Borough honors Sen. Lyda Green

A photo of a ship at port, etched in cast bronze, was unveiled to applause today at Port MacKenzie in honor of Sen. Lyda Green. The plaque is permanently affixed to a wall on the ferry terminal building.

Sen. Green listened to speeches highlighting her dedication to the MAT-SU Borough, specifically to the development of the northernmost deep draft dock in North America.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Manager John Duffy thanked Sen. Green and pointed to Port MacKenzie's role in boosting the regional economy.


“It's very very important not only to the MAT-SU Borough in terms of creating jobs and economic diversity, but also to the region, the Anchorage-MAT-SU region. ... We just had a cement ship in here, second one of the year. And that has lowered the price of cement in the region by about $5 million dollars, which creates other economic opportunities. So it's just phenomenal. And we'll have a barge in here in a day or two to take the scrap metal out to India of all places. So Senator Green has been great to the Borough. And as you drove down here if you missed it, I really encourage you to take a right hand turn, what about ten miles from here: the prison. Your long support of that effort has now created 300 jobs out here rising to 600. We just did a check, 98 percent of that 300 are Borough residents. So it's fantastic what's going on out here,” Duffy said.

Borough Assembly Member Cindy Bettine announced the Borough's recent news of a $3 million dollar stimulus grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to expand the nearby barge dock from five acres to 13 acres. The expansion will not only provide more area for large projects but will also allow truck traffic to drive in a loop, increasing importing and exporting efficiencies. The Borough is hoping to be a part of a private bid for the massive sea-lift modules for oil fields.

“If the Borough is included in that winning contract it could mean up to 400 jobs. ... The Port is on the verge of really taking off and Sen. Green we have you to thank for being there from the very start of it,” Bettine said.

Port Commission Chairman John Riggs presented Sen. Green with a resolution from the Commission thanking her.

“On behalf of the Port Commission, the past Commissioners and the present Commissioners, we'd like to extend our sincere appreciation for all of the efforts that you've made for the Port. There's a lot of us who've been here for 30 years or so and this Port has been a dream. And you have helped us get there,” Riggs said.

Sen. Charlie Huggins said Sen. Green saw the potential at the Port when few did.

“Lyda Green is one of those people that was a rock solid citizen that knew and could prioritize things and for our Borough—if you can't recognize the importance and the merit of the Port, she did. And really was instrumental in getting a significant amount of money for a worthy cause. It's the future of the Borough. So I'm very proud of that. And proud to be a member of the Borough because we're going to get the fruits of her toil,” Huggins said.

Noel Woods was an early Chairman of the Port Commission. Woods, his wife Jean, and present Port Commissioner, Jay Nolfi, played a major role in the passage of the port bonds in 2002.

“We were in, by accident probably, a good position to look ahead a little bit and see what might be done. Actually (Sen.) Ted Stevens and (Rep.) Don Young and company came through for us to give seed money $5.5 million to start the Port off some years ago. We're really pleased it's going to be an asset to the whole state. It really should be an asset to the Borough with (helping) unemployment, tax revenues, so yeah, we're really pleased,” Woods said.

Sen. Lyda Green thanked all and reflected on that crucial vote.

“You know I can't help but remember and was always very proud of the voters in the MAT-SU when they supported that grant, the second round, because it required voter support and said IF by any chance the state doesn't come through with the funding for that, the members of the Borough would be, the residents would be responsible for the repayment. I felt 99.99 percent sure that would not be the case and it would always be supported through state government. But as I recall the MAT-SU Borough was the only one who accepted those terms. And I was always very proud of the residents of this Borough for supporting, for saying we'll stand up and this is a valuable project and we'll do this,” Green said.

For photos or audio call Borough Public Affairs Director Patty Sullivan at 907.745.9577 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.