Contributed by Faunus Doney
The town of Palmer, Alaska is a sight to behold. It’s unparalleled beauty, coupled with its proximity to Anchorage, puts it in a unique position. It’s people, of course, are a sight to behold as well. Strong, resilient, intelligent, the people of Palmer include farmers, artists and craftspeople who are constantly working to improve their lives while respecting the history of their town. Preserving a town’s history, especially a town like Palmer, is one of the most important things we can do as citizens of the Earth. To live here is to be a part that history.
When you respect and preserve the history of a town, you are preserving and respecting its personality, the very thing that gives it character; the thing that has brought an influx of new residents and new breath. When most people think of preserving history, they envision restoring old buildings and historical sites. While that is certainly a very important part, preserving the history of our wonderful town is so much more than that. Preserving our history has many benefits, from improving our economy to becoming more environmentally conscious.
When a community has a tangible presence of its history it improves that community’s culture. Preserving local history also helps to improve property values and tax revenues, especially when historic buildings are renovated to become the focal point of the town. It is incredibly important for the citizens of Palmer to take pride in their history and their heritage. Having pride in where you come from improves your connection to your community, to your neighbors. A strong community makes for a strong town, and Palmer, as we all know, is an incredibly strong town.
Of course, the thing that is on all of our minds is the economy. How can we ensure that we are able to remain sustainable, and successful? Historic preservation has been proven to provide jobs, increase household income, and increase tourism. Our history is the heart and soul of our town, and it is vital to our future success that we work to protect it.
In our beautiful town, our history has been our heartbeat; and its coined the phrase “Alaska at its Best!” We have worked tirelessly to respect our town’s history and continue to work to embrace it. As we work, however, our town faces what most small towns face: the uncertainty of the future. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, smaller communities often struggle to adapt to changing conditions, and often rely on one economic sector. Communities like ours have seen their job opportunities shrink, and subsequently see their residents move elsewhere.
In order to avoid this, we should incorporate progressive, economic development into our community. A great way to revitalize the community and encourage economic growth is to build upon our existing assets. Our community has incredible natural beauty and outdoor recreation opportunities, historic areas and a strong local culture. We can work to develop a cohesive identity around our history, in order to attract more tourism, which will in turn attract more businesses.
As I am sure we are all aware, the future is all about sustainability. We have been able to take advantage of the beautiful natural resources right outside our doorsteps for decades, and in order to ensure future generations of Palmer residents have the same opportunity, we need to focus on sustainable and environmentally-conscious paths forward.
This is where the residents of Palmer come in. Every single person in this town should get a say in the future development in order to create a vision and a plan for the future that has the town’s best interest in mind. The residents of Palmer are the ones who are here every day, living and working and socializing in this beautiful town. They know the inside secrets, the hidden treasures of the town that can be preserved and enhanced for future growth.
What the town of Palmer needs is a plan for strategic economic growth that will allow us to maintain our historic character. This includes intentional planning of development, which includes considering where development should – and more importantly, should not – go. As we work towards reinforcing our infrastructure and embracing development, we should also focus on policies that will allow us to protect green space and provide a place for recreation. This is especially important to consider for development. Towns that structure themselves with the people in mind thrive. A great example of this are the cities and towns that have redeveloped their downtowns around walking, biking, and public transit. This helps promote economic growth downtown, and also helps to reduce air pollution.
The big question is, how do we simultaneously preserve our history and redevelop our infrastructure with the future in mind? It takes serious planning, and serious commitment. We need to focus on supporting our greenspace, helping our existing businesses thrive in the current economy, and creating demand for new businesses. With clean, walkable greenspace comes the desire for families to move into nearby neighborhoods. As families move into nearby neighborhoods, local businesses start to see an uptick in revenue. As local business’ revenue increases, it increases the desire for other companies to come to town, thus sparking economic growth.
We can honor the history of Palmer and jump-start the economy by embracing partnerships between organizations that already exist here. Partnerships between local health care organizations and the city planning department could lead to improved recreation areas and biking trails. In Partnerships with local not-for-profits, Markets, and religious organizations; new Festivals and cultural events will become more prevalent. This leads people of all backgrounds together and develop a more diverse, respectful, and safer community. Embracing and opening doors to better understanding an individual, a family, a sub culture and the chain continues to a larger group and more people. Soon, with open minds, love, and understanding new traditions and new events and festivals appear and through this catalyst a unified and strengthen community is formed from the humble beginnings of our great city with a bright inclusive and stronger community for the future! Truly embracing “Alaska At Its Best!”
Partnerships between local farmers and the city facilities department can help spark a new desire for more markets and community gardens.
We are fortunate enough to live in an absolutely spectacular place, and we find ourselves at the crux of a major opportunity. If we engage our community and focus on preserving our historical roots, while also working toward progressive and economic growth, I am confident we will continue to find ourselves in a town that we are ALL so proud of.