Hearty applause at recycling groundbreaking

Some 60 people turned out to celebrate the beginning shovel work of the Regional Resource Recovery & Training Park off North 49th State Street. The $6.4 million building is expected to be completed in fall 2010. The center incorporates college instruction and economic development into its mission of recovering "resources" from the landfill.

Among the guest speakers was Alaska Senator Lyda Green who praised Director Mollie Boyer (Valley Community for Recycling Solutions) for handling rejections for funding with grace. Sen. Green supported the project in the Legislature. Some $800,000 came from Legislature.

The first goal of the center is to divert 25 percent of waste from the MAT-SU Landfill into useable resources. In 2008, VCRS pulled 1,200 tons out of the landfill for recycling.

Dennis Clark, Director of Matanuska-Susitna College highlighted how a new program at the college hold its classes at the recycling center. "We'll become the center of the state for renewable energy," Clark said.

Assembly Member Michelle Church highlighted the possible solar aquatic water, waste-water program with Job Corps.

"We really are leaders in the state, I'm proud to be a part of it. ... This will be an on site training for water, waste-water students at job Corps and it'll be a testing facility to see if this kind of system will work in Alaska. And they'll be able to do tests like processing the leachate from our landfill. We send something like 600,000 gallons of leach aid to Anchorage to be processed."

Assembly Member Rob Wells said the Assembly played a small but significant part in backing this project.

Economic Development Director Dave Hanson helped secure the many grants involved.

Photos by Patty Sullivan/MSB

Bottom photo: Borough Manager John Duffy and VCRS Director Mollie Boyer exchange a handshake after working years on the project.