A memorial in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough honoring Alaska veterans is on track to get a new home in Wasilla.
The Veterans Wall of Honor features thousands of veterans’ names and sits on a bluff just off the Parks Highway near Mat-Su Regional Hospital. It’s been there for more than 20 years, but the land beneath the dark granite panels has been sold — twice.
First, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough sold the land to a developer. Then the developer sold the land to the Mat-Su Health Foundation, which did not commit to leaving the wall at its current location.
During the initial process of selling the land, the borough had set aside $150,000 dollars to help offset the costs of moving the wall, and the Mat-Su Health Foundation has also agreed to contribute.
The uncertainty prompted veterans groups in the area to discuss moving the wall, and it appears they now have a solid plan.
Pending approval by the city council, Wasilla Mayor Bert Cottle said the wall will be moved to city land under a long-term lease for the not-so-hefty price of $1 a year.
“Sometimes I think we forget the people who have paid the ultimate price and who are paying the price every day. And I think this is a good reminder of how we got to where we are,” Cottle said. “It’s always been about getting closure and doing the right thing on the wall.”
Cottle said the city has identified a suitable piece of land next to where the Wasilla Police Department will be headquartered, off Wasilla Fishook Road at the site of the old Iditarod School.
However, moving the wall may prove to be a challenge.
It’s made up of dozens of panels, some that are six feet tall, weighing nearly 700 pounds, and others that are half that size. Some of the specifics on how to move the panels are yet to be determined. They’ll likely be separated from a concrete base and trucked to the new site, Cottle said.
J.R. Hackett is an Air Force veteran who serves on the Mat-Su Honor Wall Foundation board of directors. He said a concept design for the new location has been drawn up and the hope is to have the wall in place in time for Veterans Day next year.
“We wanted to put this thing to rest once and for all. We were hoping that, obviously, in the beginning that we could come up with some type of a way to keep it up there, but things change and as time progresses, you know, the community evolves and those types of things happen,” Hackett said. “So we’ve got some pretty ambitious ideas and probably an ambitious timeline, but we’re hoping that the November 11th, 2018 ceremony can be held at the new location.”
Casey Grove is host of Alaska News Nightly, a general assignment reporter and an editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cgrove@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Casey here.
