Mental Health Trust “Does Not Care”

Contributed by Patti Fisher

I am writing to let your readers know about a gravel pit for which a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) has been applied for with the Borough. The pit would be located on Sylvan Road in Meadow Lakes just about two-tenths of a mile off the Parks Highway. The site, owned by the Alaska Mental HealthTrust, is surrounded on three sides by homes, closely abutting the property, with wetlands through the middle of the site, and on a narrow roadway. The CUP application lists approximately 1000 truck trips a day. The Meadow Lakes Comprehensive Plan written in 2004 has designated that site as the Town Center for Meadow Lakes. Placing a gravel pit in this location would be extremely detrimental to the physical, financial, and mental health of the residents which live directly next to the site, and to the community at large.

This property is owned by the Alaska Mental Health Trust. Contact was made with an administrator of the Trust, and he advised us that the health of the people in the neighborhood is “not their concern”. The administrator basically did not want to listen to our concerns about the proposed site. This site does not need to be developed for the gravel. It is a location which could be developed for many other uses, family residences, retail establishments or senior housing.