Contributed by Mike Dryden, Wasilla City Council Member
The holiday season has arrived, and we all are busy preparing for this special time of the year. The wheels of city government slow down a little this time of the year, but don’t stop. Some of the highlights on the Council’s agenda this month and January 2018, which may be found at the City of Wasilla website, are the numerous youth and not so young activities at the wonderful city library. 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. Many special events are on the agenda at the center, so check it out.
Regular council meetings are scheduled for December 11, 2017 and January 8, 2018, at 6PM or 1800 hours for you military types. Many holiday-themed events are scheduled and are too numerous to cover. December and January’s 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 December 11th and the January 8th agenda is the first and second readings of a proposed plastic bag ban for Wasilla. More input from the public is needed on the proposed ban, so we can make an informed decision. A personal visit to the council meetings would be great, but an email will serve the same purpose. Several routine housekeeping 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 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 blessed Christmas season and a wonderful 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 necessarily the City of Wasilla or any other organization with which he is associated.
Editor’s Note: This article will be published after the December 11th meeting. However, the minutes are presently available at www.cityofwasilla.com.
