Six minutes here catches you up on the highlights of this week's six-hour Mat-Su Borough Assembly meeting. In his podcast, Borough Manager John Duffy discusses the insurance settlement for Susitna Valley Jr./Sr. High School, a new ambulance for Talkeetna, a Wasilla development code, a lengthy public hearing on offroad motor access at Hatcher Pass, and at last the coming draft for the Port Mac Rail, EIS, Environmental Impact Statement.
This week on Duffy Download, Borough Manager John Duffy discusses stimulus grant applications, a proposed sales tax, efforts in Juneau, and budget preparation here. Press the play button to hear. For reporters, you can download the attached mp3 file below.
Keep up to date on the Borough with Duffy Download, a podcast of the latest with Manager John Duffy. For Aug. 6, 2008 Duffy discusses road and school bonds, the adopted aviation systems plan, prison construction, and the award for construction of Su Valley High and more.
Aug. 13, 2008 Tune in to the second podcast of Borough Manager John Duffy. Called Duffy Download, the short program highlights: a recycling center grant, Lake Louise, a new visitor center in Denali National Park, a proposed ordinance on conventional natural gas drilling, and a joint land use study on military air training.
Catching up with Borough Manager John Duffy this week you can hear updates on the Hatcher Pass Ski project action plan, funding for VCRS, Alaska Coastal Management Program funds, Central Landfill contract, and changes to grant fees.
Duffy Download for Sept. 4, 2008: Tune in this week and hear about Recycling Center funding, the natural disaster plan, ferry service for Tyonek, and the newly active Citizens Advisory Committee for the prison.
KETCHIKAN—In this week's Duffy Download podcast, the interview goes to video. Moments before the M/V Susitna was christened, Matanuska-Susitna Borough Manager Johny Duffy was tapped for an impromptu interview. Duffy played a key role in an unlikely partnership that brought about an impossible ship. The ship is a test lab for the U.S. Navy and will be a ferry for Upper Cook Inlet. The Susitna will connect our communities via water and spur a more complex regional economy. The ship is also the most complex commercial ship to be built in the last 100 years.
Moments before the M/V Susitna was christened, Matanuska-Susitna Borough Manager Johny Duffy was tapped for an impromptu interview. Duffy played a key role in an unlikely partnership that brought about an impossible ship. The ship is a test lab for the U.S. Navy and will be a ferry for Upper Cook Inlet. The Susitna will connect our communities via water and spur a more complex regional economy. The ship is also the most complex commercial ship to be built in the last 100 years.Click here to watch the short remarks.
This week Duffy highlights our record number of emergency responders, an important visitor on a recent tugboat tour of Knik Arm, and how the state DOT fancies our recently-adopted road bonds.
This week on the podcast Duffy Download, Mat-Su Borough Manager John Duffy highlights how the Port MacKenzie Rail Extension project benefits the state of Alaska. Through lower transport costs & the development of new mines, the rail project will add billions in revenue to Alaska and create hundreds of new jobs from Southcentral to the Interior. It may be one of the answers to the declining oil reserves on the North Slope.
The Port MacKenzie Rail project is a 30- to 45-mile rail line in the Susitna River valley. The Rail line would travel north from the port facility and connect to the existing rail system at a point between Meadow Lakes and north of Willow. The site where the track connects has not been selected yet. Alternatives are under study by the federal Surface Transportation Board.
Tune in this week on Duffy Download with Assistant Borough Manager Elizabeth Gray. Hear updates on two elementary school construction projects, kudos for an Alaska Municipal League Award, and some bio on our new Assistant Borough Manager.
Assistant Borough Manager Elizabeth Gray makes another guest appearance on Duffy Download. Gray gives specifics on a new HR Manager, a new manager at Brett Memorial Ice Arena, a $1 million road grant, the CERT program, and the visiting author program at our libraries starting this month.
Tune in for two minutes and hear the latest from your Borough Manager. This week on Duffy Download, Manager Duffy discusses the new Animal Care Chief and the status of the prison.
Lots of good things are happening in the Mat-Su Borough. This week on Duffy Download, Manager Duffy gives details on the sale of prison bonds, six new ambulances, a new ladder fire truck, federal and state priorities for the Borough, and funding for a new community recycling center.
Merry Christmas. This week Manager John Duffy talks about the against-the-odds sale of the prison bonds in a down market. He also highlights the Borough strategic plan and stimulus package. Guest host this week is 8-year-old Eslie King.
