By DARRELL L. BREESE
Alaska Star

The plaque unveiled during the dedication ceremony for the Eagle River Town Center June 30 reads; “This building stands in tribute to the people of Eagle River for their vision, passion and commitment to recapturing the heart of their community.”

That summarizes the years of toil and hard work put in by many in the community to make the dream of the town center become a reality.

Former mayor and current U.S. Sen. Mark Begich addressed those attending the Eagle River Towncenter dedication ceremony June 30. Star Photo By DARRELL L. BREESE

“Come on in,” Claman said after opening the doors, inviting the crowd that gathered for the dedication. “This facility will revitalize the town center, give much needed extra space to the library, and increase efficiency by consolidating city services.”

The dedication ceremony ended more than eight years of talk and planning to address the need for a centrally located facility in Eagle River for municipal offices.

“We started talking about this seriously in 2000, when Anchorage began drafting a revitalization plan,” said Susie Gorski, Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce Executive Director. “Someone even proposed a design for the project to be located where the Boys & Girls Club is now.”

Gorski was among many jubilant supporters of the project on hand for the dedication.

Assemblywoman Debbie Ossiander, who has been involved with the development of the idea since its inception, was a bit more reserved.

“I’m excited we’ve reached this point, today is a great day for the Chugiak-Eagle River area,” she said. “I hope the community will forgive me if I reserve my celebration for a couple of weeks. I’ll celebrate once we have books on the shelves and children studying at computer stations in the library and people getting building permits locally.”

The Town Center building is still an empty shell; the dedication marked the end of remodeling the 42,000 square feet of space as the home for multiple municipal services, including the library, local parks and recreations, street maintenance, land use permitting and a police substation.

Over the next month, the various departments will be setting up in their new offices. A donation from BP Alaska provided all the office furniture needed for the various municipal departments.

The Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, a service of the Department of Health and Human Services, will be the first to open for clients July 15.

The 18,000-square-foot library will be ready in early August.

The interior remodel cost approximately $4.4 million. Funding for the project included a $1 million grant from the Rasmuson Foundation, a $1 million contribution from the Eagle River Parks and Recreation Service Area, $1.9 million in state legislative grants, and $500,000 in bond funds.

“Without all our partners and the support of the community we could not have succeeded in this project,” said Mary Jane Michael, of the municipal Office of Economic & Community Development. “This building will enrich the community and be a gathering place for all ages in Eagle River.”

The building was purchased in 2008 as a jointly owned public-private partnership with The Alaska Club for $1 million. The athletic club is working on remodeling its portion of the building and expects to have it completed by September. There is also a 20,000-square-foot space up for sale.

U.S. Senator Mark Begich was on hand for the dedication. When he served as Anchorage mayor the project was one of his top priorities for the Chugiak-Eagle River community.

“Susie (Gorski) and the chamber board cornered me one day before I was first sworn in as mayor in a booth at the North Slope,” he recalled. “She had a wish list for the area and the town center was at the top of the list.

“More important than it being among the items sought be the chamber, this was a project the entire community wanted and rallied together to make it become a reality,” he continued. “That is something the people of the Chugiak-Eagle River area have done as long as I can remember and they should be commended for that.”

The grand opening of the library and fully completed municipal office complex is scheduled for the middle of August.

Reach the reporter at darrellbreese.@alaskastar.com.

This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, July 9, 2009.