heads, a spokesperson for the Friends of the Library and a report covering student activities from Katelyn Boswell, a student attending Wasilla High School. An update on activities at WASI rounds out our regular reports.
The main item on the agenda for the next month is our city’s budget. Department heads in the administration have been working on the proposal for months. The city council will be briefed on the details and will have the opportunity to question department spokespersons. A personal visit to the council meetings would be great, but an email will serve the same purpose about issues. Several routine items will be addressed like intra-departmental funds transfers and proclamations by the mayor.
As always, the public is invited to express their opinion in the public arena. Seasoned visitors have been known to avail themselves of all of the opportunities on the agenda. The number of opportunities to speak for three minutes ranges from three trips to the microphone to as many as there are items discussed in the meeting.
As I have stated in the past, your participation in your city council meetings is the grassroots of American democracy as envisioned by the Founders. The city council will let you opine without regards to your address. All input is welcomed and considered. My email address is mdryden@ci.wasilla.ak.us.
In closing, let me wish each of you and your loved ones a wonderful Chinese New Year. 2018 looks to be a great year for Wasilla, Alaska and the nation, so let’s be thankful and joyous that we live in such a great place.
Until next month, be safe and well-informed, and God Bless America.
Author’s Note: The above column represents, unless otherwise noted, the opinions of Mike Dryden and not necessary the City of Wasilla or any other organization with which he is associated. But it should be. Dittos.
Editor’s Note: This article will be published after the February 12th meeting. However, the minutes are presently available at www.cityofwasilla.com.