Farewell 2008. Today on Duffy Download, Manager John Duffy gives a preview of our upcoming budget, next week's Assembly meeting with our State Legislators, and kudos from Colorado on the Knik sled dog district.
Learn about a new paramedic program in the Mat-Su, inmates helping at Animal Care, the next Alaska author to visit our libraries, and Winter Trails Day with Elizabeth Gray, Assistant Borough Manager. (Manager John Duffy is returning from closing prison bonds.)
As always, there's lots going on at your local government. Tune in with Borough Manager John Duffy and learn about Borough office space, environmental work for Hatcher Pass ski area, the prison construction award, Borough TV commercials, and public affairs awards.
This week on Duffy Download Manager John Duffy discusses the recent prison contract signing ceremony, upcoming trip to Juneau to testify before the State House & Senate, and winter road problems.
Elizabeth Gray, Assistant Borough Manager, visits with us this week on Duffy Download. Elizabeth will give highlights on the Mat-Su visiting author program, the recent Ivan Moore phone survey on bus ridership and news sources, and our shelter pets getting out in public for a chance at adoption. (The survey is available on the Manager's web page at www.matsugov.us)
After a two-week break from Duffy Download, Manager Duffy returns to the air. Subjects this week include: coming ships at Port MacKenzie, connecting on a stimulus package grant, and final funding for the recycling center.
Thanks for keeping on top of events at your local government.
This week Borough Manager John Duffy presented the proposed 2010 Borough budget to the Assembly. Here Duffy gives a five minute or so overview on the budget. Among the highlights: the mill rate remains the same, some $855,000 in government operations was cut. The first public hearing on the budget is April 30 at the Central Mat-Su Public Safety Building in Wasilla. The budget is also posted on the Borough web site.
Last night, May 13, the Assembly dropped the mill rate for the 2010 Borough budget. After more than 20 amendments, the Assembly made cuts in spending that lowered the areawide mill rate to 9.980, considerably lower than the effective mill rate last year of 10.32.
It is the third year in a row that the Assembly has provided property tax relief by holding the mill levy steady and in this case reducing it. Manager John Duffy gives an overview in the podcast Duffy Download.
What regional economic benefits will the Cook Inlet ferry system bring? What's the latest on a loop for bulk natural resources at Port MacKenzie? What is the USDA grant for in Talkeetna? Some of these topics and more are covered in this week's Duffy Download.
This week on Duffy Download, Manager John Duffy gives an overview of fire grants, school bonds on Oct. 6 ballot, the Susitna Ferry, and the Borough's unveiling of its first poster.
This week on Duffy Download Manager Duffy talks about the Machetanz school opening, the 2009-2012 Borough Strategic plan (link to the document on the manager's page of www.matsugov.us) the prison project, a visit by the Federal Transit Authority, Port news and a visit with the Governor.
This week on Duffy Download Manager Duffy talks about the Machetanz school opening, the 2009-2012 Borough Strategic plan, the prison project, a visit by the Federal Transit Authority, Port news and a visit with the Governor.
Hear about big dollar grants that are coming to the Mat-Su, a Fairbanks trip on Port Mac Rail, new Assemblymembers, and upcoming H1N1 clnics on this week's Duffy Download with Borough Manager John Duffy.
This week on Duffy Download Manager John Duffy discusses a recent meeting with the Mat-Su State Delegation, including our new Sen. John Coghill. Other subjects of interest: the Sutton Comprehensive Plan and the delegation of planning and zoning authority to the City of Houston. Also, a salute to veterans.
Tune into the podcast of Duffy Download this pre-Christmas week to hear an update on Borough priority projects as presented to State and Federal officials, the first LEED-certified schools in Alaska, kudos to firefighters and public works, and best holiday wishes from Borough Manager John Duffy.
This week on the podcast report by Borough Manager John Duffy: two Stimulus grants for water systems in the Borough, Su Valley High ribbon-cutting celebration Monday, Jan. 11, 11 a.m., Nordic ski area at Hatcher comes into focus, and a well-known and recent promoter of Port Mac Rail Extension.
The Duffy Download podcast gives you the latest events at the Mat-Su Borough in about three minutes. Mat-Su Borough Manager John Duffy gives an overview of major work at this week's Assembly meeting.
Tyonek's open for business and eager to ride the Susitna Ferry.
The Mayor's Blue Ribbon Sportsmen's Committee gets help in presenting the Mat-Su's crisis of low fish returns on our rivers and streams to the Alaska Board of Fisheries.
Talkeetna sewer and water receives more funds
the Borough's capital improvement program is adopted.
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